NMP National Mortgage Professional Dec 2021 by ambizmedia

DECEMBER 2021

nmp

Volume 13, Issue 12

40 TO THE TOP NMP’s Annual Honors For

UPCOMING LEADERS

ENERGIZE

Your Production With Green Mortgages Making The Most Of

THE NEW YEAR

HOW TO BECOME A Benchmark

BACK COVER

PARTNER WITH THE LEADER IN NON-QM MORTGAGE LENDING MORE EXPERTISE | MORE SERVICE | MORE TECHNOLOGY

Visit AngelOakMS.com | 877.926.3073 ©Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions LLC NMLS #1160240, Corporate office, 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA, 30328. This communication is sent only by Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions LLC and is not intended to imply that any of our loan products will be offered by or in conjunction with HUD, FHA, VA, the U.S. government or any federal, state or local governmental body. This is a business-tobusiness communication and is intended for licensed mortgage professionals only and is not intended to be distributed to the consumer or the general public. Each application is reviewed independently for approval and not all applicants will qualify for the program. Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions LLC is an Equal Opportunity Lender and does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, other classifications protected under Fair Housing Act of 1968. MS_A252_1220

nmp

DECEMBER 2021

FRONT COVER

Volume 13, Issue 12

40 TO THE TOP NMP’s Annual Honors For

UPCOMING LEADERS

ENERGIZE

Your Production With Green Mortgages Making The Most Of

THE NEW YEAR HOW TO BECOME A Benchmark

| NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2021

Volume 13 Number 12

CONTENTS

nationalmortgageprofessional.com

4 Kinder & Better It’s the season to reflect on how we can improve our lives, and those of others. Let’s start by being kinder to our colleagues.

15 Build-A-Broker: The First Brand Is Your Brand A conversation with a personal brand expert on how to set yourself apart.

6 In Or Out? Should commissioned loan originators have a production standard that they’re held to?

18 My First Million: Talk To Me Talking to yourself? It’s not abnormal, it’s a great focusing tool.

8 Zone In On A Better Year As you look toward New Year’s Resolutions, push yourself out of your comfort zone.

20 The Lessons You Learned This Year Take stock of your accomplishments, your obstacles and your observations from 2021 to make sure you’re set up for success in 2022.

10 Put Some Energy Into Your Production Energized loan originators can ratchet up closings by paying attention to new Green Mortgages. 13 People On The Move See who the movers and shakers are in the mortgage industry.

COVER STORY PAGE 24 NMP MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE

24 COVER STORY: The 2021 40-Under-40 NMP takes stock of the next generation of mortgage leaders to watch.

43 OriginatorTech Directory

47 Wholesaler Directory

45 DataBank

50 Facebook Thoughts: AKA, ‘The Ho-HoHolidays.”

39 Non QM Showcase

ENERGIZE YOUR PRODUCTION WITH

GREEN MORTGAGES PAGE 10

nationalmortgageprofessional.com

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

DECEMBER 2021

nmp

Volume 13, Issue 12

40 TO THE TOP

ENERGIZE

Your Production With Green Mortgages Making The Most Of

THE NEW YEAR

NMP’s Annual Honors For

UPCOMING LEADERS

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

HOW TO BECOME A Benchmark

Volume 13, Number 12

STAFF CEO, PUBLISHER & EDITOR Vincent M. Valvo

Give Us A Jingle

ll those holiday songs. All those decorations, and cards and well wishes. It’s enough to make someone question whether we’ve been doing it right the other 11 months of the year.

Maybe we haven’t. We’d love to report that the mortgage origination

community is a big happy family. But it’s not. Some experienced originators gleefully dismiss newbies. Association leaders act like frat boys. Some industry executives keep trying to divide the community. And a cadre of brokers seem to delight in casting shade on other industry players.

DAYS OF LIGHT For much of the year, we often see the bad things plaguing this profession. But this is the season to see the good. We love seeing new originators celebrating their success in having gained a license and started down the road of a new career. We love to see innovation springing up across the competitive landscape. We love to see originators who know that no one “owns” a customer, and that the only people “owed” repeat business are the ones who’ve continued to work to deserve it. If the jingle of a bell means that an angel has earned its wings, then in a season of jing-jing-jing-a-ling, the good actors of our industry are surely spending the holidays knowing they’ve helped bring a community together. They’ve spent their energies wowing their clients, rather than trashing their competitors. And they’ve given homebuyers the gift of the right loan at the right time. We’ll toast those people this year. And we’ll take the sound of jingles any day over the drumbeats of negativism.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Beverly Bolnick EDITOR David Krechevsky SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Keith Griffin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lew Sichelman, Erica LaCentra, Harvey Mackay, Nick Roberson, Mary Kay Scully STAFF WRITER Katie Jensen DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC GROWTH Alison Valvo GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER Christopher Wallace MARKETING MANAGER Michael Castro GRAPHIC DESIGNER Stacy Murray USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER Billy Valvo ONLINE CONTENT DIRECTOR Navindra Persaud MARKETING & EVENTS ASSOCIATE Melissa Pianin HEAD OF ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH Andrew Berman FOUNDING PUBLISHER Joel Berman

Submit your news to editorial@ambizmedia.com If you would like additional copies of National Mortgage Professional Call (860) 719-1991 or email info@ambizmedia.com

www.ambizmedia.com

VIN CE N T M. VALVO Publisher, Editor & CEO

| NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE

© 2021 American Business Media LLC All rights reserved. National Mortgage Professional magazine is a trademark of American Business Media LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Advertising, editorial and production inquiries should be directed to: American Business Media LLC 345 North Main St., Suite 313 West Hartford, CT 06117 Phone: (860) 719-1991 info@ambizmedia.com

Congratulations

WHITWHIT McCARTHY WHIT McCARTHY McCARTHY SVP, Correspondent Lending | CIVIC Financial Services SVP,Correspondent CorrespondentLending Lending | | CIVIC CIVICFinancial FinancialServices Services SVP, For being named one of the

40 MOST INFLUENTIAL For being named one of the MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

40 MOST INFLUENTIAL UNDER 40! MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS UNDER 40!

Whit has been with CIVIC from day one, evolving from a Top Originator to Executive Leader. He has been pivotal to sales growth, overseeing and developing a sales team that has funded over $6 billion. He has had a hand in training, operational growth, product development, technology oversight, and culture – intentionally creating an esteemed culture by design. Now serving as CIVIC’s SVP of Correspondent Lending, Whit is partnering with other lenders as a trusted capital provider. To learn more about Whit and the CIVIC Team, visit civicfs.com.

© 2021 Civic Financial Services All Rights Reserved. This is not a commitment to lend. Restrictions may apply. LTV limit is based on current, accurate appraised value. Civic Financial Services, LLC reserves the right to amend rates and guidelines. All loans are made in compliance with Federal, State, and Local laws. Civic Financial Services, LLC is a California Finance Lender under NMLS 1099109 and the California Department of Business Oversight License #603L321, AZ Mortgage Broker License #092863, FL Mortgage Lender Servicer License #MLD1536, ID Mortgage Broker/Lender License #MBL-9610, NV Mortgage License MB4419, NV Broker License #4443, NV NMLS ID #1410002, OR Mortgage Lending License #ML-5282, UT DRE Mortgage Entity License #10570639. Civic Financial Services, LLC is an equal opportunity lender.

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

AVE HERSHMAN

RECRUITING, TRAINING AND MENTORING CORNER

You’re Known By The Standards You Set BY DAVE HERSHMAN | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

n the development of developing a company or branch culture, we must start by setting your expectations. These expectations will many times take the form of standards. The standards of your branch or company will be a reflection of your expectations. In addition, they set the stage for effective coaching and monitoring—two topics that we focus upon in our leadership course.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STANDARD? It is more likely that the branch or company will have a productivity standard than any other standard. For loan officers this may include volume, number of loans or gross revenue produced per month, quarter and/or on a yearly basis. For a processor or closer, it may be the number of files that go to closing each month. We will address the question mark after the above caption in a few moments. First, let’s address a very central question— For commissioned loan officers, should there be a production standard? Some would argue that a loan officer on 100% commission that is not using a desk and is not being provided with benefits, costs the branch nothing. Therefore, any loan brought in is an additional revenue source without adding to the expenses significantly. In reality, you cannot take a look at

the costs in monetary terms. The loan officer, especially if they are less productive, will use resources of the branch—from processing to the manager’s time. There are a limited number of resources and the use of these by a low-level producer may preclude the use of resources for other important tasks such as recruiting. It could also be argued that less productive loan officers use a disproportionate amount of the company’s resources in this regard. Another issue is the development of a company culture or atmosphere. Top producers tend to want to participate in an environment in which they are challenged. It is hard to be challenged by those producing one loan each quarter. That is why very productive branches tend to get stronger. And these branches are likely to have significant production standards.

WHAT COULD BE MORE SIGNIFICANT? Back to the question mark. What could be more significant than production standards? Believe it or not, there are many standards that are just as important, if not more important. For example— · Standards for quality. Loan officers that hand in files that are incomplete use up a greater amount of company resources per loans closed. This is especially true if the fallout ratio is high. If the company is constantly processing “air”—then it will be hard to be profitable. · Standards for ethics. It does not do good to produce many loans and then lose your license or perhaps be suspended by a lender.

STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR A good example of a behavior standard would be attendance at sales meetings. Are they to be mandatory? You might point out that 1099 originators can’t be required to attend meetings because they are independent contractors.

You will note that the vast majority of Realtors are also a 1099 status. Yet, you will see that in some offices the vast majority don’t attend the meetings and in other offices, the vast majority do attend the meetings. Making the meeting mandatory is not the issue. The issues are— · Did you set the expectations of attendance at the time of hiring? · Did you hire the right people? Successful people do the right things and that includes attending meetings that will help in their success. · Are the meetings helping them and are they interesting? The best people will quickly recognize that poor meetings are a waste of their time. · Are these meetings imbedded in the culture? Are they held regularly? Are there rewards given out for those who participate in the meetings? Of course, meetings do not comprise the only standards of behavior. How are the employees to dress? Is the office business casual or suits? Can they come in any way they please, even if there are clients being serviced in the office? It may be disconcerting for a loan officer to meet with a top client and other originators are walking around in cut-off shorts.

THE KEY IS COMMUNICATION It does not help to set standards if they are not communicated, especially upfront. You do not want a loan officer informed of a behavioral standard only after they violate that standard. This issue should be covered as part of the hiring and orientation process. And communication “up-front” is not the only issue. Communication of these standards must be continuous. These standards will only be ingrained into the culture if they are reinforced on a regular basis.

Dave Hershman, senior vice-president of sales for Weichert Financial Services.

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

RICA LACENTRA

THE XX FACTOR

Setting Professional Resolutions in the New Year BY ERICA LACENTRA | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

ith 2022 looming on the horizon and planning for the coming year already well underway, it is inevitable that you will want to spend time reflecting on both the positives and negatives of the past year. As with the close of any year, this reflection is typically what drives people to create New Year’s resolutions. While many focus on personal resolutions such as getting more exercise, eating healthier, reading more books, etc., professional resolutions are often not even in the mix for consideration. People may think company-established goals for the New Year will suffice, and, don’t get me wrong, company goals are important. They set expectations and allow the company to plan out appropriate initiatives to be able to reach those goals, but that doesn’t cover things on an individual level. Just like most people wouldn’t leave their personal ob-

tives in someone else’s hands, why would professional objectives be any different? If new year’s resolutions haven’t yet crossed your mind, why not use 2022 as an opportunity to better yourself both personally and professionally? If you’re not sure where to start, here are some professional resolutions you might want to consider.

PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR CUSTOMERS One of the biggest pitfalls that companies fall into while developing new programs and products is creating something based on what they think customers want. Meanwhile, no one ever took the time to find out if that matches up with what their customers actually want. The easiest way to figure out what will draw new customers and retain existing customers is to simply ask them. Show some extra initiative and start the New Year off with a customer satisfaction survey for your clients. It doesn’t even have to be anything complicated and can focus on basics such as: • “What did I do well/poorly this past year when working with you?” • “Why did you originally choose to work with our company and did we meet your expectations?” • “What could I do to make your experience better in 2022?” • “What new products/services could we offer that would be beneficial to you?”

jec-

Surveys can provide valuable insight into new products or programs that should be considered in the coming year. They can also help shine a light on issues that you may not have known existed. This will allow you to

develop a plan to tackle parts of your job or company that need immediate attention. Most importantly, surveys show your customers that they matter to your business and their opinions are valued. It keeps the dialogue with your clients open and adds another layer of good customer service.

SCOPE OUT YOUR COMPETITION When was the last time you compared your work to a peer’s, either a co-worker or someone that has a similar role to you within the industry? Most likely it was sometime recently. Why? Because it can often be difficult to see faults in your work when you are so heavily invested or so close to a project. Over time, it can be easy to get into a professional rut. You develop a case of work blinders where you get into a routine and stop looking for how you can do your job better. While it may seem like a case of “if it isn’t broken, why fix it?” this is often when competitors can swoop in and outperform you. Much like the first resolution, scoping out your competition comes down to the importance of getting an outside perspective to determine how you can step up your game. Be your own harshest critic and compare what you are doing with other big players in your space. The best case (read highly improbable) scenario is that there is absolutely nothing you could improve upon and everything stays status quo. However, it is more likely that you can identify several areas that need improvement and plan out what adjustments are needed in the New Year. In this industry, competition isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so why not start using it to your advantage?

GO BACK TO BASICS The truth is technology can’t do it all and sometimes the best way to improve professionally is by going back to the basics of good business. Every innovative new idea isn’t always going to play out as you had hoped and sometimes less is more. It is important to remember the fundamentals while you’re launching new initiatives in the New Year. If you were meeting with a client that only spoke Spanish, you wouldn’t speak to him in English and hope he understood what you were saying. Good communication is key and the way you communicate matters. Be straightforward and transparent with your customers. You never want to surprise people at the last minute because you tiptoed around an important detail or neglected to tell them in the first place. It is also important to be available to your customers through numerous channels of communication (email, phone, video calls, face-to-face meetings, etc.). Allow people to connect with you in the method they are most comfortable with. If you were to use email as your sole method of communication because you felt it is more convenient, most customers wouldn’t mind. However, it isn’t worth losing out on customers that prefer to have their questions answered over the phone or face-to-face just to save some time. This leads to another basic but often overlooked concept. Customer service is key. The bottom line is, people are often willing to pay more for great customer

service. So never forget the importance of treating your customers right. Also keep in mind that if there is one thing that people remember more than great customer service, it’s awful customer service. People may forget to leave a positive review when they have a good experience because that is what they have come to expect, however it seems when someone has a bad experience, they go out of their way to blast that message everywhere. One of the easiest ways to lure customers away from your competition is to provide better customer service.

PUSH YOURSELF OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE Although this may sound like it falls more within the realm of a personal New Year’s resolution, it’s equally relevant in a professional setting. It is important to be willing to go outside of your professional comfort zone to grow in your field. Many people find attending networking events and conferences intimidating. Think of it this way though, even attending just one event gives you the ability to make face-to-face connections with people that you may not normally have a chance to speak with. Building a robust professional network is a great way to gain new insight into your industry and access new opportunities. Creating and publishing content is another nerve-wracking task. It can be stressful to think about the sheer number of people that will read what you have written and critique it in some way. The

benefit of getting your name out in the industry is worth the stress though. Plus it can be satisfying knowing that people are learning more about you and your business because of something you wrote. Maybe you are afraid of public speaking. Numerous organizations specialize in helping their members with public speaking. Never turn down the opportunity to speak as an authority on a topic if you have the knowledge. Doing so creates a level of credibility that may otherwise be difficult to achieve. If you aren’t comfortable diving in headfirst, try volunteering for a project that may not be the norm for you. It could be the first step to bigger and better things.

STICK TO YOUR RESOLUTIONS Be careful not to fall into the trap of pushing your resolutions to the back of your mind and letting them fall by the wayside. Setting monthly or even quarterly goals for each resolution is a simple and effective way to keep yourself on track. This also allows you to keep tabs on your progress to see just how far you’ve come since the start of the year. Just like with personal New Year’s resolutions, professional resolutions only work when you stick to them.

Erica LaCentra is Chief Marketing Officer for RCN Capital.

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

LEW SICHELMAN

THE MORTGAGE SCENE

Growing Your Business With Green Mortgages Would you like fries with that? BY LEW SICHELMAN | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

ere’s a sobering statistic: Home owners spend a larger percentage of their incomes on energy costs than

on property taxes or insurance. That’s right. According to the U.S.

Rocky Mountain Institute, Here’s a couple of other numbers

Whereas most owners rely on cash savings to make energy-related

from DOE, figures which should set

improvements, convenient, low-cost

your antenna wiggling, especially

financing options can drive the mar-

if you are concerned with climate

ket. And Fannie Mae and Freddie

change: The nation’s 98 million sin-

Mac can lead the way in promoting

gle family houses represent 95 per-

sustainable, resilient housing.

cent of all our buildings and account

Over the years, the agencies

Department of Energy, we spend

for 21 percent of our total energy use

have had so-called energy saving

7.1 percent of our net incomes on

and omissions.

mortgages. But they were basically

energy vs. 4.8 percent on property

And finally two more big num-

oxymorons: They may have saved

taxes and 4.2 percent on homeown-

bers: Half the country’s houses were

borrowers money, but the effort

ers insurance. Folks who earn less

built 40 or more years ago before

expended to find a lender and go

than $15,000 annually pay more

there was ever any such things

through the mounds of paperwork

than 15 percent of their energies for

as energy codes. And our houses

didn’t save anyone any human en-

energy. Yet what do we complain

sustained $95 billion in extreme

ergy. In other words, they were just

about more? And which ones do we

weather-related damage last year,

too difficult to originate.

take into account when we apply

with this year’s total expected to be

for – or take an application for – a

even higher.

mortgage?

