Rate and Compass merge mortgage JVs to form top-10 retail lender by 2026

Rate and Compass International Holdings are merging their two mortgage joint ventures, Guaranteed Rate Affinity (GRA) and OriginPoint, into a top-10 pure retail mortgage lender, Rate CEO Victor Ciardelli told HousingWire in an exclusive interview.

The merged entity will operate under the OriginPoint brand and will include a team of 672 dedicated loan officers expected to reach $13.2 billion in mortgage volume by the end of 2026, with most volume coming from GRA, Ciardelli said.

This merger was anticipated following Compass's agreement to merge with Anywhere Real Estate last year. Anywhere and Rate originally launched Guaranteed Rate Affinity in 2017, and Rate partnered with Compass in 2021 to create OriginPoint.

The integration of the two joint ventures has been underway for six months. Dave Dickey, president and chief production officer of GRA, and James Elliott, president and CEO of OriginPoint, will serve as co-presidents of the new venture.

The companies aim to provide a streamlined real estate experience through OriginPoint, allowing customers to find, secure, and close on homes in as few as 10 days. This process will be connected to Compass's brokerage network of over 80,000 real estate professionals.

Together, Coldwell Banker Realty and Compass account for more than 200,000 buy-side purchase transactions annually, representing over $200 billion in purchase volume. Loan officers at Guaranteed Rate Affinity working with Coldwell Banker will now collaborate with Compass agents, enhancing service integration.