A former top Rocket Pro executive, Mike Fawaz, is re-entering the broker channel — this time alongside its most dominant and polarizing player, United Wholesale Mortgage.
Fawaz, who spent nearly a decade building broker relationships at Rocket, is launching Origna8, a broker platform focused on technology, marketing, recruiting, leads, and lender partnerships. The company is led by CEO Dan Sogorka, who resigned from his general manager position at Rocket Pro shortly after Fawaz.
“I am going to partner with UWM,” Fawaz said, describing his decision after leaving Rocket. “I wanna partner with lenders that can support the brokers and loan officers. And I don't wanna put my brokers in a position where we have to compete with retail.”
His decision to partner with Rocket’s longtime rival places the platform at the center of a long-running divide in the broker channel.
Just last year, Fawaz assisted Equity Smart Home Loans founder and CEO Pablo Martinez in cutting ties with UWM to join Rocket Pro after he cited concerns around alignment, pricing, and broker autonomy. During his time at Rocket, Fawaz worked closely with Martinez and other broker owners as they made the transition.
“From a broader perspective, I think the industry will be watching closely to see whether platforms like Origna8 truly empower loan officers with unbiased tools — or if they ultimately influence behavior in ways that align with specific lender ecosystems,” Martinez said. “With Mike Fawaz’s history at Rocket and UWM’s well-known stance in the broker channel, that dynamic will be hard to ignore.”
What Does “Pure Wholesale” Mean?
UWM enters the partnership from a position of scale within the broker channel.
Ishbia said the company held roughly 43% of the broker market, based on the most recent full-year data. “Our market share is very strong, and it will continue to be very strong,” he said.
In the past few years, UWM has leaned into aggressive pricing strategies through its “Game On” initiative, cutting margins during a period of declining volume. That period also saw consolidation across wholesale lending, with several competitors exiting or scaling back — including Homepoint, loanDepot, AmeriSave, and Finance of America.
But Fawaz said his preference is to work with lenders that “support the broker community,” even if that limits the platform’s options.
“I think we'll do fine with the decision that we've made,” he said. “We're partnered with the number one lender in the country, so they're gonna give us a ton of support.”
Ishbia echoed that alignment, drawing a distinction between wholesale-focused lenders and those operating across multiple channels.
“People that actually care about the broker community and want the brokers to succeed and are not out there competing with them on every single loan, it's just a different mentality,” he said.
While Fawaz said the platform will include multiple lenders across product types from conventional to DSCR and jumbo, the emphasis on “pure wholesale” reflects a market where fewer large lenders remain fully dedicated to the channel.
“Honestly, I’m excited for that number to go down as the broker channel grows,” Ishbia added. “If we do less business, less share, but the broker channel doubles, then I’ll grow too.”
Rocket Excluded — For Now
The most controversial element of the platform may be who’s not included.
Fawaz confirmed that his former employer is not currently part of Origna8.
“At this time, I made the decision that Rocket is not part of the platform,” he said. “You never know what happens — but at this time, no.”
“I believe in freedom. I believe in people needing to earn a living,” he added. “And I believe that everyone should do whatever it takes to feed their family, just like I'm choosing to do.”
Neutrality Questions Emerge
Given Origna8’s positioning as both a lead generation engine and an AI-driven recommendation platform, questions around neutrality have surfaced. Martinez posed the question to NMP, which was relayed to Fawaz and Ishbia during the interview.
Martinez asked, “Given Origna8 is positioned as a lead generation and AI-driven productivity platform for loan officers, how do you ensure the integrity and neutrality of lead flow and recommendations, especially in light of the UWM partnership and the historical divide between Rocket and UWM?”
Fawaz pushed back on the premise that the platform’s alignment with UWM would influence outcomes.
“My duty is to deliver to the members of this community,” he said. “If you’re part of this community, you’re going to get the service, you’re going to get the level of transparency that we’re going to deliver. This has nothing to do with UWM and the divide and all this.”
“When I was at Rocket, I did what I needed to do to compete,” Fawaz said. “Today, I’m running my business, I’m doing what I need to do, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Ishbia did not directly address the neutrality question.
“We’re partners,” Ishbia said earlier in the conversation. “When you’re a partner with someone, your job is to help them succeed.”
A Relationship-Driven Bet
Fawaz’s pitch rests heavily on relationships built over his career.
“I’m still the same person that everyone has known for the last 15 years,” he said. “We're still good friends … we're all trying to earn a living and help our families.”
He pointed to those relationships as enduring across competitive lines.
“When Pablo moved to Rocket, I was in a role that was my job to do,” Fawaz said. “I think I’ve done everything I can to help him out. I respect him. I wish him nothing but the best. I would say keep working hard. Keep building. I’m very proud of you. And we’re still friends — I would hope so.”
Ishbia said nearly 2,000 originators reached out within 48 hours of the platform’s announcement.
“What makes it special is the leader,” Ishbia said. “Mike understands what brokers need because he’s spent years listening to them. What he’s building is based on that insight, and partnering with UWM takes it to another level. He’s going to help loan officers build their businesses, just like our job is to help brokers build theirs.”
Bottom Line For Brokers
Origna8 is positioned as a platform offering lead generation, AI-driven productivity tools, and access to multiple wholesale lenders.
How it performs in practice may depend on how the platform balances competing priorities, including neutrality and strategic alignment, as well as broker choice and a more curated lender ecosystem.
That dynamic raises a broader question for the industry: whether a platform aligned with a dominant wholesale lender can remain neutral in how it presents options and influences outcomes.
In a market already shaped by consolidation in the wholesale channel, Origna8’s launch and its alignment with UWM adds to an ongoing debate over control of the borrower relationship:
Who ultimately controls the flow of business — the broker or the lender?