In the last year or so, though, both GSEs have launched new and reconstituted what are now called

“It’s a real blind spot,” Madelina Salzman, a management and programs analyst in the DOE’s Building Technologies Office, said during a recent webinar hosted by the National Housing Conference in partnership with the

RENOVATION RISING I relate all this because a huge untapped market opportunity awaits lenders and originators who can navigate the maze that currently shrouds the financing of much needed energy-related home improvements. Attempts to boost the sector have been tried before, but they’ve pretty much fallen on their keisters. Now, though, a confluence of necessity and opportunity presents

Green Mortgages. Fannie’s Home Style Energy program and Freddie’s Green Choice product are remarkably similar and among the lowest cost of capital available. In a nutshell, the programs allow consumers at purchase or refi to finance the cost renewable energy improvements, cost-effect energy efficiency measures and resilient upgrades for up to 15 percent of the as-completed value of the property.

itself to those who want to take

MILLIONS AFFECTED

advantage of it. In the face of an

According to a Rocky Mountain

ever-intensifying climate crisis,

Institute report, the 10-year impact

many houses need energy upgrades,

of a robust green mortgage market

and the potential for delivering affordable financing is at hand.

could have an enormous impact. Some 8.7 million houses could be

improved, leading to $12 billion is net

The Biden Administration can do its part in making green lending more popular.

savings to consumers, 630,000 jobs and 57 million metric tons of cumulative carbon emissions avoided. More specific to readers here, it could also result in $2.2 trillion in green mortgage-backed securities. But while these programs are well positioned to offer among the lowest costs of capital and at a convenient intervention point for would-be borrowers, they “are far behind the market,” reported Rita Ballesteros, a housing industry consultant who once worked with Fannie Mae, where she led the affordable housing preservation ac-

Carbon-Free Buildings Program, it

will start to recognize that a mortgage

could take a “more holistic” approach

can be a prime tool for decarbonization

by including Fannie and Freddie and

nationwide. And by integrating na-

their overlord, the Federal Housing

tionally standardized data, automated

Finance Agency, in an overall effort

GSE systems can streamline adoption.”

with other government agencies. And

Here’s the kind of automated

he advocated what he called “a big

process the RMI official is talking

table approach” by also including

about: When David Heslam of Earth

tivities for its Duty to Serve initiative.

green building organizations, lenders,

For example, she said, Fannie has been

realty groups, builders and appraisers

the world’s largest Green MBS over the

in their drive toward data “common-

oping home energy labeling systems,

last four years, yet it has issued just

alities.”

recently refinanced his house, the

$7.2 billion in those bonds – but only $111 million in single-family loans.

Advantage, a national leader in devel-

Rocket Mortgage loan officer asked

“This is the moment to climate-align federally-supported

as a matter of course if the place had

housing finance,” Hopkins said.

part in making green lending more

solar energy. It didn’t, but the former

“Federal policy can leverage the power

popular. For one thing, said Greg

of financial markets. Our hope is that

builder wished it had, bringing on the

Hopkins, a manager in the RMI’s

the FHFA, under its new leadership,

The Biden Administration can do its

next questions. “Do you want it?” and “Do you want to rolle the cost into your new mortgage?” It was that seamless, just like at McDonalds, where cashiers always ask if “you want fries with” that because the hamburger palace’s systems are set up to up-sell. And ultimately, Heslam believes, it’s up to individual lenders and loan officers to take that same next step by making it easier for them to take a loan to the next level – a green one.

Lew Sichelman is a contributing writer to National Mortgage Professional magazine. He has been covering the housing and mortgage sectors for 52 years. His syndicated column appears in major newspapers throughout the country. He also has been the real estate editor at two major Washington, D.C., dailies and spent 30 years on the staff of National Mortgage News, formerly National Thrift News.

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

When you want tech that adds speed,

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©2000-2021 Rocket Mortgage, LLC. All rights reserved. Lending services provided by Rocket Mortgage, LLC, a subsidiary of Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE: RKT). “Quicken Loans” is a registered service mark of Intuit Inc., used under license.

| NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE Rocket Mortgage, 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906

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HOW

NMP’S MONTHLY SECTION OF HANDS-ON PRACTICAL ADVICE

BUILD A BROKER How To Build Your Personal Brand YOUR FIRST MILLION DOLLARS How To Carry On A One-Sided Conversation How To Reset For The Next 12 Months CAREER TICKER: People On The Move

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE //

> ICE Mortgage

Technology selected Craig Austin as the organization’s vice president, head of Executive Accounts.

> Revolution

Mortgage’s second Cincinnati branch will be led by Sherri Miller.

> FinLocker

named Andria Thomas as the company’s senior vice president, product.

> Guaranteed

Rate named Dr. Ramesh Sarukkai as the company’s new chief product and technology officer.

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

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BUILD-A-BROKER: HANDS ON PRACTICAL ADVICE

SPONSORED BY

BUILD-A-BROKER

You, In All Your Glory You’ve got a strong business brand, but how well does your personal brand support it?

e asked Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of Spin Sucks, a Forbes top 10 PR

for incontinence and Brian Urlacher for hair growth, for instance — but today’s consumer wants authenticity and transparency. Do we believe Lisa Rinna is incontinent, or do we think she’s shilling for the company for a

blog, Cision number three PR blog,

dollar? Either way, it’s not a great

and InkyBee number one PR blog.

way to build brand awareness.

Dietrich is also the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, which provides an

With the right training and message

alternative to traditional integrated

development, every small business

marketing communications.

owner can — and should — be their own spokesperson. People buy from

Here, Gini Dietrich shares her advice

people, particularly people they like.

for creating a personal brand.

If your personal brand is top-of-mind for your target audience and your

NMP: What is a personal brand?

competitor’s is not, whom do you

Gini Dietrich: A personal brand is cre-

think they’ll buy from?

GINI DIETRICH

FOUNDER AND CEO OF SPIN SUCKS

ating authority and expertise around the way you think. This concept is

NMP: What’s an example of how

really good for subject matter experts,

a business owner’s personal brand

executives, and business owners. If

could support their business brand?

you have a unique perspective in your

Dietrich: It’s really hard to be a small

industry, you can build a personal

business owner and think, “I can

brand.

reach that” when you look at people

home the body language message. [Her message isn’t] convoluted, [and you know exactly] what she does. The same approach works for small business owners. When we launched Spin Sucks (my business blog that has

such as Richard Branson, Simon

turned into its own business), it was

NMP: Why is a personal brand so

Sinek, Amy Cuddy or Susan Cain. But

important for small business owners?

every single one of those people start-

Dietrich: It used to be you could hire

ed with an idea and a Twitter account.

take a stance on anything, and it was

a celebrity spokesperson, train them

Amy Cuddy was virtually unknown

apparent. I went to a conference that

on your key messages, and send

when she nailed her body language

I paid thousands of dollars to attend

them out to build your brand. You

TED talk. She’s used virtually every

and was confounded that the keynote

still see some of that — Lisa Rinna

digital platform on earth to hammer

speaker came onto the stage in blue

kind of a disaster. We were afraid to

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE //

> WFG National

Title Insurance Company added Gregg Harris as South Texas regional sales manager.

> New American Funding named Tony Blodgett as the company’s executive vice president of retail sales.

> WFG National

Title Insurance Company added Debbie Youens as South Texas regional escrow manager.

> Waterstone

Mortgage Corporation hired Amy Battin as a branch manager for the company’s newest branch in Phoenix, AZ.

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

HOW: HANDS ON PRACTICAL ADVICE

SPONSORED BY

jeans. I wrote a blog post about how

Every single one of us has a unique

that makes you angry, something you

disrespectful that was and, if I were

take on our [industries]. Use that to

think more people should do, shoddy

going to pay to see someone speak,

build your personal brand—and don’t

ways of doing business or best practic-

I deserved the respect of the speaker

be afraid of making people angry.

es. Create a list of things that fire you

at least looking like he took a shower

You’ll attract the people you want to

that morning. (I’ve since softened my

work with and not waste any time

up and things that make you happy.

view on that.)

with those you don’t.

That blog post published, and the

NMP: What steps should you take in

entire world debated it (OK, that’s a

creating your personal brand?

slight embellishment). It was the point

Dietrich: First, figure out your unique

of no return with my personal brand.

perspective on something in your

Though I wrote that nearly 10 years

industry. Your personal brand has to

your prospective customers hang out

ago, people still bring it up and tease

be unique to you — something no one

online — and what medium is most

me if I wear any denim.

else can copy. It could be something

comfortable for you — and start there.

Every single one of us has an unique take on our [industries]. Use that to build your personal brand—and don’t be afraid of making people angry.

Then figure out where you want to participate online. Do you want to blog? Do Facebook Live? Create YouTube videos? Build an Instagram following? Don’t try to be in all of those places until later. Figure out where

NMP: What common mistakes do business owners make with their personal brands? Dietrich: These are the mistakes almost everyone makes: • They try to be everywhere and are doing all of it just “sort of” well. • They start and then stop, start and then stop. • They are really excited to start, and do it all really well for about 60 days. Then life takes over and [the brand] begins to suffer. NMP: Your best tip for building a personal brand? Dietrich: Be patient. Building relationships with human beings takes time. Just like your best friend has been around for 20 years and knows all your secrets, your customers will stick around a long time if you have some patience.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE //

> Homespire

named Kevin Whatley regional manager of south-central Texas as part of its continued expansion within the state.

