The mortgage industry has seen waves of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships week after week this year.

Two Harbors Investment recently completed its deal with CrossCountry Mortgage, while Atlas VMS bought artificial intelligence platform CloseClear.ai earlier this month.

Mortgage companies are still looking to solidify their place in the market by working with other companies, whether that be through mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures.

Here is the latest news on that front.

DRB Group launches mortgage joint ventures

Homebuilder DRB Group is partnering with Acrisure Mortgage and Alta Home Lending to start two mortgage joint ventures set to open in January 2027, it announced Wednesday.

The move expands the company's customer offering across its national footprint. The collaboration with Acrisure, called DRB Mortgage, will operate in the east, while the venture with Alta, called DRB Home Loans, will focus on the west.

"Our goal is simple: to combine the strength of DRB's homebuilding platform with mortgage partners that understand our customers, our markets and the importance of consistent execution," said Ronny Salameh, president and CEO of DRB Group, in a press release. "These joint ventures are an important step in delivering a more integrated, customer-focused homebuying experience."

DRB Group, which has been in business for nearly 40 years, operates two homebuilding brands: DRB Homes and DRB Elevate.

Salameh also appointed Matthew Wolf, senior vice president of Financial Services for DRB Group, to head the effort. Wolf led a search to identify partners with proven operational strength and local market knowledge, according to the release.

HomeSmart strengthens Southeast presence

Real estate brokerage HomeSmart is merging with NorthGroup Real Estate, which operates in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the company announced in a press release this week.

The move brings nearly 2,000 agents from NorthGroup into the HomeSmart network and grows it to more than 27,000 nationwide. NorthGroup's operations won't change, allowing agents to maintain business as usual while gaining the benefits of HomeSmart's resources.

"NorthGroup has built an impressive business with a strong culture, talented agents and a model that aligns closely with HomeSmart," HomeSmart Founder and CEO Matt Widdows said in the release. "This merger is an important part of our continued growth, and our priority is making sure NorthGroup agents continue to have the support they need to run their businesses successfully."

HomeSmart also said the merger represents its strategy to grow its national scale through opportunities that align with its agent-first model. 

The company announced a marketing services agreement with loanDepot earlier this month as well.

PLACE buys mortgage fintech

Real estate and financial services company PLACE officially closed its acquisition of Maxwell, provider of AI-powered mortgage technology and services that serves more than 400 financial institutions, the company said in a press release Thursday.

"Maxwell is fundamentally aligned with the PLACE vision of a simpler, more connected real estate transaction," PLACE CEO and Co-Founder Ben Kinney said in the release. "The mortgage experience is a critical point to build trust with consumers. We're thrilled to bring Maxwell's best-in-class solutions into the PLACE ecosystem and power the hundreds of institutions that make homeownership possible."

PLACE's homeownership platform powers hundreds of thousands of real estate professionals through two distinct pillars: ala carte technology services, and the PLACE operational and growth engine for real estate teams. An estimated 20% of homeowners in the United States are part of the PLACE ecosystem, and the company touched more than 100,000 real estate transactions in 2025, according to the release.

Maxwell, which offers a point-of-sale solution, business intelligence, fulfillment, diligence and private label origination services, will complement PLACE's existing solutions for consumers, real estate professionals and institutions. With Maxwell as a critical centerpiece, PLACE will scale its financial services business, bringing the same growth engine to lenders and institutions, the release said.

Gateway First Bank acquires Colonial Savings

Gateway First Bank announced last week it entered into an agreement to acquire Colonial Savings, a Texas-based financial institution serving customers through six locations across the Fort Worth market. 

The deal brings together two companies with deep roots in mortgage lending. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

Gateway has continued to grow its mortgage lending business, while Colonial has expertise in home financing, commercial lending and community banking, according to the release.

Colonial customers will receive the same personalized service while gaining access to the resources and capabilities of Gateway. The combination also strengthens Gateway's presence in Texas and expands its ability to serve customers, whether that be through personal banking, business banking, payment solutions, mortgage lending, treasury management, consumer lending or wealth management, the release said.