CONNECT by California MBA

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 30th episode features John Seroka, Principal, Seroka Brand Development and Joe Dahleen, SVP, Strategy & Sales, FirstClose. This episode covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

2:55 - What’s your take on the FHFA’s new 50bps fee increase for refis?  Impact on industry?

6:51 - What’s the hottest mortgage tech trend right now that you see out there?

11:09 - Do lenders need more/new tech or to better utilize the tech that is out there already?

13:43 - How have you seen the pandemic change lender strategies – both marketing and tech?

24:14 - What about the vendor perspective – tell us what vendors need to do to become partners and not just providers?

29:05 - Let’s look into the future – what does the borrower experience look like in 5 years?

31:03 - What is one actionable thing that lenders can do right now to serve customers better?

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 29th episode features Ryan Chapman Senior Vice President, Walker & Dunlop and California MBA Commercial President. This episode covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

 

3:50 - Tell us about your background in the mortgage industry

6:55 - How is the company adapting to the new pandemic normal?

13:09 - What’s the biggest challenge for operations folks like yourself right now?

17:54 - What are you hearing from producers about the state of the industry?

21:04 - What is likely to be the biggest sector hurt long-term – retail, office or hospitality (or something else)?

27:00 - Switching gears, how is the industry working to get more younger folks engaged?

31:38 - How is the work-from-home reality impacting corporate culture? What can you do to maintain a good culture at a large company in this environment?

36:20 - How crucial are industry’s advocacy efforts right now?  What’s the hottest topic we should know about?

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 28th episode is a replay of our conversation with Josh Friend, CEO/Founder, Insellerate. This episode covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

1:57– Josh’s Journey to Insellerate

3:58 – How is Insellerate dealing with COVID-19 challenges?

5:37 – Long-term impact of COVID-19 on industry?

11:22 – Borrower engagement: what are lenders doing right/wrong?

18:08 – How do lenders/LOs stay organized with their varied communication methods with borrowers?

20:41 – Is the next “big thing” better use of existing tech and optimizing the stack?

31:05 – Tips for younger professionals

35:15 – Importance of advocacy

40:28 – Closing thoughts…

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 27th episode features Terry Schmidt, President at Guild Mortgage. This episode covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

 

3:17 - What’s your journey?  What path did you take to arrive at the leadership of Guild?

6:09 – How Terry’s early career shapes her leadership today

7:49 - How is the company adapting to the COVID-19 crisis, both internally and in your interactions with consumers?

11:21 - Do you think there is more pressure right now on originators or servicers?

14:27 - Overall, what shape do you think the recovery will take?  What about the housing/mortgage market in general?

16:17 - How is Guild working to improve the relationship with customers and continue making the mortgage experience even better?

18:25 - Tell me about the corporate culture at Guild?  The company certainly has placed a high value on promoting women in leadership (and promoting from within) – how has that made the culture unique?  What advantages has that given the company?

21:40 - How can mortgage companies (and the industry overall) do more to help promote diversity in leadership?

23:39 - As someone in a CEO/President position, thinking about the future, what issue is keeping you up night these days, beyond the current pandemic crisis?

25:51 - How crucial is the advocacy work of groups like the California MBA and the MBA these days?

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 26th episode features Douglas G. Duncan, SVP, Chief Economist, Fannie Mae. This episode covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

 

3:23 – What’s your background?  What led you to the field of economics, and how did you end up at Fannie Mae?

5:37 – Agriculture lessons explain housing supply/demand?

7:37 – What do you see as the biggest/most important macro economic trend right now?

9:51 – What metric should we focus more attention on – unemployment rates, interest rates, inflation rates, or something else?

16:17 – What is the current state of forbearance, and how is that impacting the economy and housing market?

18:41 – What happens if COVID-19 government relief efforts end after July 31st?

22:09 – How much longer to do see the refi boom going on for? 

24:31 – What are the steps needed for Fannie Mae to exit conservatorship?

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 25th episode features Dave Stevens, Chief Executive Officer, Mountain Lake Consulting, Inc. In this episode Dave covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

3:08 - What’s your backstory?  How did you end up in the industry and how did you end up at FHA and MBA?

6:43 - After so many years in the private sector, what was the biggest adjustment you had to make in moving into government service?

9:29 - What was the biggest challenge you faced, and what was the key to overcoming it?

15:48 - What opening in the market or opportunity did you see that got you interested in co-founding Mortgage Media?