> Jim Cory

joined Cherry Creek as a managing director of the reverse mortgage division.

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> Homespire

Mortgage hired Lynda Fazio as area manager in New Mexico.

> Bruce Barnes joined Cherry Creek as a managing director of the reverse mortgage division.

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LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Do You Talk To Yourself? Success is never assured, but quitting will assure it is never achieved.

BY HARVEY MACKAY | SPECIAL TO NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

n the classic golf comedy movie “Caddyshack,” Bill Murray plays Carl Spackler, the greenskeeper for the Bushwood Country Club. Carl talks to himself a lot as he tries to rid the club of an

elusive gopher who is tearing up the greens.

But the best example of Carl talking to himself is when he’s pretending to tee off in a golf match at the famous Master’s Tournament. He announces to himself in his “Cinderella story” that this “unknown comes out of the

always ask the people in

letter words in the English

the audience – how many

language. If it is to be, it is

of them talk to themselves?

up to me. You must ignite

Invariably the answer is

your own passion. Make a

about 50 percent. Then

commitment to yourself.

I say, to the other 50

I also believe that

percent, I can just hear you

talking to yourself is a

saying to yourself, “Who

sign of intelligence. Many

me? I don’t talk to myself.”

of the world’s smartest

But I want you to talk to

people talk to themselves.

yourself. I want you to coach yourself.

Albert Einstein talked to himself. He

I want you to ask yourself how

was hardly a social butterfly when he

you’re doing. I want you to elevate

was growing up, preferring to keep

yourself. The 10 most powerful two

to himself. Einstein.org reports that

pack to lead on the final hole.” He’s a mere 455 yards away from victory and takes a two-iron while swinging and destroying a flower. Then he switches to a five-iron and swings while destroying another flower. Finally, he whispers he’s 195 yards away and

Sometimes talking to yourself can even save your life.

swings an eight-iron, destroying a third flower, but says triumphantly, “It’s in the hole.” I wish winning the Master’s or any golf tournament were that easy, but I believe your odds for improving or succeeding will go up if you talk to yourself.

CONVERSATION PARTNER As part of my corporate speeches, I

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE //

> Dave

Purdy joined Homespire Mortgage as the New Mexico area regional manager.

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> Flagstar Bank

named James James Campbell as executive vice president and head of servicing for its residential mortgage business.

> Homespire

Mortgage tapped Kyle LeDuc to serve as a branch manager in Columbus, Ohio.

he “used to repeat his sentences to

task at hand and walk through the

can even save your life. Remember

himself softly.”

steps to accomplish the desired goal.

the movie “Castaway” starring

In fact, most researchers believe

Tom Hanks. He plays a FedEx

self-talk may help your brain perform

BRINGING CLARITY

better. A study published in “Acta

I talk to myself because it helps

uninhabited island after his plane

Psychologica” showed participants

me concentrate and focus, and also

completed item-finding tasks faster

improve my memory. I’ve always

crashes in the South Pacific, and the

when talking themselves through it,

repeated things to myself several

suggesting an improvement in visual

times to help me remember details,

processing.

names, phone numbers and so on. I

Another study published in

troubleshooter stranded on an

film depicts his desperate attempts to survive and return home. FedEx packages wash up on shore include

even read out loud sometimes because

“Psychology of Sport and Exercise”

I find that I retain information better.

had 72 tennis players play five

I’ve always considered writing things

rounds, including three training

down to be like talking to yourself.

sessions. Players were separated

published in the Washington Post

asked to practice self-talk. This

in January said that the pandemic

group demonstrated increased self-

has caused more people than ever

confidence and reduced anxiety, while

to talk to themselves absent social

also improving their games.

gatherings, especially those living

“Psych Central” identifies four

which he appropriately calls Wilson. He talks to the volleyball during his four stranded years to keep sane. If you talk to yourself in public,

An article about talking to yourself

into two groups, with one being

a Wilson Sporting Goods volleyball,

there will always be people who think you are strange. So here’s a great solution. One of my favorite cartoons shows a guy walking down the street with a phone to his ear. The caption reads, “Wonderful! This way I can go

alone. The article cited Charles

types of self-talk that will make you

Fernyhough, a psychology professor

block after block talking to myself and

smart and feel better about yourself

at Durham University whose research

nobody looks at me as if I am crazy.”

– complimentary, motivational, goal-

shows people talk out loud more when

setting and other dialogue. We’ve all

under stress. But he said it is far from

Mackay’s Moral: Some of your best

had days when we need to remind

crazy.

conversations have an audience of

ourselves that we are capable of the

Sometimes talking to yourself

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one.

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NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

HOW: HANDS ON PRACTICAL ADVICE

SPONSORED BY

MARY KAY SCULLY

BENCHMARKS & BEST PRACTICES

Resetting For The New Year BY MARY KAY SCULLY | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

hen times are busy, it can be difficult to stay on the same page with your teams and perfectly on plan. It can be easy to lose sight of the big picture amid day-to-day operations. The end of the year is the perfect opportunity to take a breath, step back and reassess your teams. With the end of the year quickly approaching and the shock of the coronavirus pandemic settling, workplaces can use this time to plan for the possibility of a postCOVID-19 world and beyond. On the other hand, a failure to appropriately plan for the next year can leave you flatfooted when operations start up are back in full swing again in January.

DEBRIEF 2021

So much can change in the workplace within a year’s time. Those changes can seem earth shattering when they occur, but they quickly fall to the wayside as time passes. The end of the year offers time for reflection and a benchmark to measure against. Take time at the end of the year to evaluate how your office and teams have changed. Apart from managing changes in the workplace,

checking in with your teams allows you to align everyone’s goals and gauge team members’ morale. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact offices and workplaces everywhere. Those changes are often some of the most drastic and noticeable, but their effects are not always as clear. For example, some employees working remotely may not communicate with their superiors as well as those working in the office. It’s important to monitor those changes and incorporate them into plans for next year. There also have been changes to the mortgage industry itself in the past year. Even after the first year of the pandemic, COVID-19 guidelines and flexibilities continued to change. Fannie Mae’s lender letter 2020-03/ 2021-03 has been updated 13 times, and Freddie Mac issued multiple bulletins. However, while changes due to COVID-19 took center stage, other important credit policy updates and guideline changes may have gone unnoticed.

PLANNING FOR 2022 A study conducted at the Dominican University of California showed that you are 42% more likely to accomplish a goal if you write it down. It’s an interesting piece of trivia and psychology, but it also reflects how planning affects outcomes. Making the effort to effectively plan helps in the long term and increases the likelihood of achieving those goals. Once you check your knowledge, meet with your teams and identify what makes them tick. Take the information you learned from the past year and apply it to the future. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where have you been successful and where could you improve? Give yourself a goal, so you are prepared to act when the new year comes.

ON TAP FOR 2022 Trends from the end of 2021 often signal what’s to come in 2022. One of the more concerning shifts has been the increase of interest rates. Interest rates could continue to increase in 2022, but the panic it’s caused isn’t proportional to its actual impact. Let’s say you have a borrower with a $300,000 loan and their interest rate went up from 3% to 3.25%. That sounds devastating, but that comes out to a $42 difference in principal and interest payment. The alarm I’ve seen doesn’t match with the actual impact on borrowers. At the end of the day, interest rates are still at historic lows, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. An increase in interest rates could mean transaction types may change to a much higher percentage of purchase transactions rather than refinancing. Who are your referral generators? Have you stayed in touch during the refinancing boom? You also may want to review sales contracts. A seller’s market and bidding wars make for interesting offers with flexible terms. Finally, high appreciation may have created an increased cash-out refinancing market. No matter what the new year might bring, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Make time during this season to learn from the past year, catch up on any important information your team may have missed out on, and start planning for 2022. Whatever 2022 has in store, stepping into it with a unified team that’s working toward the same goal ensures you will start the year on solid ground. Mary Kay Scully is the Director of Customer Education at Enact, leading the development of the company’s customer education curriculum. The statements in this article are solely her opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Enact or its management.

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40 UNDER 40 INFLUENTIAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

2021 INFLUENTIAL ACHIEVERS

THE FACES OF POTENTIAL

n every profession, the future is written by the young. They bring fresh perspectives, new energy, innovative approaches and fiery passion that are critical to keeping business thriving. While those with more years on them may bring wisdom borne of experience, the young bring perspective unhindered by dogma, unconstrained by convention. That’s why features such as this one, that peek at the promise of so many, are important. We need to step back, even if only once a year, and appreciate that

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there are up-and-comers across the mortgage world who are actively scanning the profession with fresh eyes and making it better, with enthusiasm. In this issue, we highlight forty individual mortgage professionals under 40 years old who bring something special to their job each day, and in doing so help to elevate this industry for all of us. This isn’t a definitive list, it’s an emblematic one: for each of these achievers, there are many more like them, also propelling us forward. But in these stories, in these 40, we capture this year’s spirit of triumph.

GAVIN ALES, 39

ARU ANAVEKAR, 39

Chief Compliance Officer DocMagic, Inc.

