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Media and Press

Samantha Shelton, Mortgage Expert, Speaker and Media Resource

Samantha Shelton is the Broker Owner and Senior Loan Originator of Align Lending, the independent mortgage brokerage she founded in Waterford, Michigan. She regularly provides commentary on homebuying, mortgage markets, the independent broker channel, consumer education and changes affecting borrowers.

On deadline? Reach Samantha directly. Written comment, phone or video.

Email samantha@alignlending.com Call 248-506-5727 Media request form
Samantha Shelton, Broker Owner and Senior Loan Originator, Align Lending

Available for expert commentary

Samantha provides clear, consumer-focused commentary on the following subjects.

  • Mortgage rates and what actually causes them to move
  • The Federal Reserve and mortgage-market expectations
  • First-time homebuyer affordability
  • Michigan housing and mortgage trends
  • FHA, VA and conventional financing
  • Down-payment assistance
  • Independent mortgage brokers and wholesale lending
  • Self-employed and nontraditional borrowers
  • Home equity and refinancing strategy
  • Consumer behavior in changing mortgage markets
  • Women in mortgage leadership
  • Technology and AI in mortgage lending

Quick facts

Everything a fact-checker needs in one place. License numbers link to the NMLS Consumer Access record.

Name
Samantha Shelton
Title
Broker Owner and Senior Loan Originator, Align Lending
NMLS
1647301
Company
Align Lending LLC, NMLS 2041154
Headquarters
Waterford, Michigan
Industry
Residential mortgage brokerage
Licensed in
Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Texas
Industry role
Director of Membership, Regional, Association of Independent Mortgage Experts

Awards and recognition

Each entry links to the award organization's own winner list or profile.

2025

Elite Women

Mortgage Professional America

Named to Mortgage Professional America's annual list of female leaders in the mortgage industry.

Primary winner list

2024

Rising Star

HousingWire

Recognized by HousingWire among the housing industry's rising leaders, with a dedicated winner profile.

Primary winner profile

2023

Women With Vision

Women With Vision

Named a Women With Vision honoree. The award year is corroborated by the HousingWire winner profile.

Primary winner list

Recent media

Selected coverage first, then the full archive of 61 verified placements, newest first. Each card carries the type of mention so nothing reads as more than it is. Quoted expert means Samantha is named in the article text. Quote reused means the article carries commentary she gave earlier. Social mention means her name appears in a publisher social post embedded in the article.

Selected coverage

Full archive

Showing all 61 placements

Archive verified 2026-10-17. The list is a deduplicated inventory of public URLs, not a count of separate interviews.

Speaking and interviews

Conference appearances, podcasts and industry events. Entries marked as listed come from an event page and are shown as scheduled rather than completed.

AIME Fuse 2025

November 2025

Annual conference for the independent broker channel. Named in event coverage as AIME Director of Membership, Regional.

Role Association leadershipAudience Independent mortgage brokers

AIME Podcast, Episode 169

August 2023

Personal branding, community relationships and growing a team

Role GuestAudience Independent mortgage brokers

AIME Ascent, Puerto Rico

Date not established

AIME event. Listed as a chief executive and mortgage broker.

Role Speaker listingAudience Independent mortgage brokersListed, participation not confirmed

AIME Fuse 2026

2026

Annual conference for the independent broker channel. Listed as Director of Membership, Regional.

Role Speaker listingAudience Independent mortgage brokersListed, participation not confirmed

Industry leadership

  • Director of Membership, Regional, Association of Independent Mortgage Experts Source
  • Committee member, AIME Women's Mortgage Network Source

Need a mortgage expert for a story?

Journalists and producers can contact Samantha for deadline-driven commentary on mortgage lending, housing, affordability and the Michigan market.

Preferred format

Requests reach Samantha directly. For same-day deadlines, call rather than send a form.

Direct contact: samantha@alignlending.com or 248-506-5727. Office at 2625 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI 48328.

Media assets

Approved images. The bios, boilerplate and licensing text are in Bios and boilerplate below. Anything marked on request is released by return email.

Office portrait, standing

Standing at the Align Lending office, company sign visible. 1707 by 2560.

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More images

Further portraits, including horizontal crops for a wider layout.

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Align Lending logo

Primary logo, transparent PNG. Ask for a vector file if you need one.

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Bios and boilerplate

Copy these as written. They are the approved descriptions.

Short bio, 50 words

Samantha Shelton is the Broker Owner and Senior Loan Originator of Align Lending, the independent residential mortgage brokerage she founded in Waterford, Michigan. She is known for consumer education, local market expertise and advocacy for the independent mortgage broker channel.

Extended bio, 100 words

Samantha Shelton is the Broker Owner and Senior Loan Originator of Align Lending, the independent mortgage brokerage she founded in Waterford, Michigan. Licensed as NMLS 1647301, she built it around consumer education, local market expertise and advocacy for the independent mortgage broker channel. She serves as Director of Membership, Regional, for the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts and sits on its Women's Mortgage Network committee. Her recognitions include Mortgage Professional America's 2025 Elite Women, HousingWire's 2024 Rising Star, the 2024 Hall of AIME and a 2023 Women With Vision award. She comments regularly on mortgage rates, affordability and Michigan housing.

Company boilerplate

Align Lending LLC (NMLS 2041154) is an independent mortgage broker in Waterford, Michigan, founded in 2020 by owner Samantha Shelton (NMLS 1647301), a former stay-at-home mom who opened the business as a one-woman shop. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, the brokerage compares purchase, refinance and home equity loans from multiple wholesale lenders, and it publishes free Michigan housing research from public records, including an annual study of property tax uncapping.

Licensing information

Samantha Shelton, individual NMLS 1647301. Align Lending LLC, company NMLS 2041154. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Texas. Office at 2625 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI 48328. License records are verifiable through NMLS Consumer Access.

Verify NMLS 1647301    Verify NMLS 2041154    Full biography

Align Lending LLC, NMLS 2041154. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. 2625 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI 48328. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Texas.

This page is a media resource. It is not an advertisement for a specific credit product, an offer or commitment to lend, and nothing on it is a rate quote. All loans are subject to credit approval, and terms and programs are subject to change.

Coverage links point to the original publishers. Headlines are reproduced as published. Align Lending does not control and is not responsible for third-party content.

Equal Housing Opportunity

Archive verified 2026-10-17. Page built 2026-10-24.

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