BAC’s Brendan McKay: Rocket’s $10,000 pushback is a response to UWM’s ultimatum

# What happened

After renewed public attention at Rocket Pro's RPX event, Rocket offered a $10,000 incentive aimed at brokers who leave United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM). That incentive provoked strong reactions across the wholesale mortgage industry. Brendan McKay, chief advocacy officer for the Broker Action Coalition (BAC) and owner of McKay Mortgage, says the industry is focusing on the wrong issue. He argues the incentive is a symptom, not the illness.

# McKay's central point

He acknowledges the criticism leveled at Rocket for the $10,000 offer but compares Rocket's action to a defensive response against a dominant market player. His analogy treats UWM as the larger force reshaping market dynamics and Rocket's incentive as pushback aimed at restoring choice.

# Why this matters to brokers and borrowers

He also stresses broker loyalty is to their brokerage and clients, not to corporate brands. McKay points out his own firm has rotated its top lender year to year, which he presents as evidence that brokers routinely work with multiple wholesale partners based on market conditions and customer needs.

# What McKay wants to see

McKay wants the ultimatum ended. He predicts Rocket's promotion would disappear within a day of the ultimatum's removal, framing the incentive as a short-term measure tied to the conflict rather than a long-term strategy. He wants the broker community to move past the divisiveness the ultimatum created and to have access to a broader set of wholesale lenders.

# Outlook and tone

McKay expresses cautious optimism. He describes himself as an optimist who believes the situation can improve, and he expects a change in the current undercurrent of divisiveness within the broker community. He celebrates his brokerage's nearing 10-year milestone and uses his business history to argue that broker relationships with lenders have always shifted over time.

# Practical takeaways for brokers

• Evaluate lender relationships based on current pricing and service rather than perceived brand loyalty.
• Maintain multiple wholesale relationships to keep options for clients open in a shifting market.

# Bottom line

McKay frames Rocket's controversial $10,000 incentive as a reaction to a broader structural problem: UWM's ultimatum that restricts brokers' access to competing lenders. He urges brokers to resist forced polarization and to preserve flexibility so they can serve customers effectively in a competitive pricing environment.