Your mortgage business.
A platform that fits.
Options ABC helps mortgage professionals compare platforms around the business they want to build. Explore compensation, pricing, operations and support across more than 20 platforms—with a conversation that starts with you.
What could be different?
A useful comparison goes beyond the compensation headline. Start with the details that affect your day-to-day business.
What is the compensation structure, and which costs apply?
How does pricing compare on the loans you actually originate?
Who owns the file, the timeline and the escalation?
Do the tools and people make your work easier?
Do the products and business model fit your clients and goals?
Your priorities.
More than one possibility.
A company recruiter can explain what their company offers. As an independent recruiter, Options ABC can help you consider more than one platform. We start with your goals, then compare the compensation, pricing, products, support and flexibility that matter to your business.
We start with your priorities, then explore which platforms fit.
Set your priorities
Your goals, business model, pain points and priorities come first. The platform should fit the producer—not the other way around.
Examine the details
Look beyond recruiting headlines. Compare pricing, support, technology, operations, products, leadership, flexibility and economics.
Choose your next step
No manufactured urgency. No obligation. A conversation can uncover a better fit—or validate the one you already have.
Put the details side by side.
A compensation number is a starting point, not the whole comparison. Ask what is included, what costs extra, and how the platform supports the loans and relationships you bring.
Business economics
Compare compensation structure, company-retained revenue, fees and included services. Review pricing on equivalent loan scenarios and lock periods.
Operations & accountability
Ask about processing and underwriting capacity, turn times and escalation paths. Find out who takes responsibility when a file needs attention.
Growth infrastructure
Review product access, technology, marketing support, leadership and flexibility. Separate what is available today from what is only planned.
Your platform affects your reputation.
Your referral partners trust you to communicate clearly and guide their clients through the process. A platform comparison should consider the people, systems and accountability behind that experience—not just the offer you receive.
The right platform should help you protect the relationships you’ve worked hard to build—and earn the next referral.
What mortgage leaders say
Names withheld to protect confidentiality.
“My reputation is everything, but confidentiality is critical. I needed to protect both while exploring, and Mike did exactly that. He showed me several platforms, and we compared the pros, cons and economics. I’m now in a much better seat and growing my business. I didn’t realize how much of a disadvantage my old platform put me and my team at. It was the best experience I’ve had with any recruiter.”
“I was simply curious. I was able to compare support, comp, pricing and everything else that mattered to me, discreetly, and it was a rewarding and enlightening experience. We changed companies a few months ago, and it was the best decision we’ve ever made. Mike offers tremendous value, and I can’t recommend him enough to anyone considering a change.”
“We were happy. We worked for one of the top 10 mortgage companies and thought we had everything we needed. We started exploring with Mike just to make sure we were in the right seat. Once we compared platforms, we saw how much our company was keeping. Our new platform gives us better pricing and better support, and we’ve been able to grow our team. If you don’t know what other options exist, you’re at a disadvantage. We’re back to having fun and loving our new home.”
“I wasn’t actively looking to make a change, just curious. Mike made the process informative, confidential and easy. We compared compensation, pricing, operational support and what mattered most to our business. A casual conversation became one of the most valuable decisions we’ve ever made. We moved a few months ago, and now we wonder what took us so long to stop drinking the company tea.”
“We were with one of the nation’s largest mortgage companies, with strong production, and we get over 100 recruiter calls a month. Then we talked with Mike. A simple comparison turned into a real education about the differences between platforms. We found better pricing, more personalized support and greater control over our business. Since moving, we’ve strengthened our operations, expanded our team and rediscovered how enjoyable this business can be. The biggest lesson: you don’t know whether you’re in the best place until you understand what else is available.”
“Mike is a breath of fresh air. I was apprehensive at first and very concerned about confidentiality, but from the first call he helped us compare opportunities I didn’t know existed. Today I’m growing my business from a much stronger platform. It’s the best recruiting experience I’ve ever had, and I can’t believe I waited so long.”
“Sometimes the biggest obstacle to growing your business isn’t the market, it’s the platform you’re standing on. We were happy, producing and growing. But once we compared platforms, the littlest differences made the biggest impact. We moved last quarter and now have total control over our business and people who actively support us. The little things turned into game changers, and I’m back to loving this industry. Thank you, Mike and Options ABC.”
The closing is only the beginning of the relationship.
You worked hard to earn your client’s trust. What happens after closing can influence whether they return to you for their next mortgage.
Ask who handles servicing, who contacts clients after closing, how future opportunities are assigned, and what tools help you stay connected. Review the written policies rather than relying on a recruiting promise.
Selling a mortgage and transferring its servicing are different decisions. Understanding your company’s servicing and client-retention policies belongs in any meaningful platform comparison.
Your platform should support the next opportunity—not just the loan you close today.
Do you know what’s built into your pricing?
Know what your platform costs. Understand what you get in return.
“Corporate scrape” is a term used for the share of loan revenue a company retains for its operations and profit. Companies may describe or calculate it differently. Ask exactly what the figure includes and whether other charges apply.
Understanding it helps you look beyond the advertised compensation and ask better questions: How competitive is my pricing? What support am I receiving? What other costs apply?
See how it works
On a $400,000 loan, a corporate charge of 75 basis points equals $3,000; 125 basis points equals $5,000. That $2,000 difference illustrates revenue allocation. It is not automatically a deduction from your paycheck or a 0.50-percentage-point difference in the borrower’s interest rate. These are illustrative figures, not industry averages.
A lower corporate charge does not automatically mean a better platform. Compare the full cost structure, the support included, and actual pricing on equivalent loan scenarios.
A useful comparison starts with your priorities.
Tell us where you are in your career and what you would most like to improve. Use these prompts to prepare a conversation with Mike—whether you are exploring, building a team or checking your current fit.
Choose your role to see a useful starting point.
These selections stay on this page until you choose to open an email draft. No account or public candidate profile is created. Your email app identifies you when you send a message to Mike.
Prefer to compare on your own? Use the free worksheet →You will review an editable email draft before sending. No worksheet notes are included. Prefer another route? Email Mike directly or connect on LinkedIn.
Is your platform helping you grow—or making you work around it?
Use these four questions to reflect on your current platform. This informal check is a conversation starter, not a recommendation to change companies. Your answers stay in this browser and are not submitted to Options ABC.
What matters—and how we help.
The Options ABC approach: practical questions, an independent perspective and a decision grounded in your priorities.
Your reputation matters. Start with a discreet conversation about your priorities and decide together before any introduction.
Reputation and discretion · The Options ABC approach
Good questions. Clear next steps.
Do these exercises create a public profile or send my answers?
No public profile is created. The checkup stays in your browser. The conversation brief only opens an editable draft when you choose its email link; you decide whether to send it. Email is a conversation with Mike, not an anonymous employer marketplace.
Do I need to be ready to change companies?
No. Start with what is working and what you want to improve. A comparison may help you decide to stay where you are.
What should I compare besides compensation?
Review equivalent loan pricing, all fees, included services, underwriting and processing support, product access, technology, client relationships and written transition terms. Use our free comparison worksheet to organize the details.
What happens in the first conversation?
Tell Mike about your role, goals and the support your business needs. Discuss which platform details deserve a closer look and decide together whether another conversation would be useful.
Should I send client files or production reports?
Start with a general description of your business and priorities. Please do not send borrower information, account credentials or confidential employer documents through email or LinkedIn.
Curious is enough.
Michael Laka brings an independent recruiting perspective to your platform comparison. Tell Mike what is working, what is getting in the way, and what you want to build next. You do not need to be ready to move to have a useful conversation.
Start with a conversation. Decide at your own pace.
Talk with Michael Laka
Tell Mike your role, priorities and timing. The email button opens an editable draft in your email app; you review and send it.
Email Mike mike@options-abc.comConnect on LinkedIn Visit Michael Laka's profile