Rocket Companies Acquires Mr. Cooper for $9.4 Billion

Rocket Companies Acquires Mr. Cooper for $9.4 Billion

Rocket Companies has announced its second acquisition in as many weeks. The Michigan-based company is buying Mr. Cooper, one of the largest non-bank mortgage servicers and mortgage lenders in the US. The deal is expected to close in an all-stock transaction of $9.4 billion in equity value, based on an 11.0x exchange ratio.

Mr. Cooper, which demoed its mobile app at FinovateSpring 2018, was founded in 1994 to challenge the conventional mortgage experience to bring borrowers a better, more straightforward home buying process. With 9,000 employees, the Texas-based company serves more than six million homeowners with its refinancing and mortgage products.

“Mr. Cooper has been on a journey to transform the homeownership experience, and we have built the most advanced servicing platform in the mortgage industry,” said Mr. Cooper Group Chairman and CEO Jay Bray. “By combining Mr. Cooper and Rocket, we will form the strongest mortgage company in the industry, offering an end-to-end homeownership experience backed by leading technology and grounded in customer care. I am deeply grateful for the dedication of the Mr. Cooper team and look forward to our continued work as we lead our industry into the future of homeownership.”

Once finalized, Rocket Companies and Mr. Cooper will serve a combined 10 million clients with a servicing book of $2.1 trillion, which represents one in six mortgages in America. Rocket will leverage the acquisition to bring its mortgage recapture capabilities to this new, enlarged client base. This will help produce higher loan volume, drive long-term client relationships, and provide greater recurring revenue while lowering client acquisition costs.

Holding a significantly larger servicing portfolio will help Rocket sustain its retention and 83% recapture rate. And by attaching Rocket’s title, closing, and appraisal services to Mr. Cooper’s existing originations, Rocket anticipates it will generate $100 million in additional pre-tax revenue, as well as an extra $400 million in savings from streamlining operations, expense, and technology investments.

When the deal is complete, Mr. Cooper Group’s Chairman and CEO Jay Bray will become President and CEO of Rocket Mortgage, while Dan Gilbert will remain Chairman of Rocket Companies. The company’s board will consist of 11 members, nine from Rocket’s board and two from Mr. Cooper’s.

“Servicing is a critical pillar of homeownership—alongside home search and mortgage origination,” said Rocket CEO Varun Krishna. “With the right data and AI infrastructure we will deliver the right products at the right time. That’s how we build lifelong relationships, by proactively unlocking benefits and meeting needs before they arise. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Cooper’s nearly 7 million clients.”

Today’s announcement comes just two weeks after Rocket unveiled plans to acquire real estate brokerage website Redfin for $1.75 billion. Together, the two deals fuel Rocket’s vision of owning the entire homeownership journey—from search to close and beyond.

With Redfin, Rocket gains a home search platform and a network of real estate agents; with Mr. Cooper, it secures a large servicing portfolio and deep operational infrastructure. By consolidating core pieces of real estate and lending processes under one roof, Rocket is positioning itself not just as a mortgage lender, but as a full-stack digital homeownership platform with the potential to recreate how Americans buy, finance, and manage their homes.

Blend to Acquire Title365 from Mr. Cooper

Blend to Acquire Title365 from Mr. Cooper

Digital lending platform Blend has agreed to acquire Mr. Cooper-owned Title365 for $422 million.

Blend will leverage Title365 for its title, escrow, and settlement services. Integrating this technology into Blend’s platform will allow the company to automate title commitment upon loan application submission, digitally reconcile settlement fees in real time, and streamline communication among parties. Ultimately, Blend anticipates that Title365’s industry expertise will help minimize costs by integrating title and settlement into the loan process.

Title365 was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in California. The company fits nicely with Blend’s approach of offering a modern experience with its mission “to be the most technologically advanced title insurance and settlement services provider.”

Title365 will be part of Blend’s title marketplace that allows lenders and consumers to choose their preferred title and escrow partner. The tool will be similar to Blend’s insurance marketplace that allows consumers to shop for competitive rates from more than 25 insurance carriers.

“We’re really excited about the agreement to add Title365 to our team as we continue our work to build the full consumer homebuying journey into our platform,” said CEO Nima Ghamsari. “With Title365, we will be able to expand our ability to put lenders at the center of a vastly improved homebuying journey that delivers new levels of efficiency, speed, convenience, and cost savings to everyone.”

Founded in 2012, Blend recently received $300 million in new funding, bringing its total funding to $665 million and boosting its valuation to $3.3 billion. The company facilitated $1.4 trillion in loans last year and counts 285+ lender partners, which together are responsible for around 30% of all mortgage volume in the U.S.

