MERIX Financial has been off to a busy start to 2024!

We are excited about all the activity that’s been happening over here at MERIX as part of our plan to enhance our services and improve broker experience. To keep you informed, we want to highlight some of the updates you can expect from MERIX:

UPDATE TO MERIX STATUS PROGRAM

As announced earlier this year, we have introduced some changes to the MERIX Status Program to elevate your experience and rewards. Full program details are available here.

MERIX AND LENDWISE

Currently, we offer two distinct lending options that have different compensation models for brokers. MERIX operates under a trailer fee model, providing ongoing revenue annually, while Lendwise follows a traditional upfront standard compensation model.

To reduce confusion and create a smoother experience for everyone, we’re consolidating under the MERIX brand. Once you’re onboarded to the new eXplore broker portal, you’ll have two clear options: MERIX – Trailer and MERIX – Standard(formerly known as the Lendwise model).

This change doesn’t affect how you submit your deals.

You can continue to submit your deals as usual, choosing either MERIX for trailer fee compensation or Lendwise for upfront standard compensation. Lendwise will still be visible on your point-of-sale (POS) system. However, when you receive your commitment back from us, it will now reflect MERIX.

This change doesn’t affect how you get paid.

You still get to select your compensation on a deal-by-deal basis– there are no changes to how you get paid, volume requirements, efficiency bonuses, or status. We’re simply making it easier for you by consolidating everything under one umbrella.

Some of the benefits you can expect:

• Clear Communication: You’ll no longer need to explain to clients the difference between MERIX and Lendwise.
• Streamlined Branding: We can provide a more unified experience across our marketing materials, websites, and communications.

INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY

To help better serve you and your business, we are thrilled to announce a new MERIX eXplore broker portal, which will be launching in April. This portal is more user friendly and will provide access to additional resources and support to help make working with MERIX Financial easier. Once onboarded onto the new MERIX eXplore broker portal, you will begin seeing your MERIX Trailer and MERIX – Standard (formerly Lendwise) deals in one unified view.

As part of this new eXplore portal, we are also thrilled to let you know we will begin using a new underwriting platform, Liberty. This platform works to better serve you and your clients, making it easier than ever to work with MERIX Financial. Once you’re onboarded to the new eXplore broker portal in the coming weeks, all new MERIX deals will be underwritten through the new Liberty platform.

Both these advancements in technology demonstrate our commitment to serving our broker partners better.

Stay tuned for more information on the onboarding process coming soon!

REFRESHED RATE BUYDOWN CALCULATOR

Once you are onboarded to the new eXplore broker portal and Liberty platform, the buydown calculation and options to buydown rates will change:

• Rate buydown will now be 4-1, meaning a 5 bps reduction in rate will cost 20 bps in commission. This will be across all terms.
• The XReward option for buydowns will be eliminated.
• The basisPOINTS program will maintain its current calculations for your continued benefit.

We believe these updates and changes will enhance your experience with us and make it even easier for you to serve your clients and grow your business.