SoFi managed to be one of only two housing finance-related companies on CNBC’s fifth annual Disrupter 50 list, with the other being DocuSign.
CNBC described its list as forward-thinking starts-ups that have identified unexploited niches in the marketplace and have the potential to become billion-dollar businesses.
Even HousingWire coverage over the years has spotlighted some of SoFi’s major initiatives since it expanded beyond only student loan refinancing, which is where it got its start.
One of its biggest initiatives came at the end of last year when the company announced a new loan option with Fannie Mae that allows homeowners to refinance their mortgage at a lower rate while including the balance of an existing student loan.
In light of making the list, CNBC’s Mad Money with Jim Cramer sat down with SoFi CEO Mike Cagney to talk about what’s made SoFi successful.
During the interview, Cramer threw out the idea that if Bank of America or Citi had the Internet when they were forming, this (the SoFi model) is what they would have started.
Cagney responded saying, “Absolutely. I think what’s going to happen is the banks are going to move toward our model over time. And we certainly don’t have the hubris to expect that we’re going to change all of banking, but we are going to drag them into a different kind of service model. And one that’s a lot more aligned to the customer."
And interestingly enough, Cramer wrapped up the end of the interview with a major compliment, stating that he wishes he started out with SoFi and if he was allowed to invest and start over, he would invest with them.
Watch the full interview below.
