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Alta Home Lending grew from an 80-person team to 150 employees after founders Andrina and Manuel Valdes acquired Houston-based Republic State Mortgage Co. in April 2025. In an October 11, 2026, profile, the San Antonio Express-News described a strategy combining deliberate relationship-building inside the company with expansion into mortgage services for homebuilders.
Alta’s growth began with an acquisition
The Valdeses had worked together in the mortgage industry since 1998. Before launching Alta, they spent 20 years at another independent mortgage lender. Andrina Valdes told the Express-News they decided to leave after that company’s founder died and its culture began to change. They wanted to build a business where they could set the culture themselves.
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They launched Alta after acquiring Republic State Mortgage Co. in April 2025. The acquisition brought a team of 80, and Alta had 150 employees by the time of the Express-News report in October 2026. Those figures describe reported staffing at two points; they do not establish how much of the increase came from hiring versus other changes.
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In the profile, the Valdeses’ description of culture centers on personal connection and activities beyond everyday lending work. Andrina Valdes cited running half marathons, playing pickleball, holiday events and charitable opportunities. She said, “It’s really about people connecting on a personal level.”
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Michelle Gonzales, Alta’s executive director of growth strategy, described the team as family-like and said it had a “whatever-it-takes attitude.” These are the founders’ and an executive’s characterizations, not an independently measured assessment of employee experience. The report does not provide details about compensation, workload, retention or employee survey results that would allow a broader evaluation of workplace conditions.
Builder partnerships broadened the business
Alta’s business includes retail mortgage lending as well as creating or managing affiliated mortgage companies for homebuilders. The rationale described in the Express-News report is to give builders more control over buyers’ lending process and to diversify Alta’s sources of business in a difficult market.
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DRB Home Loans
In September 2026, Alta signed an agreement with San Antonio-based DRB Group for DRB Home Loans, which the report said would serve buyers in Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Manuel Valdes said, “We’re going to need to employ more people because of them.” The partnership and service-area details are time-sensitive and reflect the October 2026 report.
Legend Homes
The article also reported that Alta began working with Houston-based Legend Homes. It described Legend’s homes as energy-efficient and aimed at first-time buyers and families. The report did not specify a service area or provide lending terms for this relationship.
What the workplace recognition and growth forecast show
The Express-News reported that Alta appeared in the San Antonio-area Top Workplaces rankings for small employers for the first time. Energage conducted the survey on behalf of the newspaper. The profile does not provide the ranking methodology or detailed survey results, so the recognition should be understood within that stated scope rather than as a complete measure of workplace culture.
Andrina Valdes said Alta was “on pace to double again in the next 12 months.” That was a forecast made at the time of the October 2026 article, not a confirmed later result. The profile’s staffing figures, workplace recognition and partnership announcements are attributable to the newspaper’s reporting; they are not presented here as independently verified company filings.
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What the profile does—and does not—say for borrowers
The account explains Alta’s growth and how its leaders describe the company’s culture and business strategy. It does not compare mortgage rates, fees, loan products, approval standards or customer outcomes. Borrowers considering a lender would need current, individualized loan estimates and service information; the reported employee growth and workplace recognition alone do not establish whether a mortgage offer is competitive or suitable.
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