Publicly traded lender Guild Mortgage’s parent company, Bayview Asset Management, and a servicing-related affiliate are in talks about a potential deal. One possible outcome is “the acquisition of all the common stock.” The proposed transaction could be part of a broader trend toward increased convergence between lenders and servicers epitomized by Rocket Mortgage’s plans to buy servicing giant Mr. Cooper. But while Mr. Cooper and Rocket have formally signed an acquisition agreement, Bayview, its servicing affiliate and Guild Holdings said there is no guarantee they will reach a deal. Other potential transactions Bayview and Guild said they have discussed include “asset purchases or other business combinations.” The two also said “a significant minority investment” is possible. Bayview currently holds a 7.3% stake in Guild’s class A common stock. It has less than 1% of the total voting power of Guild’s outstanding common shares. Guild said confirming core details of the securities filing by Bayview and its MSR Opportunity Master Fund that it “will not comment on speculation regarding any potential transaction or its terms.” Given the current composition of the market and rate conditions, some lenders perceive servicing as essential to retaining customers and generating new loans, which may be driving some of the deals between companies with servicing affiliates and lenders.