Guild Mortgage is going private.
The San Diego-based retail lender announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a fund managed by Bayview Asset Management, LLC. The $1.3 billion all-cash deal will take Guild Holdings Company off the public markets and deepen its alignment with Bayview’s servicing affiliate, Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC.
Under the terms, Guild stockholders will receive $20.00 per share in cash — representing a 56% premium over the company’s share price prior to Bayview’s public filing of its interest — and a 27% premium to Guild’s tangible book value as of March 31, 2025. The board also intends to issue a special dividend of up to $0.25 per share prior to closing, dependent on available cash.
The deal is expected to close in Q4 2025, but if it extends beyond this year, Guild may authorize additional quarterly dividends of up to $0.25 per share.
The transaction "creates one of the strongest and most compelling mortgage origination and servicing ecosystems in the nation.” —Terry Schmidt, CEO, Guild Mortgage
The transaction has already received shareholder approval from McCarthy Capital Mortgage Investors, LLC, which holds the majority of Guild shares, so no further stockholder action is required. However, the deal must go through customary regulatory approvals, including from antitrust and financial regulators..
What This Means For LOs
For loan originators, Guild says it’s business as usual. The company’s leadership, retail model, and customer-focused servicing strategy remain in place.
“Expanding the Guild relationship with Lakeview creates one of the strongest and most compelling mortgage origination and servicing ecosystems in the nation,” said Guild CEO Terry Schmidt. “Our expertise in distributed retail origination, retained servicing, and the 'customer-for-life' balanced business model makes this a complementary partnership that has powerful potential for growth and innovation.”
Guild emphasized that there are no planned changes to its operations, product suite, or relationships. Its coast-to-coast distributed retail network — which includes LOs in nearly every state — will remain central to the company’s growth strategy.
Lakeview CEO Juan Gonzalez described the move as a strategic alignment between two complementary platforms.
“We are pleased to forge a stronger strategic partnership between Lakeview and Guild through this transaction, and look forward to expanding opportunities and delivering exceptional service to our customers," Gonzalez said. "With each company’s different strengths and areas of expertise, this collaboration will form one of the most dynamic mortgage origination and servicing platforms in the industry.”
Guild Holdings Chairman Patrick Duffy also signaled confidence in Bayview’s long-term vision: “The entire board of directors is confident that Bayview will be an excellent steward of this exceptional company, and a great platform for continued growth.”
Market Reaction
Following the announcement of the acquisition yesterday morning, Guild stock surged immediately by about 26%, trading at $19.77. Guild shares closed June 18 not far behind that at approximately $19.72.
Sentiment regarding the deal echoed statements by Guild's and Lakeview's leaders: the transaction aligns Guild's national retail origination with Bayview’s Lakeview Loan Servicing, introducing origination-servicing synergies, likely cost efficiencies, and improved customer retention.
Mikhail Goberman with investment bank and institutional equities firm, Citizens JMP, downgraded Guild from Market Outperform to Market Perform, while Bank of America removed its Underperform rating for Guild and now gives the company No Rating.
In Guild's Q1 2025 earnings report, the company saw loan originations totaling $5.2 billion, up a sizeable 35% from $3.8 billion for the first quarter of 2024. There was a strong focus on purchase originations, which comprised 88% of total loan volume, compared to the industry average of 71%.
Guild’s servicing portfolio grew to $94.0 billion in unpaid principal balance, up from $86.3 billion the year before. Yet, despite the positive indicators, the company reported a net loss of $23.9 million, mainly due to a $69.9 million valuation adjustment on its MSRs amid declining interest rates.
