Scotsman Guide Media

What Scotsman Guide Media does

Scotsman Guide Media, Inc. is a privately held financial media and technology company headquartered in Bothell, Washington, that has served the U.S. residential and commercial mortgage industry since 1985. Its core offering is a monthly print and digital magazine distributed to tens of thousands of mortgage professionals, complemented by an industry-leading annual rankings program operating since 2010 that recognizes top mortgage originators, lenders, private/business-purpose lenders, wholesale account executives, women originators, veteran originators, workplaces, and emerging stars based on employer-verified production data. The company monetizes through four primary streams: recurring PRO Membership subscriptions (Print+Digital and Digital-only tiers at $5.75-$9.91/week), ranking submission fees ($225-$2,999 depending on tier and timing), third-party digital advertising (Google AdSense, Facebook, Instagram), and licensing of official ranking badges and plaques through a partnership with Wrights Media.

The underlying technology is a digital media platform comprising scotsmanguide.com (serving over 2 million annual visitors with daily news, market analysis, and rankings content), an online magazine flipbook viewer, the LenderSearch platform (a direct lender discovery tool connecting mortgage professionals with verified lenders), and structured annual ranking submission systems with category-specific deadlines. The go-to-market is sales-led, leveraging 17 years of verified rankings, national print distribution, and brand authority to attract both individual originators (SMB) and large mortgage enterprises as ranking participants and subscribers. The company's verified-data methodology, where every ranking submission is employer-documented and independently reviewed before publication, positions it as a not-pay-to-play alternative in an industry where credibility is scarce.

Name

Scotsman Guide Media

Legal name

Scotsman Guide, Inc.

Website

https://scotsmanguide.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scotsman Guide Media is a privately held U.S. financial media and rankings company serving mortgage originators and lenders through a monthly magazine, verified annual rankings, a PRO membership subscription, and the LenderSearch platform, monetizing via subscriptions, ranking fees, advertising, and badge licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media and Industry Rankings (Mortgage)

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (513140), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAEAM

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Magazine Publishing (Consumer & B2B/Trade Magazines)

SECONDARYFSALABAJ

Mortgage Comparison, Marketplace & Rate-Shopping Platforms

Financial & Insurance/Mortgage & Housing Finance/Mortgage Brokerage & Intermediaries

SECONDARYFSALABAI

Mortgage Lead Generation & Marketing Intermediaries

Financial & Insurance/Mortgage & Housing Finance/Mortgage Brokerage & Intermediaries

Keywords

• Mortgage industry rankings
• Mortgage industry news
• Verified lender directory
• Mortgage originator recognition
• Trade media publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bothell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: PRO membership subscriptions providing unlimited access to news, monthly digital magazine, and premium content. Options include Print+Digital and Digital-only plans at weekly billing rates.
2. Ranking Submission Fees: Fees charged for individuals and companies to submit entries for various rankings. Early-bird pricing available. Individual submissions range from $225-$325; bulk submissions from $2,250-$2,999.
3. Advertising: Marketing/tracking cookies and advertising services used to display targeted advertisements. Third-party advertising partners include Facebook, Instagram, Google Adsense.
4. Licensing Fees: Official badge, plaques and awards licensed through Wrights Media (official licensing partner). Additional revenue from sponsored content and partnership directory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Scotsman Guide Media publishes a monthly print and digital mortgage industry magazine and operates the mortgage industry's longest-running independently verified annual rankings for originators, lenders, private/business-purpose lenders, women originators, wholesale account executives, emerging stars, and workplaces. The company sells PRO Membership subscriptions for premium news and magazine access, accepts paid submissions to its ranking programs, licenses official badges and plaques through Wrights Media, and operates the LenderSearch platform that connects users with verified direct lenders.

Product overview

Scotsman Guide Media is a financial technology and media company providing comprehensive services for residential and commercial mortgage professionals. The core offering consists of Scotsman Guide Magazine (a monthly publication delivering industry news and expert commentary) combined with industry-leading Rankings programs that have operated since 2010, covering top originators, lenders, and workplaces. Additional offerings include PRO Membership subscriptions with premium content access, and the LenderSearch platform for connecting with verified direct lenders. The company also operates feature programs including Top Emerging Stars (recognizing rising talent under 40) and Top Workplaces (honoring exceptional workplace culture).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LenderSearch: A direct lender search platform operated by Scotsman Guide for connecting borrowers with verified lenders.
• Scotsman Guide PRO