17:40 - What is the biggest change in borrower experience you’ve seen over the years, and what elements of the relationship are the same?

23:03 - Where do you think we’re at right now in the industry?  What’s a bigger concern to you as far as the health of the industry – unemployment or supply?

26:56 - How much progress do you think industry has made in the past few years when it comes to inclusion, diversity – when it comes to race/ethnicity as well as age?

32:35 - What considerations should companies make when deciding how/when/how much to engage on political issues?

37:15 - How crucial is the role industry groups like MBA and California MBA play when it comes to advocating on issues relevant to borrowers and lenders?

42:03 - Tell us something that most people may not know about you!

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 24th episode features Kyle Kamrooz, Co-Founder, Cloudvirga. In this episode Kyle covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

3:26 - What’s your backstory?  What opening did you see in the market that led you to found Cloudvirga?

13:09 - What were some of the early challenges in building the company?

16:08 - What do you see as some of the major friction points in the mortgage transaction, and how can technology ease those problems?

20:05 - What do you think a borrower’s experience will look like 5 years from now?

25:32 - Do you see lenders not utilizing enough of existing/current technology?  Is it a matter of better coordinating the

tech stack?

27:41 - What about compliance/QA/regulatory issues?  How does a multi-state lender keep those ever-evolving standards straight in a digital platform?

28:53 – One thing lenders don’t know that they should know

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about Cloudvirga visit https://www.cloudvirga.com/

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 23rd episode features Rick Arvielo, Co-Founder and CEO, New American Funding. In this episode Rick covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

3:26 - What’s your journey in the mortgage industry, and what led you and Patty to found NAF?

4:43 - What were some of the early challenges in building the business? 

8:19 - What’s the secret to building the kind of employee-focused, positive culture that you’ve always had at NAF?

12:36 - So how are things are NAF right now?  What’s your outlook for the rest of the year and into 2021?

16:44 - What’s the biggest number that lenders/servicers should keep an eye on – unemployment rates, mortgage rates, or forbearance rates?

22:24 – You’ve always been a huge supporter of industry advocacy grassroots efforts – why?

Sign up for the Mortgage Action Alliance (MAA): https://www.mba.org/get-involved/take-action-with-maa

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit www.insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about New American Funding visit https://www.newamericanfunding.com/

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 22nd episode features Monika L. McCarthy Managing Director & General Counsel, CrossCheck Compliance LLC. In this episode Monika covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

3:50 - What’s your journey in the mortgage industry?  How did you wind up at CrossCheck Compliance?

6:42 - How is the firm handling the fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic?

10:24 - Talking to your clients, what is your sense on what shape the recovery is going to take?  What are your biggest concerns?

13:43 - How are lenders/servicers adapting to the challenge of dramatically increased forbearance requirements?

18:25 - Aside from forbearance issues, what is the most pressing regulatory/compliance issue that lenders are dealing with right now?

21:00 - What about legal/litigation concerns?  What should lenders keep an eye out for?

23:05 - What’s one thing that lenders should know right now that they don’t?

Thank you to our sponsor, Insellerate. To learn more visit insellerate.com or call 855-973-1646

To learn more about CrossCheck Compliance LLC visit https://crosscheckcompliance.com/

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!

Welcome to Connect, a podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry. Our 21st episode features Marlene Chaker, Founder & CEO, AAA-AMC. In this episode Marlene covers a variety of topics around the mortgage industry including the following:

3:08 – What’s your journey?  How did you end up in the mortgage industry and in the appraisal side of the business?

5:10 – What was your experience starting a company?  Biggest challenges?  Greatest rewards?

7:19 – What steps did you take to create the company culture that you have?

8:35 – What role does supporting the professional development of your team play?

11:08 – How has the pandemic impacted your company and the wider appraisal business?

12:24 – What long-term trends in the appraisal business do you think will come out of the pandemic?

15:02 – What are you hearing from clients about the state of the industry overall right now?

16:05 – I know you’ve had some great mentors in the business, and that you’ve become a mentor yourself now?  How important is giving back like that to you?

17:19 – How important is it for vendors in the industry to support trade groups like the California MBA?  What tangible benefits have you seen from your membership?

20:44 – What one bit of advice would you give for mortgage professionals to position themselves to come out of the pandemic strong, be ready for major growth in 2021?

To learn more about AAA-AMC visit http://www.aaa-amc.net/

To learn more about the California MBA visit www.cmba.com and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode!