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Ally Financial Inc. is looking to grow its mortgage business by providing home search powered by national real estate brokerage HouseCanary’s ComeHome platform.
The co-branded ComeHome solution on Ally’s website will provide would-be homebuyers with access to listings and loan options, and also generate alerts on new listings and property status changes. Existing homeowners will be able to track their property values, get a handle on the cost of renovation projects, and apply for refinancing.
Lenders can use ComeHome to pre-underwrite properties, offer instant approvals and monitor buying signals with engagement analytics that can be integrated into their own customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Jeremy Sicklick
“Given the current market environment and high rates, we want to ensure our customers feel confident they’re making the most informed decisions,” HouseCanary co-founder and CEO Jeremy Sicklick said in a statement Tuesday. “ComeHome has been built to enable consumers and lenders to efficiently navigate the homeownership journey, and we’re delighted Ally’s customers can remain rest assured that they’re staying on top of market trends.”
Originally a portal-like search tool, HouseCanary relaunched ComeHome in 2019 as a tool for mortgage lenders like loanDepot, which offers listing search powered by ComeHome.
Ally Financial has a strategic partnership with Better Mortgage in which Better processes, underwrites, closes and sells the bank’s digital mortgages, while Ally markets, advertises, prices and funds the loans.
Better rolled out a new “One Day Mortgage” product in January at Inman Connect New York, and also launched a digital home equity line of credit (HELOC) product in the first quarter. In reporting third-quarter earnings Tuesday, Better said it had provided HELOC funding to 326 borrowers through Sept. 30, and that 45 borrowers are locking rates on HELOCs per week.
According to Ally Financial’s most recent quarterly report to investors, Ally Bank originated $731 million in mortgages in the first nine months of 2023 through its “powered by Better” direct-to-consumer channel.
Brandon Snow
“We are committed to meeting consumers wherever they are on their homebuying journey from dreaming and shopping to owning and managing,” said Ally Home Executive Director Brandon Snow in a statement. “Our collaboration with ComeHome enables us to build on this mission, giving homebuyers and homeowners alike the ability to see a home’s full potential in one seamless experience.”
Ally is also an investor in Better, but wrote down the carrying value of its ownership stake in Better to $9 million as of Sept. 30, 2023, after the company’s shares lost most of their value after Better went public in an August merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that integration of HouseCanary’s ComeHome platform on Ally Financial’s website will not include home equity lines of credit (HELOCs).
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