Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 21, 2026, to include additional comments from the CEOs of NEXA Lending, Equity Smart Home Loans, and Loan Factory regarding private equity involvement in the broker channel.
Edge Home Finance has secured a strategic investment from Presidio Investors and promoted Tom Ahles to president, a move aimed at accelerating growth across its broker platform.
The Minnetonka, Minn.-based Edge Home Finance ranks as the nation’s largest mortgage brokerage, brokering 75% of the loans it originates, according to Modex. The company closed 2025 with $7.92 billion in volume across 20,239 loans, reinforcing its scale in the broker channel. As of April 2026, Edge reports 1,026 producing loan officers out of 1,279 total, marking a 15% shift in its workforce as it continues to expand.
According to the company, the capital will be used to expand technology, strengthen operations, and pursue acquisitions, while maintaining its current platform and leadership structure.
Presidio is an Austin-based private equity firm that focuses on partnering with founder-led and middle-market companies, typically investing alongside management to scale operations and drive growth.
Ahles, a longtime leader at Edge who helped scale the company’s broker platform, steps into the president role as part of the transaction.
“We did partner with Presidio Investors, who have a long history of investing into businesses where they see potential upside,” Ahles elaborated on the announcement in a video posted to social media. “This change is just going to fuel that.”
He emphasized that the company will remain firmly rooted in the broker channel, pushing back on speculation about a move toward banking or correspondent models.
“We’re going to double down on what we’ve done great, which is staying in the wholesale channel as a broker — not going mini correspondent or non-delegated, not changing anything for our team members,” Ahles said.
Instead, the investment is expected to support operational scale, particularly in areas that have become more critical as the company has grown.
“This move is not only better for our loan officers, but better for the company as well, with investing in a lot of the compliance and legal aspects of things that we need as we’ve grown,” he said.
Ahles also stressed continuity in leadership and day-to-day operations.
“Nothing is changing for our team,” he said. “We’re still controlling all of the day-to-day operations and really just continuing to move onward and upward.”
The company, which Ahles said supports more than 1,600 employees and partners, has grown from a startup launched “in a basement 15 years ago” into a sizable presence in the broker channel.
Competitors Respond
Ahles announced the deal to family, friends, and so-called "mortgage frenemies" in a video he posted to Facebook on April 20, where he emphasized that the structure of the company isn't changing. But reaction across the broker channel has been mixed.
NEXA Lending CEO Mike Kortas, a competitor of Edge, offered a sharply different view.
"I would only say that I am very skeptical," Kortas said in a statement sent to NMP. "Anytime, a private equity firm is involved because these firms have approached me and I had no interest in the way they wanted to change the organization or hide that until changes became reality."
He also raised concerns about how the investment could affect Edge loan officers.
“I do not believe this is better for the loan officers,” Kortas said. “Anytime a private equity firm is involved. It’s better for the people who made the money from it. If a loan officer made money from the sale and it’s better for them, but if they did not, then this is never proven to be beneficial for the loan officer. There is no way that private equity firm is coming in to just make the same money.”
In NMP's latest cover story, The NEXA Disruption, top executives at NEXA outlined a very different path forward — one centered on a hybrid model, transparency, and AI-driven scale.
Equity Smart Home Loans CEO Pablo Martinez likewise expressed strong concerns about the long-term involvement of private equity.
“Private equity always comes with strings attached,” Martinez said. “Their job is to protect and grow investor returns — not prioritize loan officers — and over time that usually shows up in changes to comp, structure, or control, investors have to win not the loan officers. Yes, the capital can help accelerate tech and growth, but Edge was already a strong, scaled platform, where they not generating enough capital?? [sic]. That’s what makes this move surprising — it doesn’t feel like a need, it feels like a setup for a different endgame. The real question is how long they can keep the same culture and LO value prop once those return expectations kick in.”
But not all competitors view the move negatively. Some see it as a reflection of broader shifts already reshaping the broker channel.
“You can see that right now the industry has been changing, and it’s going to change even more rapidly because of AI and technology. There will be a lot more competition,” said Thuan Nguyen, CEO of Loan Factory. “What I see is mega brokers growing and rolling up very fast—like Loan Factory, where we’re adding about 100 new loan officers every month—while smaller brokers are struggling. They keep doing the same thing and don’t know how to get better, and some of them are even shutting down or joining larger firms.
“AI is speeding up that change. Our industry has always been behind in technology, and that’s been very frustrating, especially with lenders not having the tools. But now I see a lot of lenders adopting AI and automation, and that’s creating even more competition. The smaller players—and even larger ones that can’t grow—won’t survive.
“I see moves like Edge partnering and bringing in investment as a way to grow faster, and that’s expected. Every company has to go through change and some pain to grow. I think it’s a good thing for Edge, and I expect to see a lot more big news like this in the near future.”
