Mutual of Omaha’s reverse division launches broker protection program

Mutual of Omaha Mortgage’s reverse division has launched a new program, “Broker Protect,” that aims to offer what it calls industry-first protections to brokers doing business with the company.

Mutual of Omaha approved brokers and principal agents will have access to five core protections, including a promise that the lender “will not solicit borrowers established within the broker network.” It will also exclude broker-network borrowers from the company’s outbound marketing campaigns.

The company will alert broker partners to potential refinance business and notify them if “a payoff is ordered on one of their loans within the broker network.” It will also add the broker’s name to the borrower’s monthly servicing statement so that an interested borrower can contact them directly for a refinance opportunity.

‘Aligned with their success’

These protections are designed to signal that brokers can have more trust when bringing their business to Mutual of Omaha, according to reverse division president Alex Pistone.

“As far as we are aware, this is the first time that an investor has offered these kinds of protections in the reverse mortgage space,” Pistone said in an interview with HousingWire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD). “We see this program as a way to show our broker and principal agent partners that we are aligned with their success.”

If a new broker becomes aware that the company will not solicit their borrowers, it allows for a more productive relationship on both sides, Pistone explained.

“Once a new client knows we’re not going to solicit their borrowers, it clears the air and lets us get to the important work of helping our brokers build a more profitable business,” he said.

When asked what the impetus was for the creation of the new program, Pistone said that it comes down to Mutual of Omaha’s brand recognition among older homeowners and transferring some of these sentiments to broker partners.

“We know that brokers who leverage our brand win more loans,” Pistone said. “What our wholesale clients wanted to know was, if they align with our brand, are they going to lose relationships when those borrowers later refinance or move?”

The program, he said, stands as an “unambiguous statement that we understand and value those hard-won client relationships and have no intention of getting in between our brokers and their borrowers.”

Eye on wholesale growth

Pistone said that as the company continues to target additional growth in the wholesale lending space, it wants to make its commitment to these partners as explicit as possible. Broker Protect is viewed as a way to do that.

“We have been the fastest-growing wholesale investor in the space over the past couple of years,” he said. “If our commitment to the wholesale business wasn’t already obvious, it should be now. In the short few weeks since we unveiled the program, the response from brokers and principal agent partners has been overwhelmingly positive.”

As for future plans, Pistone characterized the new program as just the beginning of Mutual of Omaha’s forthcoming efforts in the wholesale realm.

“We’re just getting warmed up,” he said. “If you’ve watched our development over the past several years, you’ve witnessed deliberate, strategic growth across all of our channels. Becoming the top wholesale investor in the reverse mortgage business is our goal. We are working on technology and program development that will help us get there. In the meanwhile, we are going to continue to grow by offering unparalleled support to all of our clients.”

As for a message he hopes the industry receives from the establishment of the program, Pistone said that again, it’s all about trust.

“We’d like the wider industry to know that they can confidently partner with us and leverage the Mutual of Omaha brand without worrying about losing borrower relationships,” he said.

According to Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsement data compiled by Reverse Market Insight (RMI), Mutual of Omaha currently ranks as the third-largest wholesale originator in the country as of August. It trails only channel leader Longbridge Financial and industry-leading lender Finance of America (FOA), respectively.

Based specifically on retail HECM endorsements on a year-to-date basis through September, Mutual of Omaha overtook FOA as the top industry originator.

Mutual of Omaha and Longbridge are currently engaged in a legal dispute regarding marketing practices that Longbridge alleges are deceptive.