Exclusive: Lower Hires Gino Fronti To Lead West Coast Mortgage Sales

Gino Fronti is switching companies. The high-producing loan officer announced this week that he’s leaving Paramount Residential Mortgage Group (PRMG) to affiliate with Lower.

Fronti, who’s based in Southern California, will head operations on the West Coast as an executive vice president for Ohio-based Lower. With a deep background in technology, he’ll add a second title as the company’s vice president of product for LOAI, the company’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered productivity suite for loan officers.

Roughly 25 members of Fronti’s team will be joining him at Lower, which has operated primarily in East Coast and Midwest states until this point.

“The reality of the matter is that they have a real big desire to grow on the West Coast and they haven’t had the right leadership to do so,” Fronti said in an exclusive interview with HousingWire.

“They’ve been on the hunt for somebody for quite some time and we’ve had multiple talks. I’ve hung out with them a few times and we seem to be in complete alignment as to what we’re trying to do together, where we see the vision of the mortgage industry in the next two to five years, what the future of the mortgage originator looks like.”

“Lower is building the number one homeownership platform for originators and consumers in the country. As we experience rapid growth and continue to expand our presence, Gino brings the leadership, vision, and expertise we need to expand our West Coast footprint,” Lower CEO and co-founder Dan Snyder said in a statement.

Fronti has been the Western regional manager for PRMG since November 2022. Prior to that, he served with several other companies in the mortgage and financial services sectors — including Finance of America, Skyline Financial Corp. and Cherry Creek Mortgage.

Fronti also serves as chief financial officer for sales and coaching platform Momentum Builder, which grew its footprint in November 2024 by acquiring Sales Mastery.

According to data from Modex, Lower has 525 licensed LOs operating across 69 branches, and it originated $3.66 billion in mortgages during the past 12 months.

Lower’s tech-driven consumer platform and its push to streamline the loan production process was a main draw for Fronti. One of his tasks is to “develop and execute on the strategic road map for loan officers to use AI,” which involves creating and using tools built by originators, not by tech people, he said.

Fronti pointed to Lower’s May 2025 acquisition of real estate portal Movoto as a signal that the company is serious about connecting with consumers earlier in their homebuying journey.

“Basically, there’s only one other company doing that — that’s Redfin, Rocket and Mr. Cooper,” Fronti said. “To have an IMB in the space make that kind of move tells me they’re forward thinking and leaning into the future.”

He echoed the thinking of other mortgage industry leaders by saying that “AI is not going to replace loan officers today.” Rather, Fronti believes it can enhance their skill set by communicating with clients through an often long and arduous process. He added that the problem isn’t tied to loan processing since his team can typically close in 15 days.

“From the moment that somebody gets curious about a home, it is the longest time cycle that we’ve ever seen between the time that they inquire and the time that they close — we’re seeing 18 to 24 months right now from lead to closing,” Fronti said.

“The amount of nurturing that takes is where AI can step in, to continuously nurture and give the consumer value on a regular basis and make them more sticky to our organization.”

“We’re pleased to welcome Gino as he steps in to lead our West Coast expansion and advance our technology initiatives at Lower,” said Nicholas Gallagher, EVP and chief production officer at Lower.

“In recent months, nearly $500 million in annual production has joined us in California, signaling strong market momentum and the value of our platform. Gino is uniquely suited to lead this next chapter, and we look forward to what we’ll accomplish together.”