About Rick Arvielo

Rick Arvielo is a business visionary, leader, and the Co-Founder and CEO of New American Funding. Rick is an entrepreneur at heart, constantly seeking to build, grow, create, and disrupt. Rick has been the driving force in growing New American Funding from a small California company to a nationwide mortgage powerhouse that has earned the admiration of the industry.

Raised in Palm Springs, California, Rick grew up in a family environment embracing honesty, creativity, and industriousness. He was encouraged to appreciate science, volunteer in the community, and participate in sports. As he grew up, Rick discovered that he had a competitive drive and entrepreneurial spirit that would guide him for the rest of his life. That spirit led him to open his own car valet business at just 16 years old.

He later launched his second business, Paradon Industries, where he focused on marketing techniques and the myriad of advantages gained by infusing technology into the business model. Before selling the business, Rick built the company into the largest affinity check printer in the U.S.

Rick’s career then took him to the mortgage industry, as he began working with an independent mortgage broker in 2001. Rick quickly increased the small broker shop's business and gained experience with the intricacies of mortgage operations. Identifying many areas in need of improvement, Rick began developing systems to remove inefficiencies in the mortgage process by automating repetitive, time-consuming functions.

He soon founded Broker Solutions, Inc., a business created to provide optimization services to mortgage lenders. Sensing the opportunity to affect positive change in the mortgage industry, Rick and his wife Patty established their own mortgage company, New American Funding, in 2003.

The company began as a 40-employee call center focused solely on refinances. In 2011, Rick introduced purchase transactions to the company’s operations, and in 2012, New American Funding opened their first branch. The company’s retail division has since exploded and now has 232 branches nationwide.

In 20 years, Rick has transformed New American Funding from those modest beginnings into one of the top mortgage companies in the U.S., one with more than 4,195 employees and a servicing portfolio of more than 259,635 loans for $68.1 billion.

New American Funding’s agile business model is responsive to customer needs and proven to be less affected by market fluctuations thanks to Rick’s determination to weave technology and compassion into the company's infrastructure and operations. Throughout its history, NAF has operated under Rick’s vision of creating a next-generation mortgage company that focuses on developing and implementing cutting-edge technology to ease the mortgage process for all parties involved, creating an industry-leading marketing operation to build a broad and constantly expanding customer base, and providing unparalleled service to each of the company’s customers at every step of the mortgage process.

Under Rick’s leadership, the mortgage company has evolved into a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae direct lender, seller, and servicer, with call center, distributed retail, and builder divisions.

With no major mergers or acquisitions, Rick and Patty have retained the family-owned business culture that set New American Funding apart from other lenders since day one. Rick’s entrepreneurial style resonates throughout the company and attracts like-minded individuals who embrace a spirit of ingenuity, listen more than they instruct, and cooperate more than they direct.

Perhaps even more impressive than Rick’s accolades, corporate leadership, and accomplishments is his leadership in the industry. He is involved in several member associations that play a vital role in the current and future states of mortgage finance.

On a national level, Rick frequently lobbies on behalf of the industry to federal policymakers. He was Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association Political Action Committee in 2017 and 2018.

He also previously sat on the Board of Directors for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), has held a seat at the MBA’s Residential Board of Governors, and previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the California Mortgage Bankers Association. Rick currently serves in an elected position on the steering committee for the Mortgage Action Alliance Committee.

Rick’s involvement with these associations comes from his passion for making a positive impact on the industry for future generations.

Honored by Ernst and Young as the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of The Year® Orange County, recognized by the Orange County Business Journal with the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, and ranked among Mortgage Executive Magazine's 100 Most Influential Mortgage Executives, Rick is a leader in the mortgage industry.

In 2020, the American Business Awards honored Rick with a Gold Stevie® Award for Maverick of the Year in Financial Services, Mortgage Professional America recognized Rick as 2018 Hot 100, and Ernst & Young recognized Rick as 2016 EY Entrepreneur of The Year® Orange County.

Today, Rick leads New American Funding’s 232 locations nationwide with the goal of providing unparalleled service and mortgages at competitive rates, helping individuals and families fulfill the American dream of owning a home.