Guaranteed rate to acquire Stearns Holdings, LLC to strengthen leadership in mortgage joint venture while building additional multichannel capabilities
Leading Mortgage Loan Provider builds on its mission to become the leading mortgage lender in the country
CHICAGO, January 5, 2021 / PRNewswire / – Guaranteed price, one of the largest US retail mortgage lenders, has announced a definitive acquisition agreement Texas-based Stearns Holdings, LLC out of funds managed by Black stone. A national top 25 lender with more than $ 20Billion In terms of 2020 issuance volume, Stearns was founded in 1989 and operates in all 50 states through retail, joint venture, partnership and wholesale channels. The acquisition will allow Guaranteed Rate to strengthen consumer lending and further scale its JV platform while developing new multichannel capabilities.
The upcoming acquisition comes at a time of significant momentum for Guaranteed Rate, which had its best year of production ever in 2020. The move builds on Guaranteed Rate’s track record of executing and integrating successful acquisitions and is directly related to its goal of becoming the country’s # 1 mortgage lender.
Guaranteed Rate’s experience and expertise in operating joint ventures and partnership platforms is further enhanced by Stearns Holdings’ strong presence on these channels. Stearns Holdings has a comprehensive partnership model that includes real estate agent, builder and relocation joint ventures, private label relationships and preferred partnerships with independent mortgage lenders. These partnerships include well-known brands such as SoFi and Home Mortgage Alliance. The combination of these companies with Guaranteed Rate’s existing joint ventures with Realogy and @properties creates one of the largest partnership platforms in the country. The acquisition also allows Guaranteed Rate to step into the wholesale channel to complement the company’s vision of multichannel distribution.
Guaranteed Rate expects the transaction to generate significant synergies from stronger capital market processing and shared services capabilities that will drive additional efficiency, growth and profitability.
“We are very excited to add Stearns Holdings to the Guaranteed Rate family,” said Guaranteed Rate President and Chief Executive Officer Victor Ciardelli. “The combination of the incredible talent across the Stearns organization with those of our existing team exemplifies the best of the best in the mortgage business and results in an even more powerful platform.”
The company acquires a guaranteed price from Black stonewho have an interest in the guaranteed rate and will continue to support the integration and growth of the guaranteed rate vision. “We are completely behind Victor Ciardelli and the whole team for guaranteed prices, “said Nadim El Gabbani, Senior Managing Director at Black stone. “This combination creates a strong player in the mortgage industry that we believe is exceptionally well positioned to be successful over the long term.”
In the future, Guaranteed Rate plans to integrate and rename the retail operations of Stearns Holdings into Guaranteed Rate. The company’s wholesale and partnership businesses will continue to operate as separate businesses with the current CEO of Stearns David Schneider continue to perform these operations.
“We are excited about this transaction,” said Schneider. “Guaranteed Rate is a preeminent player in the mortgage industry, and this combination will enable our employees and partners to reach more customers, generate more business and guide more people on the home journey.”
Sidley Austin LLP acted as legal advisor to Guaranteed Rate. Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisor to Black stone and Stearns Holdings, LLC. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. The description of the Transaction contained herein is only a summary and is governed in its entirety by the definitive Merger Agreement relating to the Transaction.
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The Guaranteed Rate Companies, which include Guaranteed Rate, Inc., Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, and Proper Rate, LLC, have more than 9,000 employees in over 750 offices nationwide The United States. Headquarters in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Companies is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in The United States, Funding via $ 73 billion in 2020. Established in 2000 and licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC, Guaranteed Rate Companies has helped homeowners across the country with home loans and refinancing. The company has established itself as an industry leader by adopting innovative technologies, offering low prices, and providing unparalleled customer service. In 2017 Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a leading global residential real estate franchise and brokerage company. In 2020, the company formed Proper Rate, LLC, a mortgage lending joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and @properties, one of the largest real estate brokerage companies in the country. Together, the guaranteed tariff companies have received honors and awards including: Top Lenders for Online Services for 2018 by US News & World Report; Best Mortgage Lender for Online Loans and Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing NerdWallet for 2021; HousingWireThe company’s 2020 Tech100 Award for the company’s industry-leading FlashClose SM Technology; 3rd place in the ranking Scottish guideTop Retail Mortgage Lenders 2019; Chicago Agent magazineLender of the Year for five consecutive years; Chicago grandstandTop Workplaces List for seven consecutive years. visit rate.com for more informations.
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