Wholesale - Red vs Blue all over again?

Over the past few years I have watched the moves that UWM has made with amazement. They always seem to be one solid step ahead of everyone else in almost every aspect - whether it is the tools that they have built (which are the best in the industry - front end POS, marketing tools, broker portal), the uniformity of their daily message from every person and department in the company (they are the best in the industry in coming up with an initiative and then making sure that you hear the same message from every aspect of the company). Talk directly and only to the UW? That is what every single broker wants - and no one else seems to be able to duplicate. Their CR tool takes the loan process out of the email of their 8000 employees and puts each message where it needs to go, tracked for turn around time, 1 touch resolution, etc. This is a tool that every service company should adopt - email is not process flow. Their partner points program very clearly says these are our goals collectively and if you hit them you get rewarded, if you don't you don't - it is all on you. If I were an AE there I would LOVE that tool. What has amazed me most if the management of their growth - from a few hundred people a could of years ago to 8000 and how much in fundings? $175 Billion? With a B? That is insane. Mat Ishbia has been the leader of the broker community - there is no doubt about that and I think every wholesale lender in the country that has grown over the past few years owes him a debt of thanks. He has made every right move for UWM and the industry over the past few years. Until now. While I appreciate the stated sentiment of looking out for us - I already have a father. I don't mind someone telling me what to look out for - but I resent someone making that decision for me. After over 20 years working for a lender I love the options you can find and offer for a customer has a broker - and I resent someone taking that away from me. I love Mat and UWM - but I can not allow someone to dictate who I do business with. I know that Rocket as a company is doing some things that could impact our industry years down the road. But so are lots of other companys - change is going to come to all aspects of real estate over the next 10 years. Real Estate agents all magically charge 6% - what other industry all charges the same price? Of course companies are looking to go after that and they will eventually succeed. As the mortgage technology we are all using to take apps, verify income and assets etc becomes better and better do you think there will be the same number of loan officers in America in 10 years? Or underwriters? I am sorry but if you think that that is naive. Technology drives speed and efficiency up and cost down and it will happen to us. That is a foregone conclusion whether Rocket participates or not. Fairway? I have no idea what they are doing besides recruiting loan officers - which is something that is part of our business. This feels to me like an instance where a young and dynamic leader had no one to pull him aside and tell him this was a bad idea. Is it legal? Is it using market size and model to limit competition? I don't know. I'm far from being a lawyer. Does it take away choices for my customer - and make us less of an option than we were yesterday? Yes - it does. Mat - there is nothing wrong with saying you were wrong and changing course. You are winning the wholesale battle already on your merits. Keep at it. Keep being innovative. Keep out-executing the competition. Add other products and services which you will most likely do better than than anyone else. Just don't dictate to us how to run our business because that is beneath you and UWM.