Turning tailwinds into opportunities: Greg Meola on retention, tech and broker growth

Market tailwinds don’t reward everyone; they reward the prepared. In this conversation, Greg Meola, Managing Director of Wholesale at Acra Lending, outlines opportunities brokers should focus on in 2026 and beyond. Joined by Allison LaForgia, Meola explains why data-driven decision-making, disciplined follow-up, and the right partnerships set top performers apart from everyone else.

In this conversation with HousingWire’s Allison LaForgia, Greg Meola, managing director of wholesale at Acra Lending, shares how brokers can succeed heading into 2026 with resilience, data, technology and the right lending partnerships. 

Reflecting on his experience in the industry, Meola is optimistic about the year ahead. “The good news is there’s a lot of key indicators that point towards tailwinds in being a broker this year,” he says, noting that improving conditions may create some natural momentum. Still, he’s clear that long-term success requires more than a good cycle. “What’s really shaped my view of success is resiliency. If you’re going to be in the broker game long term, you’ve got to be resilient.”

That resilience, Meola explains, is reinforced by strong partnerships and continuous education. “It’s working with the right valued lending partners and staying educated on products, programs [and] the technology that’s out there,” is critical, but equally important is understanding how lending partners deploy those tools. “Any time they’re investing in new products or technology, it correlates back to an investment in the broker themselves.”

When it comes to stabilizing operations, Meola points squarely to data and technology. “If you want to look for stabilization in 2026, you should really be focused on data and technology,” he says, emphasizing their role in market education, customer acquisition and retention. He adds that brokers should actively seek out partners that use data in meaningful ways. “We are in a data and technology age. Investing in yourself and with lenders that are doing the same thing, that’s really what’s going to help stabilize your operations.”

Retention, Meola notes, is an area where many brokers fall short. “If you just kind of hope that you’re going to retain a borrower, it’s probably not the best practice,” he says. Instead, brokers must think beyond the initial transaction and position themselves as long-term advisors. “It’s not only the loan that’s in front of me that I need to worry about, but it’s what’s going to happen after the fact.”

He also stresses the importance of proactive outreach supported by an effective CRM. Brokers should create alerts around rates, loan-to-value thresholds and product opportunities so they can reach borrowers at the right moment. But just as critical are the fundamentals. “Basic fundamentals is really what keeps customers for life,” Meola says. Personalized check-ins — even when no action is needed — help borrowers feel that their loan officer is actively watching out for them. Generic, automated messaging, he adds, doesn’t accomplish that. “It’s not differentiating. It’s not making me feel like the guy that I did my loan with is keeping an eye on my transaction.”

On product expansion, Meola encourages brokers to view options like non-QM as “extra tools in the toolbox,” likening the broker role to that of a general contractor. Brokers don’t need to be experts in every niche product, he explains, but they do need enough knowledge to recognize when it’s time to bring in a specialist. Ongoing education — through industry resources, lender partners, and regular conversations — enables quick identification when working with a borrower.

Technology investment, Meola says, should be both strategic and practical. “If I’m a broker, the thing that I want to invest in the most is: an effective CRM and an effective tool for application creation.” A mortgage-specific CRM, in particular, helps brokers organize outreach across acquisition, active files and retention, reducing chaos and keeping daily operations on track.

Finally, Meola urges brokers to evaluate not just their own tech stack but also their partners’ tech stacks. “Every time a lender invests in technology, that’s an investment in the broker themselves,” he says. Brokers should ask what lenders are building, why they’re building it, and how it improves both broker workflows and the borrower experience.

Looking ahead, Meola sees a significant opportunity for those prepared to act. With favorable conditions and increasingly powerful tools, brokers can scale efficiently — but only if they’re intentional. “You’re going to have a lot of volume that you could potentially grab,” he says. “Anytime you’ve got a tailwind, you want to grab as much market share as you can.”