What Pilgrim Mortgage does

Pilgrim Mortgage is a privately held, San Antonio-headquartered independent residential mortgage lender founded in 2006 by Michael Pilgrim (and family) and now led by President and CEO Wes Kleckley, who merged his San Antonio mortgage team with the company in 2022. The company originates Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, Non-QM, bank statement, investor, and first-time homebuyer loans across 17 U.S. states, operating 36 branch locations and a portfolio of acquired sub-brands (Anchor Mortgage, Hook and Ladder Lending, The Loan Ladies, Pathway Mortgage Lending, TLP Mortgage) that preserve the identity of acquired local teams. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and sales-led: licensed loan officers at branch sites handle the full loan lifecycle from application through closing, supported centrally by CRM tools, social media content libraries, and design services, with referral relationships into real estate agent and builder channels. Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis through origination fees on funded mortgage loans, with pricing individualized per borrower (no public rate sheet). On 2025-10-17 the company adopted Wilqo's Charlie AI-driven platform to replace its legacy loan origination and point-of-sale systems, a modernization intended to lift operational efficiency and borrower experience across the 17-state footprint. Pilgrim is privately owned with a flat organizational structure, no disclosed institutional backing, and no public listing; multi-state licensing is held under NMLS #225091 across 18 states.

Name

Pilgrim Mortgage

Legal name

Pilgrim Mortgage

Website

https://pilgrimmtg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pilgrim Mortgage is a privately held residential mortgage lender operating 36 branch locations across 17 U.S. states, originating purchase and refinance loans via licensed loan officers and acquired sub-brands. Founded in 2006 in San Antonio, Texas and led by CEO Wes Kleckley since the 2022 Kleckley merger, it serves individual homebuyers and homeowners on a transaction-fee origination model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Mortgage Lending

NAICS

Real Estate Credit (522292)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

Purchase Mortgage Origination (Homebuyer Focused) (FSALAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing / Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Mortgage Origination (FSALAAAM)

Keywords

• Residential mortgage lending
• Home purchase financing
• Mortgage refinancing services
• FHA VA loan programs
• First-time homebuyer loans

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Loan Origination: Pilgrim Mortgage earns revenue through origination fees charged on funded mortgage loans. As a licensed residential mortgage lender operating across 17 states, the company originates a variety of loan products including Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, Non-QM, bank statement loans, investor loans, and first-time homebuyer programs with down payment assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pilgrim Mortgage is a residential mortgage lender that originates purchase, refinance, and construction loans across multiple loan programs including Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, Non-QM, bank statement, investor, and first-time homebuyer products with down payment assistance. The company distributes these loans through 36 branch locations staffed by licensed loan officers across 17 U.S. states, complemented by an online application portal. Revenue is generated primarily through origination fees on funded mortgage loans.

Product overview

Pilgrim Mortgage is a U.S. residential mortgage lender offering a comprehensive suite of mortgage products and services. The company provides an online application portal as its primary customer-facing digital tool, complemented by a network of loan officers across multiple states. In October 2025, Pilgrim Mortgage adopted Wilqo's Charlie AI-driven platform to replace its existing loan origination and point-of-sale systems, aiming to modernize operations and improve borrower experience. The product portfolio centers on various mortgage loan programs including Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, Non-QM, bank statement loans, investor loans, and first-time homebuyer programs with down payment assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Anchor Mortgage: Branch operating under Pilgrim Mortgage
• Hook and Ladder Lending
• The Loan Ladies
• Pathway Mortgage Lending
• TLP Mortgage

Products and services

• Residential Mortgage Lending Services End-to-end residential mortgage origination services covering home purchase, refinance, and construction financing across Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, Non-QM, bank statement, investor, and first-time homebuyer loan programs with down payment assistance. Loan officers guide individual borrowers from application through pre-qualification, processing, underwriting, and closing at 36 branch locations across 17 U.S. states.
• Online Mortgage Application Portal Streamlined online mortgage application portal hosted on the Pilgrim Mortgage website that guides individual applicants through each step of the mortgage application, collects personal and financial information to assess needs, and connects the applicant with a loan officer to begin the lending process.

Quantifiable outcome

• Company has helped more than 1,000 families per top-performing individual loan officer (Annie McNiel, NMLS #1007940).
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wilqo (Charlie Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationPilgrim Mortgage has selected Wilqo's AI-driven Charlie platform to replace its existing loan origination system (LOS) and point-of-sale (POS) systems. The platform aims to improve operational efficiency, enhance borrower experience, and support the company's growth objectives across its 17-state footprint. The implementation is intended to modernize Pilgrim Mortgage's technology stack for a better borrower journey.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Guild Mortgage Company: Direct peer: retail-focused residential mortgage lender with multi-state branch network, similar product breadth (Conventional, FHA, VA, Jumbo, Non-QM), and comparable size and footprint to Pilgrim Mortgage.
• Paramount Residential Mortgage Group (PRMG): Direct peer: large independent retail mortgage banker with multi-state branch network and a strategy of acquiring and retaining regional sub-brands, closely mirroring Pilgrim's M&A-driven growth model.
• Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation: Direct peer: retail mortgage lender with broad multi-state branch presence, comparable product mix including government and Non-QM programs, and a similar loan-officer-driven distribution model.
• Movement Mortgage: Direct peer: large retail-focused mortgage lender operating a branch network across dozens of states with a similar loan officer-centric origination model and broad product offering.
• NewRez (formerly New Penn Financial): Direct peer: non-bank retail and wholesale mortgage lender with multi-state operations, comparable product set including Non-QM, and a similar focus on loan officer production.
• Embrace Home Loans: Direct peer: mid-size retail mortgage lender with multi-state branch presence and a relationship-driven loan officer model, comparable in scale and product breadth to Pilgrim.

Broad incumbents

• loanDepot: Broad incumbent: one of the largest non-bank retail mortgage lenders in the U.S., offering a similar product set (purchase, refinance, FHA, VA, jumbo) at much greater scale across retail and digital channels.
• Rocket Mortgage: Broad incumbent: dominant retail and digital mortgage lender with national reach; competes head-on with Pilgrim for purchase and refinance volume but at vastly greater scale and with stronger technology investments.
• Caliber Home Loans: Broad incumbent: large non-bank residential mortgage originator with multi-state retail and servicing operations, offering overlapping Conventional, FHA, VA, and Non-QM products at greater scale.
• United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM): Broad incumbent: largest U.S. wholesale mortgage lender; competes indirectly with Pilgrim by serving the broker channel that competes for the same loan officers and borrower relationships in the retail market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pilgrimloans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pilgrimmortgagellc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Pilgrim Mortgage