SmartFi Home Loans is shifting its growth strategy to expand the reverse mortgage market by educating and equipping traditional, forward-centric loan officers to offer these products. Kim Smith, senior vice president of wholesale lending, stated that the company's core focus is on 'growing the pie' by bringing reverse mortgages to a wider audience beyond specialized originators.
To achieve this, SmartFi is leveraging technology, including a partnership with Reverse Mortgage Insight (RMI) to integrate its Choice proprietary loan program into RMI's platform. Additionally, the company is developing an internal partner portal designed to simplify the origination process for forward loan officers, allowing them to quickly run numbers and explain the financial mechanics to borrowers.
Smith noted that interest rates, while impactful in the forward mortgage space, have a less significant effect on reverse mortgages due to their optional payment structure. She highlighted that the current rate environment can favor proprietary reverse mortgages like SmartFi's Choice program, offering higher loan amounts and lower costs compared to the FHA-insured HECM program. SmartFi attributes its recent growth, including a 32% year-over-year increase in HECM endorsements in 2025, to its people, culture, and a solution-oriented mindset.
The company previously experimented with a retail division, which was closed after about a year, reinforcing SmartFi's commitment to a wholesale-only model to avoid competing with its partners. Smith emphasized the importance of building the right team and empowering employees, alongside continuous technological evolution, as key to SmartFi's strategy for consistent, sustainable growth.
