Plain numbers from a licensed lender.
HELOCHQ helps homeowners decide what to do with their equity: pay off debt, renovate, or borrow without refinancing a low mortgage. The tools are free and work without signing up.
Who is Shawn Way?
Shawn Way is a HELOC specialist and Senior Vice President at West Capital Lending (NMLS #1007298) who has worked in mortgage lending since 2012. Since February 2023 he has funded $221 million across 740 loans, and he leads The Masters, a team of more than 200 loan officers. He is rated 4.9/5 from 111 verified reviews on Experience.com.
Shawn Way
Shawn Way, Senior Vice President, West Capital Lending. NMLS #1007298 · California DRE #01853928.
Shawn Way is a HELOC specialist who has been in mortgage lending since 2012. He spent ten years at loanDepot, first as a top-ranked loan officer who personally funded more than 1,000 mortgages, then as a production manager leading more than 100 loan officers. Since 2023 he has been a Senior Vice President at West Capital Lending, where he leads The Masters, a team of more than 200 loan officers and the company's #1 team in 2025. His approach is simple: show the options side by side with real numbers, including the tradeoffs.
Rated 4.9/5 from 111 verified reviews on Experience.com.
meetshawnway.com · Instagram · LinkedIn · Facebook · YouTube · West Capital Lending profile
Where his borrowers are
Shawn has 111 verified reviews on Experience.com, rated 4.9 out of 5. Borrowers who list their location span the country:
| State | Reviews | Average |
|---|---|---|
| California | 22 | 4.94 |
| Florida | 9 | 4.75 |
| Michigan | 6 | 4.96 |
| Iowa | 3 | 4.83 |
| Maryland | 3 | 5.00 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 5.00 |
| Oregon | 3 | 4.92 |
| Colorado | 2 | 4.62 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 5.00 |
| Ohio | 2 | 4.88 |
| Texas | 2 | 5.00 |
| Utah | 2 | 5.00 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 5.00 |
| Alabama | 1 | 4.75 |
| Arizona | 1 | 5.00 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 5.00 |
| Kansas | 1 | 5.00 |
| Missouri | 1 | 5.00 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 5.00 |
| Virginia | 1 | 5.00 |
| Washington | 1 | 5.00 |
69 of Shawn's 109 Experience.com reviews list the borrower's location; this table counts those. 94% of all reviews are 5 stars. See every review.
What Shawn offers that many lenders don't
- Approved in minutes, signed the same day. When the home qualifies for an automated valuation and income can be verified electronically, Shawn can have a HELOC approved in as few as five minutes. With a mobile notary, you can sign the same day. On a primary home, federal law then gives you three business days to cancel, so funds are released after that window closes, usually about four business days after signing. That's the best case, not a promise: title, income documents and state rules can add time.
- Automated valuations. Most of Shawn's HELOCs are valued with an automated valuation model (AVM) rather than a full appraisal, so there's usually no appraiser visit to schedule.
- Low value from another lender? If another lender's automated value came in too low, Shawn can dispute it. Send recent comparable sales and a list of improvements, and he'll request a review. A higher value can mean a larger line.
- Recasting. Shawn can recast HELOCs and home equity loans. After you pay down a large amount, the payment is recalculated on the lower balance over the remaining term, so it drops without refinancing. Recast rules and any fee depend on the lender.
- Bank-statement HELOCs. Shawn offers bank-statement HELOCs for self-employed borrowers. Income is figured from 12 or 24 months of bank deposits instead of tax returns, which helps when write-offs make taxable income look low. Rates are usually higher than on a full-documentation HELOC.
- Piggyback HELOCs. Shawn does piggyback HELOCs on purchases: a first mortgage at 80% of the price, a HELOC for 10% and 10% down. Keeping the first mortgage at 80% avoids mortgage insurance, and you can pay the HELOC down when you have the cash.
- Listed homes. Shawn has HELOC programs that can open a line on a home that's already listed for sale. Tell him it's listed up front so he matches you with the right program.
