Community Home Lenders of America

What Community Home Lenders of America does

Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA), also known as Community Home Lenders Association, is a 501(c)(6) national non-profit trade association founded in 2013 and headquartered at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 610, Arlington, Virginia. It is the only national association exclusively representing small and mid-sized, community-based, non-bank independent mortgage bankers (IMBs) — firms that originate, sell, and service residential mortgages and rely on warehouse financing. Its membership segment accounted for nearly 58% of US mortgage originations by count and nearly 62% by dollar volume in 2025, making IMBs a structurally important counterweight to large depository institutions in US housing finance.

CHLA's offering is not a commercial technology product but a membership-based advocacy and intelligence service. Core deliverables include (1) Washington, D.C. representation on federal mortgage policy — submissions to FHFA, HUD/FHA, CFPB, Ginnie Mae, the Federal Reserve, and Congress; (2) DC conferences and virtual meetings providing one-on-one access to senior federal agency mortgage officials and members of Congress; (3) weekly member conference calls and peer forums among IMB principals; and (4) policy white papers and annual reports (IMB Report, Regulatory Creep Report, Gen Z Homeownership White Paper, FICO pricing white paper, Ginnie Mae Modernization Plan, LO Comp Reform, Mortgage Credit Score Markets & Pricing). Documented advocacy wins include cutting FHA premiums, derailing ICE's purchase of Black Knight, and overturning PSPA GSE cash window and volume restrictions.

The business model is membership dues funded, supplemented by conference and partner-sponsorship revenue; CHLA is governed by its member firms, with leadership including Executive Director Scott Olson (former House Financial Services Committee Housing Policy Director), President & CEO Don Calcaterra, Jr. (LLG Loans), and past President & CEO Bill Giambrone (Platinum Home Mortgage). It does not raise equity funding, has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no patents, and no disclosed technology or AI/ML capabilities. The association has no app, no public API, and no commercial integrations; its distribution is its policy work, earned media (op-eds in National Mortgage News, HousingWire, The Mortgage Note), and its owned channels (communitylender.org, LinkedIn, Twitter/X @CHLAmerica).

Name

Community Home Lenders of America

Legal name

Community Home Lenders Association

Website

https://communitylender.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is a national non-profit trade association, founded in 2013 and based in Arlington, Virginia, that exclusively represents small and mid-sized independent mortgage bankers (IMBs) through federal advocacy, DC conferences, weekly member calls, and policy white papers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is a national non-profit trade association exclusively representing small and mid-sized community-based independent mortgage bankers (IMBs). It provides federal advocacy and policy representation in Washington D.C., hosts DC conferences and weekly member calls that give members direct access to senior federal agency mortgage officials and members of Congress, and publishes white papers and policy reports on housing finance issues such as GSE reform, FHA programs, Basel III capital rules, and Gen Z homeownership.

Product overview

Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is a national non-profit trade association representing small and mid-sized community-based independent mortgage bankers (IMBs). CHLA does not offer commercial technology products or services. The organization's offerings consist of advocacy and policy representation for its member IMBs, DC conferences providing access to federal agency mortgage officials and members of Congress, weekly member calls for peer discussion, white papers on housing policy issues (such as Gen Z homeownership, FICO pricing, GSE conservatorship exit, Ginnie Mae modernization, and regulatory reform), and policy recommendations submitted to regulatory bodies. The association's activities center on influencing housing finance policy rather than selling products or technology solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHLA Membership Paid membership in a national trade association providing small and mid-sized independent mortgage bankers with federal regulatory and legislative advocacy, peer networking through weekly calls, and direct access to senior federal agency mortgage officials and members of Congress through DC conferences and virtual meetings.
• CHLA DC Conferences Conferences held in Washington D.C. that give member mortgage bankers unparalleled one-on-one access to senior federal agency mortgage officials and members of Congress.
• CHLA Weekly Member Calls Member-only weekly conference calls and forums that enable principals of community IMB firms to discuss challenges, issues, and ideas with peer lenders nationwide.
• CHLA IMB Reports and White Papers Published policy research and white papers covering housing finance topics such as GSE conservatorship reform, FHA program changes, FICO pricing, Ginnie Mae modernization, regulatory burden, and Gen Z homeownership.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Council of State Housing Agencies: Nonprofit association representing state Housing Finance Agencies that administer affordable housing programs. Comparable in engaging on federal housing finance policy (GSEs, FHA, Ginnie Mae) from a public-sector perspective.
• American Land Title Association: National trade association for the title insurance and settlement industry. Comparable as a housing-finance-adjacent advocacy organization engaging on similar regulatory and legislative issues affecting real estate transactions.
• National Association of Realtors: The largest U.S. trade association for residential real estate agents. Comparable as a powerful housing-industry advocacy organization engaging on mortgage finance policy, though its members are real estate practitioners rather than lenders.
• Bank Policy Institute: Policy and advocacy group for major U.S. banks, including a Housing Policy Council. Comparable as a federal policy advocate engaging on mortgage and housing finance regulation, though representing large banks rather than community lenders.

Direct peers

• Consumer Mortgage Coalition: Advocacy organization representing non-bank and independent mortgage lenders on federal policy. Directly comparable to CHLA as an industry voice for non-bank mortgage lenders, focused on legislative and regulatory engagement.
• Mortgage Bankers Association: The largest U.S. trade association for the mortgage finance industry, representing banks, IMBs, and the broader real estate finance ecosystem. Directly comparable to CHLA as a mortgage-industry advocacy body, though broader in scope and substantially larger in staff and budget.
• National Association of Mortgage Brokers: Trade association representing mortgage brokers and independent loan originators in the U.S. Comparable to CHLA as a membership organization advocating for smaller, non-depository mortgage professionals, though focused on brokers rather than IMBs.

Emerging players

• Independent Community Bankers of America: Trade association representing community banks, which overlap with CHLA's IMB members in serving similar borrower segments (first-time homebuyers, local communities). Comparable in advocating for smaller depository institutions against larger bank interests, though focused on banks rather than non-bank lenders.

Broad incumbents

• American Bankers Association: The largest U.S. banking trade association, representing banks of all sizes including those active in mortgage lending. Comparable as a federal advocacy body for the broader financial services industry that often engages on mortgage policy issues.

Regional players

• Credit Union National Association: National trade association for U.S. credit unions. Comparable in advocating for smaller depository financial institutions on regulatory and legislative matters, though credit unions are a distinct constituency from CHLA's IMB members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CHLAmerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-home-lenders-association-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Home Lenders of America