HECM broker rankings hold steady in March as Atlantic Avenue stays at No. 1

The country’s largest reverse mortgage brokerages based on February activity continued to set the pace in March across the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) space, according to endorsement data released Thursday by Reverse Market Insight (RMI) and published by HECMWorld.com.

The top five brokerages by HECM endorsement count were unchanged during the year ending in March 2026 when compared to February’s trailing 12-month period. Atlantic Avenue Mortgage was No. 1 with 938 endorsements, followed by loanDepot (441), Caliver Beach Mortgage (386), C2 Financial Corp. (180) and West Capital Lending (161).

Atlantic Avenue saw a significant jump in business in March, when it recorded 88 endorsements, up from 64 in February. The Florida-based firm upped its 12-month rolling average to 78 loan endorsements in March.

Founder Eric Manley recently told HousingWire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD) that Atlantic Avenue “just had our best month ever” and did more than $90 million in volume during the first quarter. The firm, which is licensed in 35 states and has more than 70 staff, rose to the top of the HECM broker leaderboard in 2025 in only its third year of business.

“We’re seeing growth across both the traditional, typical reverse mortgage borrower, as well as more affluent borrowers,” Manley said. “Many financially strong homeowners now are viewing home equity as part of their retirement strategy.”

While Atlantic Avenue — a younger and smaller company with a specialization in reverse mortgages — has grabbed the top spot for HECM broker activity, the No. 2 spot is occupied by loanDepot, an established player in the forward mortgage space.

loanDepot’s broker division endorsed 32 HECMs in March, down slightly from February. The company also does direct HECM endorsements and ranks among the top 30 lenders nationally, according to RMI.

Lisa Moriello, a Connecticut-based originator and national retail division manager for loanDepot, offered advice to fellow LOs at last month’s Reverse Mastermind Summit. She said that many originators are stuck in “part-time” status and need to have more of an eye to the future rather than focusing on their current pipeline.

“Own your business. Decide what you’re going to do; decide what your goals are going to be. And you know what? Set the bar a little high. So what if you only get halfway there?” Moriello said.

Barrett Financial Group has been one of the biggest movers of 2026 in the HECM broker rankings. The Arizona-based company endorsed 17 loans in March, well above its 12-month rolling average of 10 loans, and ranks No. 8 nationally with 124 endorsements in the past year.

Christina Harmes, a California-based originator for Barrett Financial, is one of about 200 people who’ve earned the Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional (CRMP) designation. In a recent interview with RMD, Harmes indicated that her professional development efforts have improved her relationships with clients and referral partners.

“Some of us have fiduciary duties and some of us don’t as originators, but I think that that fiduciary duty is a really important piece,” she said. “I had to learn that early in my career — you’re going to do what’s right for the client. You’re not just going to put them into a loan because it may be satisfying your sales quotas.”

While HECM endorsement activity has been slow during the first half of 2026 — due in part to rising demand for proprietary reverse mortgages — each of the top 10 HECM brokers have endorsed more than 100 loans in the past year.

Carrington Mortgages Services ranked sixth during the 12 months ending in March with 144 endorsements. Senior Lending Corp. (136), Integrity 1st Mortgage (118) and NEXA Lending (115) rounded out the top 10.