CEO Botsplash What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Integrity in business is huge for me. You need to practice integrity in everything you do. It’s best to deal with an issue head-on, accepting whatever consequences may come, and then make a plan to deal with whatever that issue may mean.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Always make sure you have adequate research to support whatever endeavor you’re pursuing. If you research your issue well before speaking or providing advice, it shows that your opinion holds true, which goes a long way. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Someone fairly experienced in mortgage software once told me, “If you can imagine it, there’s a way to build a technological solution to accomplish it.”

KATIE BLAKE, 37

Senior Mortgage Loan Originator/Branch Manager Movement Mortgage What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Use a CRM and track every single lead you receive. Create follow up systems for those leads. Study and do your homework! Knowing the guidelines for all the different loan programs available creates a ton of value for your business and helps you structure a loan properly and effectively. Never stop learning. Always be building your network of referral partners. Strive every day to remain disciplined and diligent in your efforts to become a preferred resource for your local real estate community. Listen and be respectful of people’s concerns. Don’t tell people what they want to hear, tell them what they need to know! What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Setting proper expectations, being transparent, and having open lines of communication with your clients and referral partners is crucial in this business. Also, take notes, use a CRM, and manage your database daily!

What her nominator had to say: Aru started Botsplash five years ago with the intent to provide consumers and lenders an easier way to communicate. She created an omnichannel, digital communications platform that provides convenient and easily integrated SaaS-based software to its clients. The company’s primary customer base is firmly in fintech and continues to add features beyond chat and text to make digital conversations happen where clients’ customers are. Aru has been part of finance for her entire professional career, beginning as a developer with Wachovia, now Wells Fargo. She continued as a developer at LendingTree before taking on more product roles where she realized the challenges facing consumers and lenders alike. In 2017, she decided to work to solve the communications disconnects that most lenders have and together they founded Botspalsh, an omnichannel platform with 15 employees.

JAMIE CHAPMAN, 39

Sr. Director of Business Strategy Rocket Mortgage What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? My mentor and friend Steven Luigi Piazza always said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When you live this, your clients, business partners and team members will appreciate that you’re coming from a place of wanting to see them succeed. Building relationships on a foundation of sincerity is a valuable way to create trust and loyalty. What significant changes would you like to see in 2022? It’s important to utilize data appropriately to ensure clients have access to the best products available to set them on the path to financial success. Our client should be the focus of conversations where we as an industry ask what we can do to better service and lift up those who want to live the American dream of buying a home. What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? It can be easy to view the client as a one-time transaction rather than a lifelong relationship built on strong communication and valuable services. It’s important to think of the client’s entire home buying journey. Clients are empowered with so many options, which means it’s vital to understand their communication preferences, the ways they like to transact, and what they need when they need it. NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

40 UNDER 40 INFLUENTIAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

ADAM CHAUDHARY, 38 President Fundingshield LLC

What his nominator had to say: Adam has delivered plug’n’play, cloud-based, client-centric award winning FinTech tools that have protected over $1.5 trillion transactions from wire & title fraud. As part of leadership teams, he develops, deploys and delivers risk reducing solutions that improve the closing process while lowering operating costs. He breaks through complexity delivering user-centric products that improve risk & asset-quality. He contributes to the MBA & CMBA on committees and panels sharing his insights connecting technology, capital-markets and automation. Adam is an executive, banker and leadership team member that has provided financial solutions to top financial institutions including Private-Equity firms, Hedge Funds, Asset Managers and Banks globally. He successfully deployed $50-Billion+ of innovative financial products, capital & risk solutions by accessing and creating new markets with controls for risk management and compliance. He focuses on strategy & client solutions driving FundingShield’s FinTech Inc5000 award winning technology to protect mortgage lenders, investors, warehouse-banks and partners.

SCOTT DUBNOFF, 33

Chief Technology Officer American Financial Resources, Inc What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Simplification. The mortgage origination process is intrinsically complex. In this environment, with so many compounding requirements, things get complicated quickly. Customer-facing interfaces and communications need to remain simple and easy to understand, but given the amount of information that needs to be conveyed, it is no small feat. Even technology architectures can easily get overly complicated if not well maintained. Striving for simplicity is simply essential. What significant changes would you like to see in 2022? The mortgage industry is very much wedded to traditional paperbased forms and associated workflows. I would like to see the industry move more quickly to update the existing antiquated regulations and processes so that they are medium-agnostic, and then finally develop digital-native solutions and go truly “paperless.”

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JOHN D’ONOFRIO, 38

EVP, Retail Branching American Financial Network, Inc. What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? It’s important that mortgage professionals understand the gravity behind their role as advisors to their clients Each and every client relies on a mortgage professional for sound financial advice. What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Benjamin Franklin said it best, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Mortgage professionals seeking a rewarding future must start by first identifying their “why.” Whether your goal is financial freedom, work schedule independence or supporting your family, it must be identified and committed to. A business plan should be molded around your end-goal and reverse engineered into yearly, monthly, weekly and daily tasks. Don’t be scared to dream big and remain disciplined to never accept mediocrity. Celebrate every small victory and embrace the challenge. Most importantly, go into your career knowing that failure is both inevitable and temporary.

NICOLAS GAUDINO, 33 VP, UWM Sales United Wholesale Mortgage

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? One of my most important values is reliability. Being someone your borrowers, business partners and your team can rely on helps build trust and credibility through consistency that will build better relationships and grow your business. What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? There are no wins and losses – you either win or you learn. When you are just starting, it is important to remember there will be a ton of opportunity to learn, get better and eventually see your hard work pay off. As long as you are willing to adapt quickly and execute efficiently, the lessons learned will only make you stronger. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? That you don’t have to be the most talented or knowledgeable. What you must have is an unbeatable work ethic and mindset. If you have these things, nothing can stop you.

Ying Wang, Senior UX Designer

ServiceLink congratulates Ying Wang on being named a 2021 National Mortgage Professional 40 Under 40 winner! As an experienced UX designer, Ying Wang is prototyping the next-generation, AI-powered mortgage journey. Always innovating and looking for better ways for both consumer and enterprise experiences to scale, her expertise and leadership is deeply appreciated by ServiceLink. Thank you, Ying, for all that you do to move the industry forward and congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Learn more at svclnk.com

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40 UNDER 40 INFLUENTIAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

MARY GILL, 29

JOANNE GONZALEZ, 38

Loan Originator Key Mortgage Services

Vice President of Loan Administration The Money Source What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Focus on the things you can control and not fixate on what you cannot. There are many moving parts and people throughout a transaction that it can be easy to get caught up in it. Instead of giving up in difficult situations, I have learned how to work as a team to problem solve and provide options. By taking ownership for my own actions and reactions, I can efficiently help my clients and my team have the best experience possible.

What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? In 2022, I would like to see the mortgage industry change from a rate driven industry to an industry focused on educating and helping homeowners achieve their goals. Many times, buyers are so focused on the interest rate that they forget that the reason they are buying a home is not for a specific interest rate but is to create a sense of security and community for themselves and their family. If we shift our focus by encouraging our clients to identify their core values and goals, we can help more people achieve the goal of homeownership.

STEPHANIE HAM, 40

What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? Two problems in the mortgage servicing industry are operational efficiencies and availability of qualified personnel. Due to the pandemic, the industry has been stretched to its capacity to meet the needs of millions of impacted customers and simultaneously implement the changing regulations. To help with these increased demands I have participated in industry wide collaboration that allowed the industry to discuss best practices. I have embraced remote work, which has allowed us to recruit nationwide. Also, more impactful is realizing the personnel we need is already here in our companies only needing to be taught the specifics.

JOHN HARDESTY, 29

Team Sales Manager Caliber Home Loans

Inside Sales and Strategic Partnership Manager, Surefire Black Knight What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? My most important value is integrity. Building my business around integrity creates strong relationships with colleagues and clients alike. This is a tough business and honesty is very important.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? The fortune is in the follow up. It is easy to over promise and under deliver; don’t be that person. Have an organized system to keep track of your tasks to make sure you do not let things slip through the cracks. It is OK to say, “I don’t know but I will find out and get back to you.” You have a lot to learn and it is better to have the right answer than the fast answer. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have recieved since being in the mortgage industry? The most valuable advice I have received is to pay myself first. We have an amazing opportunity for earnings in this field; however it does not come without risk. When the markets shift, you want to feel secure. I was so glad to have savings to ride in 2008 and 2009. I have seen so many in this business lose it all.

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Professional integrity is my most important core value. Integrity drives me to always do the right thing, even when no one is looking. It is the foundation for trust, transparency, communication, and serves as the core for being able to provide exceptional service to our customers and clients.

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What his nominator had to say: As inside sales and strategic partnership manager, John Hardesty is a brand ambassador and primary business partnership contact for Black Knight’s newest acquisition, Surefire CRM. During his tenure, Hardesty has enhanced the Surefire platform by facilitating partnerships with 29 companies including Lending Pad, BeSmartee and MBS Highway. He drives tremendous revenue growth by increasing sales and retention initiatives and helping lenders of all sizes supplement their tech stack with the best CRM for their needs. John Hardesty is a talented sales and business development professional who is passionate about mortgage technology and scaling B2B startups. Hardesty got his start working for an awardwinning education technology startup where he built revenue through strategic partnerships and frontline sales. Since joining Surefire, now a part of Black Knight, as the sole point of contact for its strategic partnerships division, Hardesty has facilitated dozens of partnerships and grown revenue.