Products and services

• Scotsman Guide Magazine Monthly print and digital magazine covering residential and commercial mortgage industry news, market trends, and expert commentary for mortgage professionals.
• Top Originators Rankings Annual industry rankings program recognizing top residential mortgage bankers and brokers based on verified production volume, with categories covering Dollar Volume, Most Loans Closed, Non-QM, FHA, VA, Women Originators, Veteran Originators, and Top Mortgage Broker.
• Top Mortgage Lenders Rankings Annual rankings program recognizing leading mortgage lending companies across Top Overall, Top Wholesale, Top Retail, Top Non-QM, Top FHA, Top VA, and Top Correspondent categories.
• Top Private Originators Rankings Annual rankings program recognizing top producers in private and business-purpose lending markets including bridge, fix-and-flip, DSCR, and construction loan originators.
• Top Private Lenders Rankings Annual rankings program recognizing top private lending companies and programs operating in bridge, fix-and-flip, DSCR, and construction financing.
• Top Wholesale Account Executives Rankings Annual rankings program recognizing top-performing wholesale account executives in the mortgage industry.
• Top Women Originators Rankings Annual rankings recognizing top-performing women in the residential mortgage industry for leadership and excellence.
• Top Emerging Stars Program Annual recognition program for rising talent in the mortgage industry, honoring standout lending professionals under 40.
• Top Workplaces Program Annual recognition program for mortgage companies with exceptional workplace culture based on employee feedback.
• Scotsman Guide PRO Membership Paid subscription membership offering unlimited access to premium mortgage industry news, monthly digital or print magazine, verified direct lender network, and industry rankings. Available in Print + Digital and Digital-only tiers billed weekly.
• LenderSearch Direct lender search and matching platform operated by Scotsman Guide, connecting mortgage professionals and borrowers with verified lenders.

Quantifiable outcome

• $8.9 Trillion combined origination volume from Top Originator alumni
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wrights MediacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial licensing partner for Scotsman Guide ranking badges, plaques and awards. Provides licensed official badges for ranked professionals to display on websites, email signatures, social profiles, and marketing materials.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HousingWire: HousingWire is a leading digital media outlet covering the U.S. mortgage and housing industry with daily news, rankings, and events. It directly competes with Scotsman Guide for the same mortgage professional audience and advertiser budget, with stronger digital-first orientation.
• National Mortgage Professional Magazine: National Mortgage Professional is a B2B trade publication targeting mortgage originators, brokers, and lenders, similar in scope to Scotsman Guide. It directly competes for readership, rankings recognition programs, and subscription revenue in the same niche.
• Mortgage Professional America (MPA): MPA is a trade publication serving the U.S. mortgage industry with print magazine, digital content, and events. It is a direct competitor to Scotsman Guide in the B2B mortgage trade media category.
• Inside Mortgage Finance: Inside Mortgage Finance is a long-running B2B information provider covering the U.S. residential mortgage industry with news, data, and rankings. It is comparable to Scotsman Guide in serving institutional mortgage industry subscribers with verified market intelligence.
• DS News (Default Servicing News): DS News is a trade publication covering the mortgage servicing and default industry. It competes with Scotsman Guide for advertising and audience share among mortgage professionals, with a narrower focus on servicing/default.

Emerging players

• The Mortgage Note: The Mortgage Note is a digital-first mortgage industry news outlet. It targets the same mortgage professional audience as Scotsman Guide but with a pure-digital delivery model, representing the type of leaner competitor that could pressure print-centric incumbents.

Broad incumbents

• LendingTree: LendingTree operates a major online lending marketplace that connects consumers with multiple lenders, overlapping with Scotsman Guide's LenderSearch directory business. As a public, capital-rich incumbent, it competes for lender marketing dollars and consumer-lead referrals at much greater scale.
• Zillow Group: Zillow operates a large consumer real estate marketplace that includes a lender directory and matching service. It overlaps with Scotsman Guide's LenderSearch as a broader incumbent connecting real estate agents and consumers with mortgage lenders.
• Bankrate: Bankrate is a large-scale financial comparison and rate-shopping platform. While primarily consumer-facing, it competes for advertising and lender-marketing relationships in adjacent mortgage rate-shopping categories overlapping with LenderSearch.

Regional players

• Reverse Mortgage Daily: Reverse Mortgage Daily is a niche trade publication focused specifically on the reverse mortgage segment. It is comparable to Scotsman Guide in publishing B2B mortgage industry content but addresses a narrower vertical with dedicated rankings and news.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scotsmanguidemedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scotsman-guide-media
• Instagraminstagram.com/scotsmanguide
• Xx.com/ScotsmanGuideED

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Scotsman Guide Media