Finovate Alumni News

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This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Mortgagetech Company Mr. Cooper Appoints Tony Ebers as COO

Mortgagetech Company Mr. Cooper Appoints Tony Ebers as COO

Mortgagetech company Mr. Cooper, which last year rebranded from Nationstar Mortgage, announced the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer.

Previously EVP of originations, Tony Ebers will fill the newly-created role of Mr. Cooper’s COO. Ebers, who has been with Mr. Cooper since 2015, has 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry and has held positions at ServiceLink, OneWest Bank, and IndyMac Bank.

In his new position, Ebers will be responsible for servicing, originations, and operations at Xome, the settlement services and real estate business branch of Mr. Cooper.

Jay Bray, Nationstar’s chairman and CEO, referred to Ebers as “seasoned” and “trusted,” adding, “He is uniquely qualified to drive strategic prioritization and accountability within Nationstar, with a laser-focus on operational excellence.”

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, Mr. Cooper is slated to demo at FinovateSpring next month in Santa Clara. Check out a sneak peek of the company’s upcoming demo and, to be among the first to watch the company’s live demo, be sure to register today to save your seat.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • TransUnion to Acquire Callcredit for $1.4 Billion.
  • Mortgagetech Company Mr. Cooper Appoints Tony Ebers as COO. Come check out Mr. Cooper’s live demo at FinovateSpring next month.

Around the web

  • Fiserv announces partnership with Mexican credit union cooperative, Siscoop.
  • Customers Bank ($10 billion in assets) chooses core banking platform from FIS.
  • La Voz de Galicia profiles Spanish mobile banking startup, Fintonic (in Spanish).
  • Ovum names OutSystems a Market Leader in for Enterprise Mobile Application Development platforms.
  • TransUnion to acquire Callcredit in deal valued at £1 billion ($1.4 billion).
  • Ovum names Kony a leader in mobile app development platforms.
  • Cardlytics Chief Legal Officer named Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Corporate Counsel of the Year.
  • Uniken CEO recognized as a top 100 Most Innovative Business Leader.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

FinovateSpring Sneak Peek: Mr. Cooper

FinovateSpring Sneak Peek: Mr. Cooper

A look at the companies demoing live at FinovateSpring on May 8 through 11, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. Register today and save your spot.

Mr. Cooper, a leading home loan company servicing more than three million customers, is reimagining the homeownership experience with a mobile app to help consumers optimize debt.

Features

  • Gain insight into home value and home equity
  • Automatically analyze debt and discover savings opportunities
  • Connect live via video with a Mr. Cooper Expert

Why it’s great
The Mr. Cooper app helps homeowners optimize their debt and realize savings opportunities that would otherwise require tons of manual work and deep expertise.

Presenters

Kevin Dahlstrom, Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer
During his 20-year career, Dahlstrom, Chief Marketing Officer at Mr. Cooper, has led major marketing, product development, and e-commerce initiatives for major financial organizations.
LinkedIn

 

Ryan LaMountain, Product Manager, Mobile
LaMountain is the Mobile Product Manager at Mr. Cooper. He leads a lean team of developers to deliver best-in-class iOS and Android digital experiences.
LinkedIn

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  • Low-Code Development Platform OutSystems Forges Strategic Partnership with Atos.

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  • Iowa City-based Farmers & Merchants and Savings Bank to deploy Fiserv’s retail and business banking platform.
  • Zopa announces restructuring in advance of the launch of its challenger bank.
  • PYMNTS.com features Trulioo CEO Stephen Ufford in a conversation about the present and future of KYC.
  • Santander introduces its Santander One Pay FX service, a blockchain-based money transfer offering that leverages Ripple’s xCurrent technology.
  • Meniga CEO Georg Ludviksson selected as one of top 200 Fintech leaders in Europe
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  • Efigence powers concept, UX, and design for BGŻOptima Bank’s new portal.
  • PYMNTS.com profiles anti-cyberfraud startup, Emailage.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Lender Price Integrates with Mortgage Management Solution from Ellie Mae.
  • WorkFusion’s $50 Million Round to Fuel Robotic Process Automation.
  • $1.32 Billion Raised by 26 Alums in Q1 of 2018.

Around the web

  • Retail chain Speedway names InComm Innovative Business Partner of the Year.
  • Technology from Malauzai and Geezeo contributes to new mobile app for Florida’s Axiom Bank.
  • YellowDog announces new partnership with [RE]DESIGN.
  • Mr. Cooper awarded Top Servicing Performance Rating from Fannie Mae. Come see Mr. Cooper’s demo at FinovateSpring next month.
  • Arxan launches new app security monitoring and analysis service, Arxan Threat Analytics.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.