- Rental properties. Shawn has HELOC programs for investment properties, including bank-statement income options, so a bank's no on a rental isn't the final answer.
- Fixed-rate HELOCs. Shawn offers fixed-rate HELOCs as well as variable lines, so the amount you take at closing has a fixed rate and payment instead of riding the prime rate. Later redraws are priced at the rate on the day you take them.
- Higher of two scores. When two people apply together, Shawn has HELOC programs that price on the higher of the two credit scores, where most lenders use the lower one.
- Both incomes count. Shawn's HELOCs can count the income of both people in the household who apply, which helps when one income alone doesn't fit the debt-to-income limit.
- Lines up to $1,000,000. Shawn's HELOC programs go up to $1,000,000, well above the $250,000–$500,000 cap at many banks, for high-value homes and big projects.
- HELOC in first position. Shawn can place a HELOC in first position, either on a paid-off home or by paying off a small remaining mortgage, which usually brings better pricing than a second lien.
Career
Senior Vice President; leads The Masters team, West Capital Lending Feb 2023 – present
- Manages more than 200 loan officers on The Masters team
- $221 million funded across 740 loans through October 2026
- 239 loans funded in 2026 so far, his most in any year
- The Masters ranked #1 team at West Capital Lending in 2025
Production Manager, loanDepot Dec 2018 – Jan 2023
- Managed more than 100 loan officers
- Managed teams that funded more than $3.5 billion
- Multiple #1 Manager awards; Chairman's Elite Manager year over year
Executive Licensed Lending Officer, loanDepot Dec 2012 – Dec 2018
- Personally funded more than 1,000 purchase and refinance mortgages
- Chairman's Elite Award, 2017 and 2018; Top Customer Satisfaction Award, Q2 2018
- Ranked as high as 3rd in California and 4th nationally in monthly production, 2017–2018
- Executive Licensed Lending Officer (top 10%), 2015–2018
Funding at West Capital Lending
Since February 2023, Shawn has funded $221 million across 740 loans. In 2026 he has already funded 239 loans, his most in a single year, with two months still to go.
| Year | Funded volume | Loans |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 (Feb–Dec) | $31,830,036 | 109 |
| 2024 | $64,071,822 | 206 |
| 2025 | $67,022,844 | 186 |
| 2026 (Jan–Oct) | $58,121,729 | 239 |
| Total | $221,046,431 | 740 |
Loans funded by Shawn Way at West Capital Lending since February 2023, through October 2026.
Awards and recognition
Shawn has been named a West Capital Lending Top Producer 17 times since August 2024, with 13 top-10 finishes company-wide, including #2 in August 2024, #3 in August 2025 and #3 in June 2026.
- Loan Officer of the Year, 2026 (TAG)
- West Capital Lending #1 team, The Masters: 2024 and 2025
- West Capital Lending top originators by funded units: #2 in 2023 and #3 in 2024
- West Capital Lending Top Vice President for most recruits credited, 2024
- West Capital Lending Top Producer, 2023
- Top Loan Officer in California by funded volume, West Capital Lending, March 2026
- One West Cap Award, West Capital Lending, 2025
- Rocket Pro TPO Top Loan Officer, 2025
- Rocket Pro TPO 2023: Top Loan Officer, Top VA Loan Officer, Top FHA Loan Officer, Top Refinance Loan Officer, Correspondent Top 25 Loan Officer and Correspondent Top Refinance Loan Officer
- Rocket Pro 2024: Top VA Loan Officer, Top 50 Loan Officer and Top Refi Loan Officer
- loanDepot Chairman's Elite Club: as a loan officer (2018), core sales manager (2020) and production manager (2021)
- loanDepot Top Sales Team with The Masters: September 2020, January 2021, February 2021 and June 2022
- loanDepot FBR Customer Satisfaction Award, second quarter 2018
Leading The Masters
Shawn leads The Masters, a team of more than 200 loan officers and the #1 team at West Capital Lending in 2025. Its loan officers funded $1.65 billion across 7,319 loans in 2025. Every loan below was funded by a loan officer on his team, Shawn included.
