Guild Mortgage to purchase Inlanta

San Diego-based Guild Mortgage has acquired Inlanta Mortgage, which earlier this week sent a notification to Wisconsin officials regarding the closure of its Pewaukee office.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

"In joining Guild, we can offer our Midwest borrowers a broader array of loan options and access to new digital and customer relationship tools to improve every step in the lending experience, including servicing, a Guild strength," said Inlanta founder John Knowlton in a release. "Our combined resources and customer service cultures will drive future growth throughout the region."

On Nov. 29, Inlanta sent a letter to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development disclosing the termination of 62 employees, starting that day and lasting through the wind-down of operations expected in early April 2023.

The closure is over "unforeseeable business conditions" brought on by the dramatic decline in mortgage volume, Inlanta President and CEO Paul Buege wrote. The layoffs are contingent upon the finalization of its acquisition by an unnamed third-party purchaser, he wrote; that buyer turned out to be Guild.

"As this action has been caused by unforeseeable business conditions, this notice has been provided compliant with WARN Act obligations at the earliest possible opportunity," wrote Buege.

The employees aren't represented by a labor union nor collective bargaining agreement, and no bumping rights exist, the notice said. Underwriters, loan officers, loan processors and marketing staff will be laid off Dec. 2, according to the notice, and staff will be terminated periodically until executives and accountants depart in late March.

A shutdown was unexpected as Buege recently spoke with National Mortgage News about Inlanta's growth prospects.

"The relationship lenders like ours that have always been in the purchase side, while they're down, they're fine, and they're opportunistic," Buege said in the interview. "We have to respect everything that's going on that's not so good but all of our focus is on the future, let's keep growing."

But Guild, which became publicly traded on Oct. 22, 2020 as part of the rush of independent mortgage bankers listing on stock exchanges, has a history of expanding its footprint through acquisitions.

During its third quarter earnings call, CEO Mary Ann McGarry said Guild's phone has been ringing "quite a lot" regarding acquisition opportunities, which are abundant in the depressed market. 

"We think it's a great opportunity right now and think it'll even get stronger in the first quarter of 2023," she said, when asked about acquisition prospects and how selective the company will be. "In today's environment, of course the cash flows are going to be much thinner. And so I would say…we're being a little bit more cautious on pricing."

This deal is part of Guild's plan to grow both in existing markets and by entering new ones with selective acquisitions, McGarry said in the release.

"Inlanta is a natural fit because of its almost 30-year history, strong management team, employee-oriented culture and dedication to customer service," McGarry said. "Together we will use our combined strengths to drive further growth throughout the Midwest."

Inlanta is Guild's eighth acquisition since 2008, the most recent being Residential Mortgage Services in May 2021.

Inlanta is just the latest in a growing number of companies exiting all or part of the mortgage business, includingthe forward mortgage operations of Finance of America and Reverse Mortgage Funding, which filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 30.