LANDON HOON, 27

Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending A and N Mortgage Services What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? For me, it’s about transparency and being available when needed. Everyone I work with knows that I am available 24/7 and will help answer any questions they may have. Most importantly, making sure my borrowers are educated and understand the process is vital for all involved to ensure a smooth mortgage experience. What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Networking is huge. Attend events, create relationships, start business social media accounts, and stay in front of your referral partners. What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? Because of COVID, we saw more at-home closings than ever before. It would be proactive to become even more digital with greater automation and digitization, especially with the new wave of millennials looking into home buying. The mortgage world has come a long way in regards to technology, but to continue to adapt we need to make the loan process more customer-friendly.

BRAD JONES, 34

KRISTIN LEE JAMIESON, 38 Mortgage Loan Consultant Success Mortgage Partners

What advice would you give to those just getting started? Never make a promise you can’t keep; Fake it until you make it; Get up, get dressed, and get out there; No one likes bad news but bad news delivered late is always worse What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? To stay physically involved but emotionally detached. We can’t emotionally take on the burden of everyone else. No one is lucky in this world - luck happens when opportunity meets preparation. Always prepare, under promise and over deliver. What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? I wish we could get back to the basics. Meeting our clients in person, celebrating at the closing table, being visible and trusted are all things that we should strive to do. We really are helping families achieve the American dream and that should be celebrated and a little more personal than it has grown to be.

PAT KINSEL, 37

Chief Marketing Officer Newrez

CEO and Founder Notarize What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Innovation is one of the most important values in this industry. Staying agile and prioritizing innovation is key to creating new products, new processes, and new technology that better serves customers and enhances the way we work as mortgage professionals.

What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? I’d like to see more diversity among leaders, especially more young and women leadership. As the market eventually turns, we will have to focus customer acquisition on a whole new generation of homebuyers. Younger leaders will have a first-hand perspective on how to best reach them as they will have grown up with that same technology, that culture of constant connectedness and social power. Also, mortgage historically has been a male-dominated field. While we see more and more women in mortgage leadership, I’d like to see a lot more.

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Embrace the responsibility. Mortgage professionals have the honor of being involved in one of the most important transactions in someone’s life. From the young people out of college to the families who have saved for years to make buying a home happen - it’s a huge deal, and I take that responsibility seriously. What advice would you give to those just getting started? Two things: First, change takes staying power. I asked someone whom I admire greatly, “When will Notarize be taken seriously?” His response, “Year seven.” He was indirectly telling me to embrace the journey and the challenges and keep going. Some companies who promise to disrupt or improve the industry run out of gas too quickly and can’t make change happen overnight. Tenacity is everything. Notarize is now seven, and I’m so excited to use our momentum to change for good. Second, our business is a community. My most meaningful relationships have been built talking about kids, family, sports, you name it. Not about work. Ignore the advice to “always be selling” and be human instead. NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE |

40 UNDER 40 INFLUENTIAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

KIMBERLY KISSANE, 38

KATIE KLAUSS, 38

Loan Advisor/Broker Owner Premier Choice Mortgage

Senior Vice President of Operations Peoples Mortgage Company What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Honesty and Education. Honesty is a huge core value and a must in the industry. It’s important for my clients to be given honest information about the investment they are about to make. Education is important since our clients come to us as the expert and we should educate them on the options available for their individual profile. If we educate them on the options out there then they have all the tools to make the best decision for their loan.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Get a mentor, someone you can ask questions to and support you in the business. Learn your guidelines and programs so you are giving your clients the best advice. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Be available but also set boundaries so you have time to work on the business, in the business and away from the business. The time for all three is key to long-term success.

BORIS KOGAN, 37

What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? Fannie and Freddie recently announced they will include timely rent payments into the assessment of homebuyer credit and they are encouraging properties to report on-time rental payments to the credit bureaus. I would love to see that become common practice in 2022. It would allow first-time homebuyers, from low- to moderate-income households who are penalized under the traditional credit scoring model to build their credit worthiness. What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? I think two major problems our industry is facing today are inventory shortages and affordability. The inventory issue is one that will take time to resolve but I have been getting involved with various affordable housing committees, sitting on round tables and providing public comment when it’s requested. To assist with affordability, our company offers a wide range of products and DPA programs that provide assistance to first-time homebuyers.

ANDRIA LIGHTFOOT, 39

Senior Vice President, Legal ICE Mortgage Technology

Chief Customer Officer SimpleNexus What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? The mortgage industry is a relatively small and tight knit business community. Treating everyone with respect is critical to not only achieving short-term business goals but also to developing long-term relationships that will benefit you and your company in unexpected ways in the future.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Learn the whole loan manufacturing life cycle. Also avoid getting stuck in a silo too early in your career. Understanding capital markets and post-closing delivery is just as important as sales and technology platforms. Be a champion of the idea that quality should be baked into every step of the loan process.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? I was new to the industry myself when I joined ICE Mortgage Technology (then Ellie Mae) in 2015. I spent a lot of time asking questions of my coworkers in an attempt to learn the industry and understand the context behind the work that I was doing and how to best advocate for the company. So my advice is to ask questions from industry veterans and establish a firm foundation of knowledge on which to build your own expertise and skills.

What is the most important advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Remember you are always selling. Regardless of your title, you are part of selling your company brand. And a central part of that should be the trust that is established with customers at every level of the process. I once saw a funder in a closing team turn around an unhappy customer with exceptional service. Everyone at the company is part of the sale! What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? We are far from extending the dream of homeownership to all hard-working Americans. The focus at SimpleNexus is to provide a product that overcomes the digital divide. As demographics shift for new household formation, our approach to reaching out and meeting the borrower where they are in the process is table stakes.

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LISTY LIMON, 36

TRAVIS LINDBLOM, 29

VP of National Production Homespire Mortgage

Vice President, Fulfillment Operations Planet Home Lending What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? As a big believer in servant leadership, helping employees succeed in navigating their own personal paths and obtain their goals is a passion and priority for me. The opportunity to guide people in their careers, helping them hit that next level of success, is an important responsibility.

What advice would you give to those just getting started? My top personal mottos are – lead by example, never stop learning, and knowledge is power. Essentially, combined these will help guide those getting started to build out their plan. It’s crucial for success (especially on the selling side) to ask - what does my Year One look like? Year Five? Year 10? Learning is another important piece. Learn everything, all aspects of the role. Frequently signing up for training and education opportunities will help you become an expert of your craft.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Work at a multichannel business, like the Planet Financial Group family of companies. You can move across channels to gain industry knowledge. During my career, I’ve worked in correspondent, post-closing, sales and retention. I learned lessons that continue to help me in my current position in retention operations. I understand why we need to follow specific policies and procedures and how work relates to what happens before and after files flow through my department. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have recieved since being in the mortgage industry? Connect with people. Get to know the people you work with and for as people. Learn about what they like, their interests, and seek to really connect with them. Seeing the whole person goes a long way in helping employees feel comfortable and valued at work. You can also relay information to people via their interests. I use football and baseball examples all the time. If an employee is not into sports, l seek other ways to connect.

WHIT MCCARTHY, 33

GRANT MCFARLAND, 32

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Hands down, it’s being a great partner — extending yourself to go further beyond the mere minimum requirement of things, having a servant attitude, and doing your part in a way that makes a client, partner, or team member feel grateful to work with you. For our counterparties in the correspondent channel, being a great partner means interfacing with our lenders and being a source of capital for them to trust and rely on. Living out this value, not just in business but in my personal life as well, is something I strive for every day.

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Curiosity. In this business, we are constantly learning from others. You have to be deeply curious about the process, people and departments around you. Asking questions and seeking answers provided insights into departments I would have never known about. Curiosity also plays a major role in process improvement and uncovering new ways to do things. Never settle for “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” Be curious enough to ask questions and see if another way exists. People gravitate to this type of thinking. Over time you can develop a culture of curious problem solvers.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Find your grit and lean into it. As with anything there will be ups and downs, but having grit and determination is an absolute prerequisite to this industry. It carries you through a growth cycle to become better and better with time. Also, while the industry is large, it’s also a small world, so be sure to balance your grit and determination with a sound reputation. Relationships are incredibly important in this industry, so how you present yourself, how you carry yourself, and how you treat others matters.

What significant changes would you like to see in 2022? Continued development around automation. There are many vendors exploring automation, but few, if any, that are clearly in the lead. Vendors need to be focused on how to bring end-to-end solutions to lenders instead of point solutions. The industry has been relatively slow to change in regards to digitization and it’ll be crucial for vendors to take advantage of this opportunity to become the frontrunner.