| Year | Team funded volume | Loans | Loan officers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $158,913,913 | 714 | 46 |
| 2024 | $721,234,762 | 2,977 | 100 |
| 2025 | $1,646,321,209 | 7,319 | 172 |
| 2026 (Jan–Oct) | $1,544,763,276 | 6,892 | 214 |
| Total | $4,071,233,160 | 17,902 |
Loans funded by loan officers on Shawn Way's team at West Capital Lending, from the team's funding report. 2026 runs through October 23.
The team's HELOCs are the data behind the HELOCHQ HELOC Report.
Interviews
Shawn on how he built the team, and the systems behind it. The host, Jide Buckley, is a West Capital Lending colleague.
The Unfiltered Blueprint Behind a Billion-Dollar Mortgage Team | Shawn Way
Jide Buckley on YouTube · October 10, 2025
This System Is Creating Some of the BEST Loan Officers in the Country
Jide Buckley on YouTube · May 6, 2026
What borrowers say
From Shawn's 109 verified reviews on Experience.com (rated 4.93 out of 5 as of October 28, 2026), summarized:
- Todd B. (May 2023) said he had used Shawn for several transactions.
- Jessica W. (May 2023) said she never felt pushed toward a product she didn't want.
- Evan R. (July 2023) said Shawn built him a spreadsheet that helped him decide.
- Nicholas L. (November 2023) said he had worked with Shawn for more than ten years.
- Haley C. (May 2024) described realistic answers, no pressure and time to weigh her options.
- Natalie B. (May 2024) credited Shawn and his team with finding solutions when her loan hit complications.
- Ashish K. (September 2024) described clear explanations and transparency throughout.
- Carl H. (February 2025) said the numbers he was quoted held up.
- Mark O. (March 2026) was referred to Shawn by his daughter.
- Jon D. (August 2026) praised his HELOC's pricing and how quickly it funded.
- Olivia B. (August 2026) said she felt informed and that Shawn had her interests in mind.
- John R. (October 2026) said the team followed up with him a year after closing.
Individual experiences, not a promise of results. Read every review, including the critical ones, on Experience.com.
In the press
Earlier recognition
In 2012, his venture Tank Skinz won first place in Cal State Fullerton's Business Plan Competition, and placed second runner-up for the university's Fast.Start.studio incubator tuition awards. Source.
In 2014, Cal State Fullerton invited him back to judge the same competition, and listed him as a Senior Mortgage Banker at loanDepot. Source.
Check his record yourself
Shawn's licenses, reviews and professional profiles, on outside sites:
- NMLS Consumer Access (mortgage licenses by state)
- California DRE license lookup (#01853928)
- Experience.com reviews
- Zillow lender profile
- Rocket Pro Broker Near Me directory
- West Capital Lending team page
West Capital Lending, Inc. is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating (accredited since April 2021); that rating is for the company, not Shawn personally. BBB profile.
More than 180 lenders
Shawn has access to more than 180 lenders: banks, home equity specialists, and non-QM and portfolio lenders for self-employed borrowers, investors and hard-to-finance properties. One application can be priced across many of them. Loan programs.
How we make money
HELOCHQ is owned and operated by Shawn Way (NMLS #1007298). Loans are made through West Capital Lending, Inc. (NMLS #1566096), the licensed mortgage company where Shawn is a Senior Vice President. When you ask for a quote, Shawn and his team work on your request, and he's paid if you close a loan. That's why every page shows the risks along with the savings: a loan that hurts you is bad business for us too.
Licensing
Licensed in 36 states and DC. Verify on NMLS Consumer Access. Full state list.
Contact
Phone (949) 569-7019 · 17911 Von Karman Ave, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92614