DRB Group to launch two mortgage joint ventures January 2027

DRB Group Plans Two Mortgage Joint Ventures

DRB Group, a Maryland-based homebuilder, announced on September 23, 2026, that it will launch two mortgage joint ventures in January 2027 across its expanding national footprint.

The company will operate DRB Mortgage in partnership with Acrisure Mortgage across its growing eastern United States residential housing markets. The western venture, DRB Home Loans, will operate with Alta Home Lending across several growing markets in the United States.

Ronny Salameh, president and chief executive officer of DRB Group, appointed Matthew Wolf, senior vice president of financial services, to lead development of the mortgage strategy.

Wolf led a comprehensive search for lenders with proven operational scale, deep local market knowledge, and very strong customer service compatible with DRB's national homebuilding platform.

The two ventures are expected to launch in January 2027, according to the company's official announcement on September 23, 2026. They will pair DRB's homebuilding brands with two dedicated mortgage platforms focused on clear transparency, execution, and strong customer care.

Leadership Outlines Strategy and Partner Search

Salameh said the goal is to combine DRB's homebuilding strength with mortgage partners that understand its customers and local markets. He said the joint ventures represent an important step toward a truly more integrated, customer-focused homebuying experience for all buyers.

Matthew Wolf, senior vice president of financial services, said the clear search mandate was to select partners who could help operations provide a best-in-class mortgage experience.

He added that DRB Group looks forward to a successful launch of the two mortgage joint ventures in January 2027 across its expanding national homebuilding footprint.

The joint ventures are expected to create closer day-to-day alignment between community sales consultants and highly dedicated mortgage loan officers. DRB aims to further improve homebuyer education around payment and financing options and also remove costly friction during the underwriting process.

The company also aims to significantly improve overall customer conversion from initial sales agreement to final closing through this more coordinated and fully integrated homebuying approach.

Industry Context and Regional Approach

For homebuilders, captive or joint-venture mortgage structures often can improve contract-to-close pull-through, significantly shorten cycle times, and also create a highly predictable and smooth buyer experience.

In-house or joint-venture mortgage platforms can directly support strong sales absorption and efficient backlog management for large national home builders. They also concentrate regulatory compliance and operational process risk within fewer partners, requiring ongoing strong oversight and very robust controls.

DRB's phased joint-venture approach with regionally focused lenders may allow the builder to tailor specific products and processes to diverse local housing and changing rate environments.

DRB Group has built homes for nearly forty years with a strong focus on innovation, integrity, craftsmanship, and customer experience. Its premier brands, DRB Homes and DRB Elevate 55+, already offer thoughtfully designed quality homes across a growing national footprint.

The planned January 2027 launch ultimately remains subject to successful operational build-out of the two joint ventures and complete partner integration across both major homebuilding regions.