NEXA Lending is acquiring UMortgage, marking a consolidation of two of the most recognized mortgage brokerages in the United States.
As part of the deal, all of UMortgage's roughly 275 employees will remain with the company, including its 246 loan officers and CEO Anthony Casa, who previously had
Financial terms were not disclosed.
"When I looked at the technology, lender relationships, infrastructure, economics and scale NEXA has built, I had to ask myself, how am I supposed to compete with this?" Casa said in the release. "They built the best platform, and at some point the question stopped being, 'Why NEXA?' and became, 'Why not NEXA?'"
UMortgage has produced over $2 billion in annual mortgage volume, and has earned a spot on Inc Magazine's Inc 5000 list, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies, three years in a row, according to the release. The addition pushed NEXA's originator count to more than 4,000 and increased its annual origination volume to about $14.15 billion.
The deal allows UMortgage to maintain its branding, marketing and culture while taking advantage of NEXA's broader platform. Organizations operating within NEXA also retain control of client relationships, keep 100% of revenue, participate in monthly servicing income and access its lender network, infrastructure and fully agentic AI platform.
"The goal is not to take away what made somebody successful," Kortas said in the release. "Keep your brand, keep your marketing, keep your people and, most importantly, keep building. What we want to take away are the things that distract great leaders from doing what they are actually great at."
This is part of its pitch to other mortgage brokerages. NEXA lets companies maintain their systems, technology and operations, while removing burdens, such as liability, attorney expenses, audits, compliance complexity and operational headaches. It also provides more investor opportunity and better pricing, Kortas told National Mortgage News.
NEXA left a message to other brokerage owners at the end of the release: "UMortgage is not leaving behind what made it successful, it is bringing that success into a larger platform built to amplify it, and guess what? You can too."
Kortas and Casa make amends
After years of public conflict, Kortas and Casa decided to move forward in hopes of a mutually beneficial business relationship. Casa's appointment represents NEXA's highest level of partnership and gives him more freedom to focus on recruiting, developing salespeople, building community and advocating for loan officers, according to the release.
"Executive partner is not an honorary title. It is a title you earn," Kortas said. "Anthony brings the experience, influence and production to earn that title on day one, and we believe his leadership will make NEXA and the broker channel stronger."
Casa said his top leaders, including Tyler Hodgson, Nash Paradise, Jimmy Hobson, Adam West and Ben Bell, have been supportive of the acquisition.
In 2022, NEXA left the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts after Kortas accused the organization, which Casa founded, of failing to support larger brokerages and allowing others to bully
"Is Casa blasting a CEO for his behavior while Casa himself had to step down because of his own behavior?" the post said, referencing
Kortas has publicly disagreed with Casa's business approach over the past few years, but NEXA National Director of Sales Todd Bitter helped the two reconnect. The conversation began as an effort to "bury the hatchet" but became a larger conversation about building together, according to the release.
A singular meeting turned into three, with the first half spent working through the years of being told to dislike each other. The two quickly learned they shared the same goal: to grow the mortgage industry and the broker channel, and to help originators as much as possible, Kortas and Casa told National Mortgage News.
"You can spend years recreating, or you can recognize when someone has already built something exceptional," Casa said. "Sometimes surrendering is misunderstood as giving up. I see it as having the confidence to recognize where your time and talent can create the greatest impact."
