Loan Officer Mastermind

What would make a real estate agent call you when a mortgage question comes up?

For Kathryn Pedersen, teaching has helped build that trust over years of serving her community. In this episode of the Win by Noon Friday Mastermind, she joins Dave Savage and Deborah Byrd to explain how Realtor continuing education classes fit into her approach to building relationships.

Kathryn shares why a class with two or three agents can still be worthwhile, how she chooses topics that solve problems for managing brokers, and why newer agents deserve your attention. She also walks through the follow-up that keeps a conversation going after class, from delivering applicable completion materials to answering a question that needs more time.

The discussion covers preparation, updating course material, and earning credibility while being comfortable saying you need to research an answer. Kathryn is clear that this is a strategy that develops over time, with consistent teaching and service at its center.

You’ll also hear about her community education work, her Building Bigger Lives podcast with Michael Regan, and the small habits she uses to support her own growth.

What belongs in a loan officer’s calendar before the day fills up?

Brian Manning joins Dave Savage to walk through his approach to Realtor relationships, personal outreach, and daily follow-up.

Brian explains why his educational luncheons begin with an agent’s business problem rather than a mortgage product. He shares how he follows those events with useful resources and direct conversations, why he asks for the business, and how he keeps his message consistent across different interactions.

The conversation also gets specific about execution: a protected 10 a.m. to noon priority block, a Friday goal of 100 short personal videos, and a daily call sequence built around loan milestones, referrals, upcoming closings, and unconverted prospects.

Dave and Brian discuss what to measure beyond production, why outreach needs a place on the calendar, and how to keep improving after a presentation or event falls short.

Brian closes with the principles behind his approach: accept that failure is part of learning, advise clients as you would family, and keep investing in your own development.

What counts as a meaningful conversation with a referral partner?

Ryan Kiefer joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd on the Loan Officer Mastermind to explain why his Q4 plan starts with two quality conversations each working day, rather than another push to simply make more calls.

Drawing on a personal experience that changed how he thinks about time, Ryan shares his Paid Attention framework: notice what is happening in someone’s world, ask useful questions, listen closely, and find a relevant way to help.

The conversation covers choosing who to call, opening with curiosity instead of a pitch, moving beyond “just checking in,” and identifying a clear next step. Ryan also shares his simple M/O tracking approach and explains why a conversation does not need to produce an immediate referral to move a relationship forward. Pasted markdown Pasted markdown

For loan officers and mortgage leaders planning their next quarter, this episode offers a specific practice to test: make the next two conversations worth having.

How do you help a hesitant homebuyer move from uncertainty to an informed decision?

Jacob Washburn joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd on the Loan Officer Mastermind to share how he approaches buyer education, discovery calls, and consistent business development.

Jacob explains his “rate paradox” concept and how he uses side-by-side financing comparisons to help buyers understand the difference between a price reduction and seller-credit options. He also shares the “fun funnel” idea he recently learned from a real estate team leader and the questions it raised about keeping mortgage conversations engaging.

The discussion moves from client experience to daily execution: theme days, a dedicated hour away from email, and a team challenge built around referral-partner development.

At the time of recording, Jacob reported approximately $110 million in year-to-date production for his team. His advice centers on habits listeners can examine in their own businesses: clearer explanations, more thoughtful questions, and a plan for making the calls.

Recorded September 25, 2026. Financing examples are educational and are not current rate offers.

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Are you getting more done with AI, or giving yourself more things to manage?

Abdel Khawatmi joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd on the Loan Officer Mastermind to discuss practical implementation for mortgage professionals.

Abdel shares how he approaches technology through the needs of his business, from organizing team resources to preparing for referral-partner conversations. He walks through his BUILDERS framework, explains the six Cs he tracks with loan officers, and describes how call-grading feedback helps him challenge his own communication habits.

The conversation also covers choosing which projects to finish, planning around business and family commitments, and why sending an automated message does not replace picking up the phone.

For loan officers and mortgage leaders dealing with AI overload, the episode offers a grounded starting point: clarify the workflow, make it usable, track the results, and stay personally involved where your judgment matters most.

What are you rooted in, and are those roots producing the harvest you want?

In this episode of the Loan Officer Mastermind, Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd are joined by Tricia Brouwers, Senior Vice President of Growth and National Business Development at Wintrust Mortgage.

Tricia shares the personal story behind her Rooted to Rise philosophy and explains how the health of an apple tree’s root system became a powerful framework for business, leadership, and personal growth.

You will hear how loan officers can use the ROOTED framework to identify what is working, own their results, deepen their most valuable relationships, eliminate distractions, and develop the one skill that can improve the rest of the year.

