Matador Lending has merged with GoRascal Inc., combining two independent mortgage brokerages built around flat-fee compensation models as they pursue broader recruiting and production growth.
Houston-based Matador will retain its name and operate as a DBA under GoRascal, according to the companies. Its nearly 50 mortgage originators will join a GoRascal platform that recently completed licensing across all 50 states.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The structure gives Matador access to GoRascal’s nationwide licensing, technology, operational support, recruiting resources, and wholesale relationships without requiring the brokerage to abandon its established Texas brand.
For GoRascal, the deal brings an immediate production and recruiting presence in one of the country’s largest mortgage markets.
Matador President Apurva Sanghavi said the two companies found common ground in their approach to independent originators.
“There was a clear synergy the moment we talked about our journeys,” Sanghavi said. “GoRascal’s slogan — the happiest home for loan officers — aligned perfectly with the core values we live by at Matador.”
Sanghavi said Matador considered multiple potential partners before selecting GoRascal.
“What Scott and David have built, and the growth they’ve seen, is unmatched in the market,” he said. “I wanted to work with that kind of velocity, and after vetting many suitors, GoRascal was the clear answer to partner with.”
A Shared Flat-Fee Strategy
Both brokerages independently developed models that charge originators a flat fee instead of retaining a percentage of their compensation. Matador advertises a structure under which originators keep their commission minus a $1,000 administrative fee per closed loan.
That shared approach appears to be central to the deal. Rather than acquiring a traditional retail branch with a company-controlled compensation model, GoRascal is adding a group of entrepreneurial originators accustomed to operating with greater independence.
“What impressed us most about Apurva and the Matador team wasn’t just their production — it was the culture they built,” said Scott Valins, GoRascal co-founder and CEO. “This partnership brings together two organizations that believe loan officers deserve more than a place to hang their license — they deserve a platform that helps them build lasting businesses.”
GoRascal supports more than 400 originators nationwide, according to the company. It reported more than $3.7 billion in funded mortgage volume during 2025 and said it is on pace to surpass $5 billion in 2026. Those privately reported production figures could not be independently verified.
Matador, founded in 2019, said its team has grown nearly 70% over the past 18 months and is operating at an annual production run rate of approximately $200 million. Public industry listings currently identify 46 mortgage originators affiliated with the brokerage.
Matador Targets $1 Billion In Texas
The combined companies plan to invest in recruiting throughout Texas, with Matador setting a goal of reaching $1 billion in annual production in the state.
That would require Matador to increase its current annualized production roughly fivefold.
GoRascal’s nationwide footprint could widen Matador’s recruiting pool by allowing the Texas brokerage to court established originators who operate across multiple states. Before the merger, Matador’s recruiting site listed licenses in Texas, Georgia, Florida, and California.
The companies said GoRascal’s expanded scale should also give Matador’s originators greater pricing power, broader product access, and more operational support.
Sanghavi and Valins first connected through GO! Coaching, the mortgage coaching business founded by Amir Syed.
The deal reflects a broader competitive battle among independent broker platforms: attracting productive originators without taking away the autonomy that drew many of them to the broker channel in the first place.
For Matador, keeping its brand while gaining national infrastructure offers a way to scale without starting a 50-state licensing and compliance operation from scratch. For GoRascal, the transaction tests whether its flat-fee platform can turn a fast-growing regional brokerage into a billion-dollar Texas operation.
