OriginPoint has hired a $165 million-a-year mortgage production team away from New American Funding, adding two veteran loan officers based in Newport Beach, California, as the joint venture between Compass and Guaranteed Rate looks to deepen its footprint on the West Coast.
The company announced July 27, 2026, as the effective date for Erin Halliday and Jon Levin to join as the Erin Halliday & Jon Levin Team, according to an announcement OriginPoint distributed August 3 on PR Newswire. The pair, who have a combined 50 years in mortgage lending, originate roughly $165 million in annual loan volume and work in all 50 states, with business concentrated in California and Hawaii.
OriginPoint is a mortgage lender formed in 2021 as a joint venture between brokerage giant Compass and Guaranteed Rate, with Guaranteed Rate holding the majority 50.1% stake and Compass owning 49.9%, according to Compass’s investor relations announcement of the venture’s launch. The company originates mortgages for Compass agents’ clients as well as for other brokerages and the general public. Compass has continued expanding its brokerage network separately, including a recent deal in which Coldwell Banker Warburg agreed to join Compass as its largest New York City franchise affiliation.
James Elliott, president and CEO of OriginPoint, said he had worked with Halliday and Levin previously. “Having had the privilege of working alongside Erin and Jon for many years at a previous company, I’ve witnessed firsthand the caliber of people they are,” Elliott said in the release. “They lead with integrity, kindness, and an unwavering commitment to serving others β qualities that make them exceptional leaders. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Erin and Jon to the OriginPoint family.”
Halliday, who holds NMLS license #872898, has spent nearly 25 years in mortgage lending and has been recognized as a President’s Club member, a Scotsman Guide Top Originator and a Top 1% Female Originator, per the release. Levin, NMLS #369879, has more than 30 years in the business, dating to the late 1980s, and was ranked the No. 3 mortgage loan producer in the United States in 2007 by Scotsman Guide. Before entering mortgage lending, Levin competed as a professional golfer in Asia and the United States.
The team’s business mix skews toward conventional, FHA, VA, jumbo, USDA, first-time-homebuyer and investment-property loans. OriginPoint said Levin in particular specializes in more complex financing, including debt-service coverage loans and LLC ownership structures for real estate investors.
In a joint statement carried in the release, Halliday and Levin said they were drawn to OriginPoint’s culture. “We joined OriginPoint because of its commitment to putting clients first, its collaborative culture, and its innovative approach to home financing,” they said. “We’re excited to be part of a team that shares our passion for delivering exceptional service and helping families achieve their homeownership goals.”
What it means
Verified facts: OriginPoint hired Halliday and Levin effective July 27, 2026, and the company’s own release puts their combined production at approximately $165 million a year, concentrated in California and Hawaii. OriginPoint’s ownership structure β majority-owned by Guaranteed Rate with Compass as minority partner β is documented in Compass’s own investor materials from the venture’s 2021 formation.
Attributed interpretation: OriginPoint frames the hire as strengthening its “presence throughout California and Hawaii,” per the release, and Elliott’s quote signals the move is built on a prior working relationship rather than a cold recruit.
RealtyWire analysis: The hire fits a broader pattern in mortgage lending, where established retail lenders compete for already-built, high-producing loan officer teams rather than growing volume organically β a strategy that delivers immediate origination revenue but depends on retaining the team’s referral relationships with real estate agents and past clients after the move. It comes as the industry’s biggest lenders report mixed results from swings in mortgage rates: PennyMac Financial’s second-quarter profit fell 84% on rate-driven production pressure, even as other platforms, such as Redwood Trust’s Aspire venture, have kept mortgage production above $8 billion for two straight quarters. The move also underscores how OriginPoint, still tied to Compass’s brokerage network, is leaning on independent recruiting in a high-cost West Coast market where jumbo and investment-property lending carry disproportionate weight.
What to watch: whether OriginPoint discloses additional West Coast hires as it works to grow share in California and Hawaii, and whether New American Funding responds with its own recruiting moves. Neither company’s release addressed compensation terms or non-compete considerations tied to the move.