The group also discusses how to lead client conversations in a higher-rate environment. Rather than assuming rate is the client’s primary concern, Tricia encourages loan officers to ask two questions: Who am I serving, and what am I solving?

You will also learn:

• Why your calendar may not be serving your goals

• How to determine whether past production was market-driven or personally driven

• Why you may need deeper referral relationships instead of more relationships

• The uncomfortable question to ask an unresponsive partner

• How to simplify your Q4 plan so it can actually be executed

• The five-step path from questions to conversations, relationships, opportunities, and action

This episode is for loan officers, real estate professionals, and leaders who are ready to stop waiting for the market and start focusing on what they can control.

What if the fastest path to financial freedom is not finding an investment with the highest possible return?

Bestselling author and financial educator George Antone joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd to explain the capital game, a framework for building wealth by focusing on how capital is structured, protected, and redeployed.

George walks through the four drivers of his system: velocity, structure, sequence, and stability. He explains how the four Cs, cash flow, collateral, cash, and capital gains, can help investors evaluate how quickly an asset may support the next financial move.

The conversation also explores the role of mortgages in long-term financial planning. George explains why he looks beyond the interest rate to consider leverage, loan constant, spread, reserves, and liquidity. He also shares why he generally favors a well-structured 30-year mortgage over a 15-year mortgage in the earlier stages of a wealth-building plan.

For loan officers, this episode provides a practical framework for having better client conversations. Learn how to compare down payment strategies, help clients preserve liquidity, collaborate with financial advisors, and move beyond rate quoting to become a trusted mortgage advisor.

For your own finances, George challenges you to determine whether your portfolio is systematic or scattered. You will leave with a clearer understanding of how liquidity, sequencing, and mortgage structure can influence your path toward financial freedom.

This episode is for educational purposes and should not be considered individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.

What happens when a loan officer stops blaming the market and starts studying every point of the conversion process?

Alex Dykes watched his production fall from approximately 150 annual transactions to 52. Instead of waiting for conditions to improve, he rebuilt his business around measurable conversion standards, phone-first applications, face-to-face consultations, deeper referral partner conversations, and a clear path for every buyer. He is now on pace for approximately 200 transactions.

In this Loan Officer Mastermind conversation, Alex joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd to share the practical systems behind that growth. He explains how taking applications over the phone increased his lead-to-credit-pull rate, why his team never leaves a buyer without a plan, how he conducts a focused 30-minute consultation, and how he reverse engineers his production goals into a weekly standard of 17 face-to-face meetings.

The group also discusses leadership, scarcity, AI, Google reviews, non-QM lending, coaching, and the importance of mastering the fundamentals before chasing another shiny tactic.

This episode is for loan officers who want a more predictable business, stronger real estate agent relationships, and better results from the opportunities they already have.

What does a real estate organization with more than 200 agents expect from its lender partners?

George Laughton, founder of Everyplace and co-founder of the Laughton Team, joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd to explain why products, communication, and fast closings are only the starting point.

George shares how his team structures relationships with six preferred lenders, tracks agent and lender connections, reactivates database opportunities, and uses a consistent planning cadence to work toward shared business goals. He also explains what a loan officer must do to get the attention of a high-volume team leader, including the importance of researching the business, bringing one useful idea, and demonstrating value beyond the transaction.

The conversation also covers first-time seller strategies, personalized mortgage math, AI and database hygiene, integrated real estate services, the professional of 2030, and the story of a new agent who completed 44 open houses in 30 days and generated six transactions.

This episode is a practical guide for loan officers who want to move from preferred vendor to trusted business partner.

Homebuyers are using AI to research affordability, compare options, review mortgage information, and decide whether they are ready to speak with a professional.

How should loan officers respond?

Kristin Messerli, Co-Founder and Executive Director of First Home IQ, joins Todd Bookspan, Dave Savage, and Deborah Byrd to explore the growing trust gap between consumers and housing professionals.

Kristin shares findings from First Home IQ’s NextGen Homebuyer research and introduces a five-part framework loan officers can use to build trust: safety, transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.

The conversation also covers why the traditional “Apply Now” call to action may be too large for an uncertain buyer, how smaller educational steps can create engagement, and why loan officers should ask clients what they have already learned through AI.

Dave shares insights about the loan officer of 2030, Deborah explains how to reach consumers through life-transition moments, and Todd offers practical ways to simplify mortgage education and put First Home IQ resources into the hands of buyers, agents, and community partners.

You’ll also hear the most common mistakes professionals make when trying to educate first-time buyers, including information overload, jargon, condescension, and a lack of empathy.

Resources:

learn.firsthomeiq.com teach.firsthomeiq.com firsthomeiq.com/ambassador