Key facts
- PRMG hired a roughly 100-person team of loan officers, processors and underwriters from Gold Star, Peranio said.
- InGenius data showed 55 loan officers moved from Gold Star to PRMG, producing about $252 million since January.
- PRMG has reached about $2.7 billion in total production year to date, per InGenius.
- Gold Star originated about $1.6 billion year to date, down from $1.9 billion in the same period last year, per InGenius.
- NMLS data showed PRMG with 805 sponsored loan officers and 117 active branches as of Friday.
- The team, led by Mike Benton, chose PRMG over a rival proposal with a sizable signing bonus, Peranio said.
Paramount Residential Mortgage Group hired a roughly 100-person team of loan officers, processors and underwriters from Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group, PRMG chief lending officer and partner Kevin Peranio said in an interview with HousingWire published November 13, 2026. Peranio described recruitment as PRMG's primary growth strategy and said the company does not buy companies.
Data from InGenius showed 55 loan officers moved from Gold Star to PRMG and had produced about $252 million since January, with most of that volume in Texas and Florida. Peranio said the team, known as the Responsive team and led by Mike Benton, had another proposal from a large retail lender that included a sizable signing bonus but chose PRMG for what he called a cultural fit and a model match, as well as alignment on technology.
PRMG has reached about $2.7 billion in total production year to date, per InGenius. Nationwide Multistate Licensing System data showed the lender had 805 sponsored loan officers and 117 active branches as of Friday. Gold Star, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, originated about $1.6 billion year to date, compared with $1.9 billion in the same period last year, per InGenius; NMLS showed Gold Star with 221 sponsored loan officers and 48 active branches. A Gold Star spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Peranio said the Responsive team is the second group of more than 20 people to join PRMG in the past 90 days. He said PRMG structures deals with upside on future revenue and offers some upfront funding to support transitions rather than signing bonuses, arguing that lenders paying signing bonuses usually offer worse pricing.