Senior Vice President, Correspondent Lending CIVIC Financial Services

Vice President of Operations Churchill Mortgage

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40 UNDER 40 INFLUENTIAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

JUSTIN MESSER, 38

Chief Operating Officer Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC

MICHAEL MIDDLEMAN, 35 Executive Vice President Freedom Mortgage

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? While integrity is far and away the most important value in finance, accountability is a close second. Driving accountability throughout an organization is critical not only to creating empowered employees, but also to building a team of purpose-driven individuals who feel part of something larger and more inclusive. What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? With home prices appreciating at a blistering pace, the wealth gap continues to accelerate. As an example, the homeownership gap between Non-Hispanic White and Black Americans was 3% wider in the third quarter of 2021 than it was 25 years ago. We need to treat the growing wealth gap as we would any other business problem. At Prosperity Home Mortgage, we have launched local Community Outreach Centers to focus on financial literacy and education, grown our teams of community-focused loan officers, and piloted innovative loan programs that couple homebuyer education with down payment assistance and lower cost loans.

What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? One of the most valuable pieces of advice I received is knowing what is happening at the ground level, especially with employees who service your customers. When you understand their daily activities and their challenges it’s easy for you to quickly make changes to improve processes or enhance the customer experience. Far too often executives are in the ivory tower, far removed from their frontline employees and there’s a major disconnect which will not help your bottom-line.

NANCY OBANDO, 39

OLIVIA NICHOLSON, 31

Senior Vice President Mountain West Financial, Inc.

Director, BI & Analytics Richey May

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Client service has always been a top priority. My entire career in mortgage has been in an advisory role working directly with mortgage companies to help them better their business. In this role, it is important to me that my clients feel taken care of and know that I have their backs. What is the most important advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? It’s OK to ask questions. The industry is so complex, and I suspect that there are many people near the end of decades-long careers who still feel like there is more to learn. It has been valuable for me to be reminded along the way that nobody expects anyone to know everything, so it is okay to just ask the question. The great thing about the industry is that there are so many intelligent people with a deep expertise in their field, many of whom I’ve been lucky enough to work with, and they are always willing to help teach someone who is eager to learn.

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? To ensure I fuel a culture that is fun and meaningful. I want my employees at Freedom Mortgage to see opportunities for their career growth and give back to their local communities in meaningful ways. When my employees are happy, they will focus on our customers and provide value to them. It’s crucial to understand your customers inside and out and align the organization to deliver the best customer experience while staying informed and agile.

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What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Integrity and professionalism. Leaders with principles are less likely to get pushed around because they can draw clear lines in the sand. The temptations and pressures of the outside world often conspire to pull you away from your values. I have frequently disagreed with those who I have worked with and turned away business because the ask did not align with my values. Although there may have been a short-term loss of business, long term this kept me as a trusted advisor and advanced my career. What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? I want us to continue the conversation of equity and inclusion. I think we are in a time where we are awakening and becoming more aware of others but there is more work to be done. There are still barriers for minority homeownership that we have to solve for. What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? Breaking the cycle of generational renters. That cycle is high particularly in Black and Latino homeownership. I am tasked to create solutions to eliminate these barriers as senior vice president overseeing strategic products.

ROBERT PADRON, 38

DUSTIN PFLUGER, 40

Branch Manager 1st Financial Inc

Partner, Mortgage Banking Practice CWDL What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Helping people and families achieve the American dream of owning a home. This brings joy to my job and makes me the most happiest about my career. What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? It’s a long and bumpy road but it will be well worth it. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have recieved since being in the

mortgage industry? Communication is key. Good or bad news keep the consumers and parties involved well communicated.

What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? I believe the closing disclosure can be more simplified as the HUD1 was. I’m currently on a board for of the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and work with other industry leaders to help my fellow colleagues.

JOE PUTHUR, 38

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Build authentic relationships with everyone. Anybody can become competent in his or her job, but developing and maintaining real relationships is the key to having a long, successful career in this industry. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? A former boss was phenomenal at building and keeping relationships. It was less about what he said and more about the way he modeled treating people with respect, being genuinely curious about them, and understanding that long-term relationships take time and attention. You need to focus on how you can support and benefit each other in the long run, not what they can for you in the short term. What significant changes would you like to see in 2022? We need to hire younger, more diverse people. Our industry is aging, and we haven’t traditionally done a great job at recruiting younger professionals - or helping them develop into our future leaders. We also have to be open to the new ideas and approaches that younger generations will have in order to retain them.

JOSIP RUPENA, 37

President Mortgage Coach

Founder and CEO Milo What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? The most important value I bring is the deep understanding I have between the origination process and the technology innovation of today. Knowing what it takes to bridge that gap is what’s allowed me to create technology that has delivered measurable ROI for lenders, and continues to allow me to innovate as those gaps persist.

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Understanding and fairness - having the ability to expand credit and give the opportunity of homeownership to more people. There are many people around that world that want to participate in the stability of our economy and we are giving them that opportunity.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? The opportunity to expand homeownership in underserved and niche markets is extraordinary. These markets are filled with qualified buyers and fundable opportunities that are being overlooked by the majority of our industry.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? It’s important to put yourself in your clients shoes and be understanding that very few of them know the mortgage process as well as you do. This may be the first time they are buying a home and helping guide them is an important part of the overall experience.

What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Always prioritize the needs of consumers and keep in mind that homeownership is central to their near- and long-term financial wellness. Focusing on serving homebuyers will enable you to thrive whether it’s a purchase or refinance.

What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? 1. Adoption of eNotes to create efficiency and improve the postclose process; 2. Acceptance of BPO’s and alternatives to full appraisals; 3. Helping to increase the number of appraisers by removing barriers to entry.

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40 UNDER 40 INFLUENTIAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONALS

DAVID SPEKTOR, 33

NICK TAGUE, 37

CTO LodeStar Software Solutions

Senior Director, Business Performance Homepoint What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Never settle for the status quo. We’ve built LodeStar on the concept that technology should be easy to use; simple to implement; even easier to integrate with your tech stack and, improve the user experience. The mortgage industry has come a long way when it comes to technology, but we still have plenty of room for improvement.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Strive for continuous improvement. The industry accepted the status quo far too long because of heavy regulation and disparate demands from clients and regulators. Yet, in the past few years, we’ve seen significant advances by people willing to challenge the way we’ve done things. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Dream big. The mortgage industry is somewhat entrenched in an old “it works” mentality. However, in the last couple of years there has been an explosion of innovation. We need to keep pushing this trend.

What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? In my first position out of school, my boss told me never to be afraid to not know the answer, but always be the first one to volunteer to find out. Having the ability to show you can find the person who does have the answer to your question helps to build trust and relationships with subject matter experts. What significant changes would you like to see from the mortgage industry in 2022? With the raising rate environment, the focus on the purchase market is paramount. As competition increases, having the ability to scale with process improvement, technology to provide greater efficiencies is going to be vital as margins compress.

YING WANG, 31

CRAIG UNGARO, 40

Senior User Experience Designer ServiceLink

Chief Operating Officer AnnieMac Home Mortgage What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Integrity is one of the most important values as a mortgage professional because we are all advisors, in some capacity, for our consumers’ most important financial asset. Even for those that it’s not the case, homeownership plays such a critical role in the overall economy. Any compromise of integrity can have a ripple affect that impacts more than one person or one organization. What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Be prepared to reinvent yourself several times during your career. This is not a Monday to Friday, 9-5 job and the way you do business today may not be the way you do business tomorrow. If you’re willing to adapt you’ll have a job you love. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? The most valuable advice I received was surround yourself with the best people possible. Systems, processes and technology are all important but this is still a people business. From the borrower experience through fulfillment to capital marketing to servicing, it’s a personal transaction. This is a financial services business whose services are provided by people. 34

What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Never be content with the status quo. The mortgage industry is constantly evolving and creating more products, regulations, etc. Being a challenger of convention and leading to help embrace data and analytics has helped me identify trends and opportunities to drive positive change.

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What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Systematic thinking is the most important value. It is crucial to analyze the service offerings systematically so that we can better pinpoint gaps, align goals and deliver a transparent and seamless lending experience. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? My mentor gave me this advice: “Don’t prepare for what you want to say, prepare for what your audience may want to know.” Since receiving this advice, I have been focused on honing my empathy and listening skills. It has also helped me identify the core problem before working on solutions. What are the main problems the industry is facing today and what have you done to address or resolve them? Technology should not replace humans but rather, empower them. I have been working as a message interpreter and collaboration facilitator that connects industry domain experts, technology professionals and end-users. I believe co-creation is the best way to access greater creativity and avoid silos and biases.

JOHN WARMUS, 35

ASHLEY WOOD, 33

Director || Mid Markets matchbox llc

VP, Mortgage Verification Services Equifax What is one of your most important values as a mortgage professional? Why? Honesty and dedication. Dedication to your clients, whether your “clients” are actual borrowers, or the professional or company working directly with the borrowers. You have to be dedicated to their success. Honesty is a close second: letting people know what you can and cannot do upfront will save everyone time, energy, and effort. Honesty is paramount to gaining the trust of the client.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Develop and focus on the skill of being adaptable. This need to be adaptable is driven by consumer expectations. Now, more than ever, lenders have the opportunity and technology to revamp the way they do business by embracing a digital lending journey, and leveraging this to be agile to quickly navigate changes in the volatile marketplace with growing competition and shifting demands.

