About Athena
Athena (Athena AI Holdings Inc., NMLS #2771910) is a licensed, technology-driven mortgage lender. We refinance conventional mortgages with no origination or underwriting fees. No points required.* We use technology to cut the overhead that traditional banks pass on to borrowers, and pass the savings to homeowners.
Leadership.
Pete Amstutz.
President and Co-Founder
NMLS ID 2771958
Pete Amstutz is President and Co-Founder of Athena, a licensed mortgage lender that refinances conventional mortgages (Athena AI Holdings Inc.). He spent 22 years in banking before Athena, including thirteen at Navy Federal Credit Union, where he was Senior Vice President of Savings and Membership and earlier led mortgage innovation, capital markets and secondary marketing. He speaks to how a digital lender is built and priced, mortgage capital markets and secondary marketing, and what a lender's fees actually cover.
Laura Bowles.
Chief Financial Officer
Laura Bowles is Chief Financial Officer of Athena, a licensed mortgage lender focused on conventional refinancing (Athena AI Holdings Inc.). She has spent nearly 30 years in financial services, including eleven years as CFO of Movement Mortgage and earlier roles as Risk Executive over Bank of America's home loans business, CFO of Wachovia's General Banking Group products, and Director of consumer and small business lending products at Citibank. Charlotte Business Journal named her CFO of the Year and HousingWire named her a Woman of Influence, both in 2017. She speaks to refinance costs, loan pricing and how a lender's fee structure works.
Addie Bendory.
Founding Engineer
Addie Bendory is Founding Engineer at Athena, where he is building the company's AI-powered banking platform. He has more than 20 years of experience across software engineering, engineering leadership, fintech, and financial services. Before Athena, he led engineering teams at Blend and held engineering roles at Uber, JPMorgan Chase, and Motorola, working across consumer banking, lending, platform infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and large-scale financial systems. Addie is also an attorney with a background in intellectual property law, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective to AI, software, financial services, and regulation.
Our mission
Getting a mortgage has long been slow and expensive because so much of it is done by hand, with costs passed on to borrowers through higher rates and fees. Athena rebuilds that process with technology and automation so refinancing is faster, simpler, and fairer.
What we do
Athena offers conventional mortgage refinancing — including rate-and-term and cash-out refinances. We use AI and automation to evaluate your file against underwriting guidelines quickly and consistently, while remaining accountable for every lending decision.
How it works
- Check your eligibility. Answer a few questions and we run a soft credit check that doesn't affect your credit score.
- See your personalized rate. Get a real rate based on your credit profile, loan balance, and property.
- Close digitally. Move through a streamlined, digital-first process to close your new loan.
Where we're licensed
Athena is a licensed mortgage lender in a growing list of U.S. states. Availability and pricing vary by state — see our licensing page for the current list of states and the specific license held in each.
Why you can trust Athena
- A licensed mortgage lender. Athena AI Holdings Inc. is a licensed mortgage lender, NMLS #2771910. You can verify our licenses anytime through NMLS Consumer Access.
- Equal Housing Lender. Athena AI Holdings Inc. is an Equal Housing Lender. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, familial status, age, disability, because all or part of an applicant's income derives from a public assistance program, or because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.
- Regulated and accountable. We operate under the same federal and state mortgage regulations as any lender, including fair-lending and disclosure requirements, and we remain accountable for every lending decision.
Verify our licenses at NMLS Consumer Access, and see our licensing page for company information, state licenses, and how to raise a concern.
*Athena charges no origination or underwriting fee. The rate we quote requires no discount points; you may choose to buy your rate down for an additional charge. You'll still pay other closing costs — including tax service, appraisal, credit, title, recording, and interest from closing to your first payment. Your rate depends on credit, loan amount, LTV, DTI, and market conditions at lock.