Atlantic Coast Mortgage Brings a Builder-Side Veteran Into Its Leadership

Atlantic Coast Mortgage has appointed Keith Cross as senior vice president of builder relations, a move aimed at deepening the Fairfax, Virginia-based lender's ties with homebuilders across its network. Cross will focus on expanding partnerships with construction firms and creating new opportunities for collaboration, the company said Monday.

Cross joins ACM after more than a decade at Beazer Homes, where he held senior sales and operational leadership roles. His roughly 20-year career spans new home sales, real estate, sales leadership and builder operations, including leading sales teams, supporting the launch and sellout of new home developments, and strengthening lender relationships — the last of which maps directly onto his new job.

In the role, Cross will work with builder partners and with ACM's loan officers to expand builder-focused resources and business development. Jon Coy, the company's president and co-founder, said Cross's mix of builder experience and sales leadership should help ACM build stronger relationships and deliver a better financing experience for builders and their buyers.

ACM, founded in 2011, is licensed in 42 states and Washington, D.C., and operates 46 branches across the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest. The lender has produced $1.51 billion in volume across more than 3,600 units so far this year, according to Modexdata.

Advertisement

Why the Hire Signals a Deeper Push Into Builder Lending

The facts above come from the company's announcement; what follows is our reading of the move.

Why ACM Is Investing in a Builder-Lending Channel

Creating a dedicated senior role for builder relations signals that ACM views homebuilders as a strategic origination channel rather than a side activity. Builders want lenders who can deliver reliable financing for their buyers, and lenders want a steady stream of purchase borrowers; a senior executive whose sole remit is bridging the two suggests ACM intends to compete harder for that business. Cross's background matters here: a decade on the builder side at Beazer Homes gives him credibility when negotiating with construction firms that are used to being pitched by people who have never run a sales center.

The Scale Behind the Bet

ACM is a sizable private lender — licensed in 42 states plus D.C. with 46 branches and $1.51 billion in year-to-date volume across more than 3,600 units, per Modexdata. Its branch network spans the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest, regions where new-construction sales are a meaningful share of purchase activity. The appointment signals that the company wants its growth anchored in purchase and construction lending, with builder partnerships as the main vehicle for that growth.

What Builders in ACM's 42-State Footprint Should Expect

For builders working with — or considering — ACM financing:

  • ACM now has an executive whose stated remit is expanding builder-focused resources and business development. Builders in the lender's 42-state footprint should expect more proactive outreach and a clearer point of contact for partnership discussions.
  • Cross's decade at Beazer Homes means the lender's builder-facing work will be led by someone familiar with how builders run sales centers and launch developments — useful for builders navigating ACM's construction loan products and buyer financing.
  • Industry watchers can gauge whether the move changes ACM's business mix: the company's year-to-date $1.51 billion volume across 3,600-plus units, reported by Modexdata, is the baseline against which growth in the builder channel would show up in future disclosures.