What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? Learn as much as you can. This is a massive industry with many wonderful opportunities. Try to get hands-on experience in as many areas as you can: processing, originating, secondary markets, technology, customer service, even borrowing. The goal should be to become as well rounded as you can. This will not only make you better at what you do, but it will expose areas where you can grow and that is equally important.

What is the most important or valuable advice that you have received since being in the mortgage industry? Adopt a consumer-first mindset. Consumers are demanding a faster, more efficient mortgage loan approval process. To fully embrace this, all mortgage professionals must broaden their approach when determining creditworthiness to better serve more consumers. As we look to stay competitive, manage costs, and adapt to changes, we can benefit from adopting practices and technologies that empower flexibility and new and improved ways of working.

MONICA ZHANG, 31

BRIAN ZITIN, 27

Founder/CEO Central Group Mortgage LLC

Co-founder and CEO Reggora What advice would you give to those just getting started in the mortgage industry? To keep a learning mentality at all times. We are in an industry where things are constantly changing. In order to better assist our clients, we need to stay up to date with news regarding the economy, global relations, industry guideline updates, and even weather. Maintaining a habit of learning will help us sustain in this business. What is the most important or valuable advice that you have recieved since being in the

mortgage industry? The most valuable advice I have received is to set proper expectations. A lot can happen during a home purchase and there are so many people involved in a transaction. What our clients and business partners want from us are very simple, to know what is going on, and to know what will happen next. I think setting proper expectations includes creating a prioritized to do list for ourselves and communicating task completion date with our team members. It can make our own lives a little easier.

What his nominator had to say: Brian Zitin founded Reggora to automate real estate appraisal and has since led Reggora to be at the forefront of appraisal innovation with a modern, two-sided platform for mortgage lenders and appraisal vendors. Not only is Brian modernizing the experience for many stakeholders in the appraisal process; Reggora’s technology is also designed to reduce turn times and help the industry get closer to a one-day mortgage reality at a crucial time in the industry’s history. During his senior year at Boston University, Brian Zitin, along with co-founder Will Denslow, skipped class to work on a brokerage firm that used algorithms to source deals, selling $5 million in real estate total. Hyped by that success and having identified inefficiencies in the homebuying process, they founded Reggora to automate real estate appraisal. Under his stewardship, Reggora essentially tripled in size over the last 12 months in regards to employee headcount and lender customers.

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Freedom Mortgage congratulates Michael Middleman for his exceptional leadership. Michael Middleman Executive Vice President Freedom Mortgage is one of the largest full-service mortgage companies and the top VA and top FHA lender in the U.S., with the mission to foster homeownership for all consumers across America.

For more information, please visit FreedomMortgage.com. Freedom Mortgage Corporation, NMLS # 2767 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org), 951 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431; 175 Pinelawn Road, Suite 304, Melville, NY 11747. (800) 220-3333. Licensed by the N.J. Department of Banking and Insurance. Licensed Mortgage Banker – NYS Department of Financial Services and Exempt Mortgage Loan Servicer Registration. © 2021 Freedom Mortgage Corporation. CORP296(1121)

Michael Middleman joined Freedom Mortgage in 2013 and rose through the ranks to his current role as Executive Vice President, responsible for Call Center Sales, Call Center Fulfillment, Marketing and Information Technology. In Call Center, under Michael’s leadership, the business unit more than tripled the closed loan volume from $17.6 billion in 2019 to $73 billion in 2020 during the pandemic, all while moving his team to home offices last March. New hires were trained remotely and yet Michael made sure everyone felt connected through videos, fun contests and weekly meetings. Michael instituted innovative programs and tools which have resulted in reduced cycle times, simplified loan sale processes and enhanced customer experiences. Sales operation efficiencies improved by 20% year over year. These innovations have positioned Freedom Mortgage’s Call Center division to compete aggressively in the low-rate market and yield increased profitability. One newly implemented technology reduced the underwriting review process from an average of 36 minutes down to 9 minutes - a 4X reduction in underwriting review time. Over the course of the past year, Michael guided Freedom’s Call Center through a drastic surge in production volume. The company reported a record breaking $134 billion in loan origination volume at the end of 2020 - a significant increase over 2019’s year end of $57 billion. This success is reflected in the company’s 2020 hiring surge which has nearly doubled the Call Center division’s employee headcount. In 2019, Michael’s Call Center team interacted with over 213,000 consumers and families, and in 2020 the team serviced more than 500,000 customers! Today, Freedom Mortgage is proud to service over 1.1 million homeowners across the country, representing over $220 billion in mortgage loans. Freedom Mortgage is founded on a culture of hard work, determination to succeed, family values and genuine care for its customers and employees. As a senior executive, Michael is very aware that people make the difference. His passion for mentoring upcoming talent led to his founding of the Freedom Mortgage First Flyer college recruitment and training program in 2015, which is unique to the mortgage industry. The rotational program develops new leaders among the organization’s expanding workforce. Consistent with the company’s focus on community service, Michael leads members in the First Flyer program, Call Center, IT and Marketing departments to embrace the company’s philanthropic programs supporting military organizations through multiple charity events. Michael has also served on the Board of Directors for Liberty USO. At 35 years-old, Michael’s deep knowledge of the mortgage industry, his inclusive leadership style and his drive to leverage technology to simplify processes and increase efficiencies make him an exceptional leader.

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At Acra Lending, we offer business purpose loans to brokers who would not have to be NMLS licensed in that state. Our program allows for 1 to 4-unit properties, qualifying using rents/cash flow, condotels/Airbnb/daily rentals, and more! Acra Lending’s business purpose program is available in over 24 states and allows DSCR loans to close in LLCs.

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Oaktree Funding Corp.

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Our business purpose loan products, Fix & Flip, Fix & Hold, Bridge and Long-Term Rental Investments for single-family, 14 units, Condos, Townhomes. Our Rehab Loans & Bridge allow for the monthly Payments to be Rolled into the Loan. With our Long-term rental, we offer 30 Year Fixed, ARM and Interest-Only. The borrower is LLCs, LPs, and Corporations.

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GREAT EVENTS START AT AMBIZ MEDIA

LIVE, IN PERSON 2022 SHOWS

JAN 13-14

New England Mortgage Expo & Non QM Forum Mohegan Sun, CT

FEB 8

Texas Mortgage Roundup Austin, TX

MAR 1

Atlanta Mortgage Expo Atlanta, GA

MAR 8

Coastal Connect Mortgage Expo Jacksonville, FL

MAR 15

Mid South Mortgage Expo Nashville, TN

MAR 22

Carolinas Connect Mortgage Expo Charlotte, NC

APR 12

NY Mortgage Expo Suffern, NY

SUN O OAST M O R TG AG E E X P O

APR 19

Chicago Mortgage Originators Expo Chicago, IL 40

MAY 4

CA Mortgage Expo Irvine, CA

MAY 11

Utah Mortgage Expo Park City, UT

MAY 18

Great NE Credit Union Show* Sturbridge, MA

MAY 24

Suncoast Mortgage Expo Tampa, FL

40 ORIGINATOR CONNECT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019 40 MORTGAGE BANKER | JANUARY 2021 www.mortgageconferences.com

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JUNE 6

Motor City Mortgage Expo Detroit, MI

JUNE 23

Great Northwest Mortgage Expo Portland, OR

The Originator Connect Network is the nation’s largest coalition of mortgage conferences, reaching more mortgage originators in person than any other organization. Coast to coast, we offer many opportunities for companies to reach the front-line sales and origination professionals critical to you success. There’s nothing quite like standing faceto-face with potential new clients. At American Business Media, we produce some of the most successful and largest business-to-business conferences and trade shows in the nation. Visit www.mortgageconferences.com for a full listing of our shows and links to register your company as a sponsor, exhibitor or attendee.

JULY 7

Ultimate Mortgage Expo New Orleans, LA

SEPT 8

Great Northwest Mortgage Expo Seattle, WA

JULY 6

Mortgage Star for Women New Orleans, LA

SEPT 13

CA Mortgage Expo Pasadena, CA

JULY 21

Arizona Mortgage Expo Phoenix, AZ

OCT 11

CA Mortgage Expo Oakland, CA

AUG 11

CA Mortgage Expo San Diego, CA

OCT 18

Colorado Mortgage Summit Denver, CO

AUG 18-21

Originator Connect Las Vegas, NV

NOV 8

Texas Mortgage Roundup Houston, TX

www.mortgageconferences.com

AUG 19

Non QM Summit Las Vegas, NV

DEC 13

OCN CA Mortgage Holiday Party Irvine, CA

SEPT 1

Texas Mortgage Roundup Dallas, TX

Greg Gadson

I AM A VETERAN AND THIS IS MY VICTORY.

“My victory is proving that nothing can hold me back.” While serving in Iraq, an explosion took both of Greg’s legs. But it didn’t touch his spirit. Today, Greg is an entrepreneur, photographer and public speaker. DAV helps veterans of every generation get the benefits they’ve earned—helping more than a million veterans each year. Support more victories for veterans®. Go to DAV.org.

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www.OriginationPro.com l success@hershmangroup.com

1-800-581-5678 42

| NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE