Alta Home Lending Says It Has Nearly Doubled Staff, Bets on Builder Joint Ventures

San Antonio lender Alta Home Lending has grown from the 80 employees it took on in an April 2025 acquisition to 150, and its CEO says it is on pace to double again in the next 12 months, the San Antonio Express-News reported Sunday, Oct. 11. The paper named Alta the top small employer in its 2026 Top Workplaces rankings.

Why this matters: Alta is leaning on homebuilder joint ventures, a channel where lenders partner with builders to serve their buyers. With rates high and resale volume weak, how lenders find steady purchase business is a live question across the industry.

Cover: Editorial illustration of new construction. Illustration created for mortgage.news; it does not depict a real company, person, property or document.

What was reported

According to the Express-News, Andrina and Manuel Valdes launched Alta after acquiring Houston-based Republic State Mortgage Co. in April 2025, bringing on its team of 80. “We’re on pace to double again in the next 12 months,” Andrina Valdes told the paper. That growth forecast is the company's own statement; mortgage.news has not independently verified headcount.

The report says Alta offers retail lending and builds and manages affiliated mortgage companies for homebuilders. It also says Alta began working with Houston-based Legend Homes, which builds energy-efficient homes geared to first-time buyers and families.

The DRB Group venture

The DRB detail is confirmed by a Sept. 25 company press release: DRB Group selected Alta as its mortgage joint venture partner in the West, and the venture, DRB Home Loans, will serve DRB homebuyers in Texas, Colorado and Arizona. The release says DRB announced the partnership on Sept. 23. It also states that Alta Home Lending is a d/b/a of Republic State Mortgage Co., NMLS #62411, and serves homebuyers in 21 states.

In the release, Michelle Gonzales, Alta's executive director of strategic partnerships, said more builders are looking to switch joint venture lenders. That is her view of the market, not a measured trend.

Context

The Express-News piece notes the housing market has struggled as mortgage rates rose. Builder channels can give a lender a pipeline of purchase buyers, but they tie volume to that builder's sales. Neither source discloses Alta's loan volume or financial results.

Practical takeaway

For mortgage professionals: builder joint ventures are one route lenders are using to keep purchase volume in a slow resale market. If you are weighing a role with a fast-growing lender, ask how concentrated its business is in a few builder accounts and how joint venture production is structured.