Longtime mortgage leaders bring the Bookspan Baker Team to NEXA, combining an established production business with expanded technology, product access and new opportunities for growth.

PHOENIX, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Todd Bookspan and Matt Baker are not joining NEXA Lending to start over. They are joining to see how much further they can take what they have already built.

The longtime mortgage leaders behind the Bookspan Baker Team have joined NEXA Lending and will launch Keepsake Loans, a new umbrella brand designed to preserve the identity, culture and relationships they have built while leveraging the infrastructure and scale of NEXA Lending.

Bookspan and Baker have worked together for more than 15 years, building a team that has served more than 5,000 families and originated more than $1 billion in mortgage volume. Their team is currently on pace for approximately $100 million in production in 2026.

"We weren't looking to start over. We were looking for the right platform to build on top of what already works," said Todd Bookspan. "The more we learned about NEXA, the more we realized we could keep our brand and our team while gaining access to technology, products, investor relationships and entirely new opportunities for growth. Instead of spending years rebuilding infrastructure, we can plug into what is already here and go."

For Bookspan, who has spent 25 years in the mortgage industry, the decision also required challenging long-held assumptions about the broker channel.

"When you're in the bottle, you can't read the label," Bookspan said. "I had misconceptions about what the broker channel looked like in 2026. Once we became curious, asked more questions and really understood the model, we realized there were opportunities from a product, technology and income perspective that we simply weren't aware of."

That opportunity includes NEXA Lending's continued investment in technology, expanded product access and a broader ecosystem designed to give independent mortgage professionals multiple ways to build their businesses. It also introduces Bookspan and Baker to additional avenues for growth, including the opportunity to participate in NEXA's revenue-sharing model as they help expand the platform.

"People talk about independence all the time, but independence without infrastructure can become another job," said Mike Kortas, Executive Partner of NEXA Lending. "Todd and Matt already know how to produce, lead and build a great team. They don't need us telling them how to run their business. Our job is to give people like them the infrastructure, technology and opportunities to build bigger without taking away what made them successful in the first place."

The evolution of NEXA's platform, including its expansion into servicing through evoLend and its continued focus on AI-enabled mortgage technology, also played a role in Bookspan and Baker's decision.

For Baker, who brings more than 30 years of mortgage industry experience, the opportunity is about more than production.

"We've built efficiencies over 15 years, we've built an incredible team, and we know how to originate loans," said Matt Baker. "Now we get to put that business on a platform that gives us more ways to grow. What excites me most is bringing some of the fun and joy back into the business. We want to grow, but we also want to be generous, serve our community, help other people succeed and ultimately build something that leaves a legacy."

The Bookspan Baker Team will continue operating under its established team identity within Keepsake Loans, giving Bookspan and Baker the ability to expand the brand while maintaining the relationships and culture that have defined their business.

Geri Farr, CEO of NEXA Lending, said the addition represents exactly the type of experienced entrepreneur NEXA's platform was designed to support.

"Todd and Matt aren't coming here looking for someone to build their business for them. They've already proven they can do that," Farr said. "They are coming here because they see what becomes possible when an established business is given more tools, more technology and more room to grow. We want NEXA to be the place where great mortgage entrepreneurs can build their next chapter without giving up the identity that got them here."

For Bookspan and Baker, that next chapter begins with Keepsake Loans, but their vision extends beyond their own production. They see an opportunity to grow their team, embrace AI and emerging technology, explore additional business-building opportunities available through NEXA's platform and create an environment where other mortgage professionals can grow alongside them.

"We already know what our team is capable of," Baker said. "Now there's a crazy amount of potential in front of us, that's what makes this exciting."

The launch of Keepsake Loans represents more than a new chapter for Bookspan and Baker. It reflects a broader shift toward experienced mortgage entrepreneurs seeking platforms that allow them to preserve what they have built while gaining the technology, product depth, infrastructure and economic opportunities to build what comes next. For NEXA Lending, bringing established operators like Bookspan and Baker onto the platform is part of a larger vision: creating an environment where mortgage professionals do not have to choose between independence and scale.

As Keepsake Loans begins its next chapter on the NEXA Lending platform, Bookspan and Baker will remain focused on the foundation that has driven their success for more than 15 years: serving families, investing in their team, embracing innovation and building a business designed to last.

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SOURCE NEXA Lending