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After boosting its market share through the acquisition of Amerifirst Home Mortgage, Ohio-based Union Home Mortgage has created a new divisional leadership structure to support its “rapidly expanding, nationwide footprint.”

Former Caliber Home Loans and Newrez executive Jim Racine has been appointed to the newly-created role of Midwest division manager, while UHM veteran Bryan Wright has been named East division manager.

Ryan Koenig, whose 22 years of experience includes stints at Caliber Home Loans, PNC Bank and Fifth Third Bank, is joining UHM as Racine’s Regional Manager for Michigan and Indiana.

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“We are really seeing a lot of momentum in terms of recent management hires,” UHM CEO Bill Cosgrove said in a statement Tuesday. “People are excited and want to be a part of what we’re building here. We are investing not just in top-tier production, but also the support structure necessary for all UHM Partners to perform at the highest level. I’ve never been more excited about our future than I am right now.”

Founded in 1970, Strongsville, Ohio-based UHM sponsors 896 mortgage loan originators who work out of 226 branch locations, according to records maintained by the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System.

At the end of 2022, when soaring mortgage rates were curtailing the business of many lenders, UHM grew its presence in states including Florida, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and California by acquiring Kalamazoo-based Amerifirst Home Mortgage.

The acquisition was an opportunity for UHM — a top 50 mortgage lender at the time, with $13 billion in annual originations — to boost its loan production by more than 20 percent. With more than 300 loan originators nationwide, Amerifirst originated $2.8 billion in mortgages in 2021, the companies said.

The deal also gave UHM “unique expertise and scale” to provide zero-down USDA mortgages. UHM is the top-ranked USDA lender in Ohio, and Amerifirst is the number-one-ranked USDA lender in Michigan, the companies said.

Last year, UHM named Amerifirst Home Mortgage veteran Linda Thomas as Florida regional manager with a focus on recruiting loan officers across the state.

Former Caliber Home Loans and Wells Fargo sales manager Matt Roberts was named regional manager of Western states, including Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

Cosgrove, who joined UHM in 1994 and became its sole owner in 1999, served as chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association in 2015.

A full-service retail, wholesale and consumer direct independent mortgage banking company, UHM is currently advertising 17 mortgage-related openings including staff accountant, financial analyst and entry-level mortgage operations. UHM is also looking to fill three jobs at Medina Country Club — assistant golf coach, grounds crew and line cook. The Ohio golf club has been a UHM affiliate since 2022 when Cosgrove reportedly paid $3.5 million to acquire the property.

While higher interest rates have slowed home sales and mortgage lending, the tough business environment has also created opportunities for mergers and acquisitions.

In February, Guild Mortgage said it was poised to grow loan originations by 25 percent and become the eighth-largest nonbank retail mortgage lender in the U.S. with an agreement to acquire Utah-based direct lender Academy Mortgage. Academy is the sixth lender acquired by Guild since 2021, including last year’s acquisitions of First Centennial Mortgage, Cherry Creek Mortgage and Legacy Mortgage.

Also in February, New American Funding expanded its presence in the Midwest and Northeast with the acquisition of Downers Grove, Illinois-based Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corporation (DKMC).

Just last week, Florida-based First Federal Bank said it was continuing an expansion of its nationwide mortgage lending operations with a deal to acquire Watson Mortgage Corp., the mortgage division of a large Jacksonville-based real estate brokerage, Watson Realty Corp.

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Email Matt Carter