CalTAP

What CalTAP does

CalTAP is a specialized mortgage lending program administered exclusively by Secure Choice Lending, designed for California teachers, first responders, police officers, military personnel, and other public agency employees. Established as a program in 2012, CalTAP offers purchase, refinance, home equity, and combo loan products with zero lender fees, free rate float-down protection, a match-or-beat rate guarantee, and a 21-day closing commitment. The program is structured as a vertically focused mortgage brand targeting public sector employees who typically face affordability constraints relative to California's high housing costs.

The business operates on a transaction-based revenue model, earning origination fees through interest rate spreads on FHA, VA, Conventional, Jumbo, and Combo loan products, supplemented by affiliate referral fees from real estate partners. The technology stack is conventional mortgage industry infrastructure — an online application portal (scl.my1003app.com), mortgage calculators, and a Secure Quote tool for loan limit verification — without disclosed AI or proprietary platform technology. Customer acquisition relies on a hybrid model combining a toll-free hotline, direct outreach, a preferred realtor network, partnerships with Listing California and Clever Real Estate, and content marketing through educator publications and retirement system (CalSTRS, CalPERS) communications.

Distribution has expanded from California to 45 states through the TAPUSA program, licensed across multiple state regulatory regimes and headquartered in Riverside, California. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding or venture capital involvement; the CalTAP service mark (USPTO Reg. No. 7,698,371) is registered to Joe Moore as an individual. The leadership team is small — roughly 5-9 named individuals including loan officers and processors — and operations are supported by a network of independent preferred realtors who refer pre-approved buyers in exchange for client credits.

Name

CalTAP

Legal name

Secure Choice Lending

Website

https://caltap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CalTAP, operated by Secure Choice Lending, is a specialized mortgage program offering purchase, refinance, home equity, and combo loans to California teachers, first responders, police, military, and public agency employees, with TAPUSA extending the program to 45 states nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Riverside

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mortgage Loan Origination: CalTAP generates revenue through origination, acquisition, servicing, securitization and brokerage of mortgage loans. The company is the exclusive lender for the CalTAP California Teacher and Public Employee Home Loan Program, offering FHA, VA, Conventional, Jumbo, and Combo loans. Revenue is earned through interest rate spreads and loan origination fees.
2. Real Estate Partner Referral Fees: Partnership with Listing California and Clever Real Estate drives mortgage loan volume through referred clients. CalTAP realtors offer reduced listing commissions (1-1.5%) and buyer cash-back incentives, creating a referral ecosystem that generates mortgage applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CalTAP provides specialized mortgage purchase, refinance, and home equity loan products for California teachers, first responders, police, military, and public employees through its exclusive lender Secure Choice Lending. Loans carry zero lender fees, free rate float-down protection, a match-or-beat rate guarantee, and up to $10,000 cash-back via partner realtors. The companion TAPUSA program extends these benefits nationwide to public employees in 45 states.

Product overview

CalTAP is a single, unified home loan program ecosystem purpose-built for California teachers, public employees, and first responders, administered exclusively by Secure Choice Lending. The core offering is the CalTAP mortgage program itself, supported by a companion nationwide variant called TAPUSA (available in 45 states). The product suite includes complementary modules for home purchase, refinance, a Combo Loan (80-10-10) for high-value purchases, and a Home Equity Loan/HELOC product line (CalTAP PLUS). Two partner services — Listing California (low-commission real estate referral) and Clever Real Estate (nationwide agent matching with cash-back) — extend the ecosystem into real estate transactions. Supporting digital tools include a mortgage calculator and a Keys in 21 Days closing guarantee. The entire program is delivered through a website-based application portal without any standalone API product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Listing California: Real estate platform partnered with CalTAP offering 1% listing fee structure for qualifying properties along with CalTAP partnership benefits
• Clever Real Estate
• CalTAP Combo Loan (80-10-10)
• CalTAP PLUS HELOC
• CalTAP PLUS HELOAN

