Union Home Mortgage (UHM) has acquired the origination assets of AmeriTrust Mortgage Corporation, adding retail branches, wholesale broker relationships, and an established non-QM operation to its growing national platform.
The transaction represents UHM’s third acquisition since 2025 and positions the Strongsville, Ohio-based independent mortgage bank for a total annual origination run rate of $20 billion. Financial terms were not disclosed.
UHM said the acquisition includes AmeriTrust’s existing retail branches, broker relationships, and corresponding sales channels. AmeriTrust specializes in financing for borrowers who fall outside conventional agency guidelines, including self-employed borrowers and real estate investors.
“I am excited for the wonderful mortgage professionals from AmeriTrust to join us here at Union Home,” UHM CEO Bill Cosgrove said. “We are confident that AmeriTrust is an excellent fit for our world-class culture.”
Beyond adding production, the transaction gives UHM an established source of non-QM expertise. AmeriTrust ranked No. 17 on Scotsman Guide’s 2025 list of top non-QM lenders, reporting approximately $738.4 million across 1,386 non-QM loans. Non-QM accounted for 67% of the company’s total production represented in the rankings.
AmeriTrust President Chad Schoep said the company has been on an “explosive growth trajectory” during the past three years and has developed a substantial presence in non-QM lending.
“They have the fuel for our rocket ship that we have built over the last few years,” Schoep said of the combination with UHM.
Buying Established Production Networks
The structure of the transaction reflects a broader acquisition strategy at UHM: buying established production networks rather than relying entirely on organic expansion.
UHM acquired Nations Reliable Lending in March 2025, strengthening its presence in Texas and Southwest Ohio. It followed that transaction in September by acquiring the retail and wholesale origination assets of Sierra Pacific Mortgage.
The Sierra Pacific transaction added retail branches and wholesale broker relationships and lifted UHM above $15 billion in annual originations. The AmeriTrust deal now puts the company in position for a $20 billion annual run rate, although UHM did not specify how much volume AmeriTrust alone is expected to contribute.
The repeated emphasis on origination assets is significant. Rather than announcing the purchase of AmeriTrust’s entire corporate entity, UHM is acquiring the components most directly connected to generating loans: branches, broker relationships, sales channels, and mortgage professionals.
For UHM, that approach provides faster access to established producers and referral networks. It also carries an integration test as the lender absorbs a third operation while seeking to preserve the relationships responsible for its acquired production.
Wholesale Channels Change Hands
The deal also joins a wider realignment of third-party origination businesses.
First Federal Bank agreed in June to sell its TPO division, including QRL Financial, to Mortgage Forward. That transaction allows First Federal to concentrate on retail mortgage lending while giving Mortgage Forward a larger national TPO footprint.
UHM is moving in the opposite direction, adding wholesale distribution and specialty-lending capabilities. Together, the transactions show lenders making more deliberate decisions about which production channels they want to own and where they believe they can operate profitably.
The company is buying its way toward greater wholesale and non-QM scale; the next test is converting the acquired relationships into sustainable, profitable production.
*This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by a human editor before publication.
