Be Better, People.

There’s a lot of “woe is me” schtick going on these days in the mortgage industry. It’s certainly easy to empathize with that: more than 80 percent of the market from two years ago has evaporated, and the remaining purchase business is difficult, especially with rates keeping to the high branches. But being a mortgage originator means, at heart, being an entrepreneur, a sales pro who finds ways to overcome obstacles. It’s good to remember that fortunes have often been forged in down markets.

There’s just something about the provocation of challenging times that inspires the human will. We see it in Olympians, in first responders, in warriors. It’s not just the crush of momentary defeat but the inspiration and drive to shake off the shackles of failure that propels some to do what others only dream about — or who complain that something can’t be done while others accomplish the very thing.

That’s why we’re fascinated by Mike Kortas, the founder and leader of NEXA Mortgage. In a very few short years, NEXA has grown to be the nation’s largest mortgage brokerage, boasting far more originators than any other industry player.

Is this because Kortas is an Ivy League-trained MBA-brandishing wunderkind? No. It’s because Kortas is a man who’s experienced homelessness, dropped out of high school, who’s faced life’s meanest challenges, and overcame all of that. He’s a man who’s invested in his own self-worth and turned that belief into action.

Kortas is over-the-top — he doesn’t filter his comments, he likes to show off the fruits of his success (such as his private plane), and he is both quietly confident and outspokenly brash. And he is forcing a change in the originator industry. His business plan is attracting more originators than anyone else, and he’s enticing those in the retail channel to migrate to the broker model. What he’s doing is working, and it’s making his competitors take notice.

That’s the beauty of entrepreneurship and the magic of competition. It makes everyone be better. It’s the opposite of moaning that “woe is me.” It’s the story of success.

STAFF

Vincent M. Valvo

CEO, PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Beverly Bolnick

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Christine Stuart

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

David Krechevsky

EDITOR

Keith Griffin

SENIOR EDITOR

Gary Rogo

SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR

Mary Quinn

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER

Erica Drzewiecki, Katie Jensen, Ryan Kingsley, Sarah Wolak

STAFF WRITERS

Rob Chrisman, Dave Hershman, Erica LaCentra, Harvey Mackay, Lew Sichelman, Mary Kay Scully

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Nicole Coughlin, Nichole Cakirca

ADVERTISING ASSOCIATES

Alison Valvo

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC GROWTH

Steven Winokur

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Julie Carmichael

PROJECT MANAGER

Meghan Hogan

DESIGN MANAGER

Stacy Murray, Christopher Wallace

GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGERS

Navindra Persaud

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS

William Valvo

UX DESIGN DIRECTOR

Andrew Berman

HEAD OF CUSTOMER OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT

Tigi Kuttamperoor, Matthew Mullins

MULTIMEDIA SPECIALISTS

Melissa Pianin

MARKETING & EVENTS ASSOCIATE

Kristie Woods-Lindig

ONLINE ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Joel Berman

FOUNDING PUBLISHER

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