Products and services

• CalTAP Mortgage Loan Program Core mortgage lending program for California teachers, first responders, police, firefighters, military, and public employees, offering FHA, VA, Conventional, and Jumbo loan products with zero lender fees, free rate float-down, match-or-beat rate guarantee, and up to $10,000 cash-back at closing.
• TAPUSA (Teacher and Public Employee Home Loan Program) Nationwide home loan program extending CalTAP's benefits (zero lender fees, rate float-down, cash-back, match-or-beat guarantee) to eligible public employees across 45 states outside California, operated by Secure Choice Lending with Mark Hossler as Loan Officer of Record.
• CalTAP Home Purchase Loan Program Home purchase financing for California public employees offering lender-paid PMI with as little as 3% down, conforming and high-balance FHA, Conventional, or VA loans up to $1,209,750, jumbo loans up to $4,000,000, seller and lender-paid 2-1 buydowns, and the Keys in 21 Days closing commitment.
• CalTAP Refinance Loan Program Refinance solutions for California public employees enabling cash-out up to 80% LTV (100% LTV for VA loans), elimination of private mortgage insurance, and restructuring of existing first and second mortgages.
• CalTAP Combo Loan (80-10-10) Innovative 80-10-10 loan structure combining an 80% first mortgage, 10% down payment, and 10% second mortgage/HELOC, enabling home purchases up to $2,000,000 with no PMI required. Available in high-cost California counties and through the TAPUSA nationwide network.
• CalTAP PLUS Home Equity Loan (HELOAN) Fixed-rate second mortgage home equity loan offering amounts up to $500,000 (up to 85% CLTV), fixed rates from 6.625% APR, no appraisal required for loans up to $250,000, and flexible terms from 10 to 30 years. Funds available in as little as 10 days.
• CalTAP PLUS Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Variable-rate home equity line of credit offering credit limits up to 89.99% of appraised home value, minimum credit line of $100,000 and maximum of $500,000, with interest-only payment options available for up to 10 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save $1,895 in lender fees on every loan
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Listing CaliforniacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partnership connecting CalTAP members with Listing California preferred realtors for home buying and selling. Listing California offers 1% listing fee for most homes (1.5% for others) plus flat $995 marketing fee. CalTAP members can earn up to $10,000 cash-back when working with Listing California agents. Mike Ramirez (Southern California) and Edward Mertens (Fresno/Madera) are featured preferred realtors under this partnership.
• Clever Real EstatecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNationwide real estate partnership providing CalTAP/TAPUSA clients access to Clever's proprietary Agent Matching Platform (AMP). Clients receive 0.5% cash-back rebate on purchase price (up to $10,000) when using vetted Clever agents. Listing fees are tiered: 1% for $900k+ homes, 1.5% for $400k-$899k, 2% under $400k. Annamae Gilberti serves as CalTAP & TAPUSA Client Concierge for Clever Real Estate nationwide.
• TAPUSAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTAPUSA is the nationwide extension of the CalTAP program for public employees in 45 states outside California. Operated by Secure Choice Lending with Mark Hossler as Loan Officer of Record. Maintains consistent qualifying guidelines and reward benefits with CalTAP, including zero lender fees, free rate float-down, and up to $10,000 cash-back. Licensed in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa, Alabama, North Dakota, Kentucky, DC, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, and Utah.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• loanDepot: One of the largest U.S. retail mortgage lenders, offering conventional, FHA, VA, and HELOC products with rate float-down-style promotions — comparable core mortgage product suite but at national scale versus CalTAP's niche focus.
• PenFed (Pentagon Federal Credit Union): Large national credit union with deep military, DoD civilian, and public-sector affinity and a broad mortgage product set — comparable customer segment (military/first responders) but at significantly larger scale and broader product breadth than CalTAP.
• Navy Federal Credit Union: Largest U.S. credit union by membership, serving military, veterans, DoD civilians, and their families with comprehensive mortgage, VA, and home equity products — comparable on the military and VA-loan segments that CalTAP also serves.
• Movement Mortgage: Top-10 U.S. retail mortgage lender with a strong "community-focused" brand and similar purchase-loan emphasis — comparable in offering purchase-focused mortgage products with closing guarantees, though at much larger scale than CalTAP.

Direct peers

• Academy Mortgage Corporation: Retail mortgage lender with explicit niche programs for teachers, first responders, and military borrowers offering reduced closing costs and specialized loan options — directly comparable "community heroes" focus to CalTAP.
• Self-Help Federal Credit Union: Mission-driven credit union focused on underserved and public-sector borrowers, offering affordable mortgage products in California and other states — comparable niche, value-aligned positioning to CalTAP's public employee focus.
• Patelco Credit Union: Bay Area-based credit union with a long-standing public agency membership and a full suite of mortgage products including first-time homebuyer programs — comparable to CalTAP's California public agency employee focus.
• SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union: California's largest credit union serving school employees and educators, offering mortgage, refinance, and home equity products with member-specific benefits — directly comparable to CalTAP's primary California teacher and school employee segment.
• Cal State Credit Union: Credit union serving California State University employees, students, and alumni with mortgage lending products tied to public-sector employment — directly comparable target customer base to CalTAP's CalPERS/CalSTRS positioning.

Regional players

• First Tech Federal Credit Union: Membership-based credit union serving employees of technology and public-sector-adjacent firms, offering mortgages and HELOCs with affinity-style member benefits — comparable niche affinity-lending model to CalTAP's retirement-system-driven positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVdx2WNCT_Otbz2ErNhM61A
• Facebookfacebook.com/mark.hossler.165
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secure-choice-lending-huntington-beach
• Instagraminstagram.com/markhossler_/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 CalTAP