This issue highlights two mortgage pros who excel at building human connection. Jaime Rhude — a former casino worker who became a dedicated VA loan advocate — helps close communication gaps for deaf clients and veterans. Meanwhile, John Pavlakovich demonstrates how mentorship and gratitude can shape a career, and why paying it forward remains essential.

Everyone’s talking about AI, but few are delivering real transformation. In this story, we unpack why generic chatbots fall short in mortgage lending — and how deterministic, transactional AI is setting a new standard for compliance, accountability, and borrower experience.

Inside the mortgage industry’s new wave of broker acquisitions with Jonathan Haddad, David Lykken, Samir Dedhia, and Jamie Cavanaugh — where deals are as much about alignment and identity as they are about dollars.

In today’s high-rate housing market, builders are luring buyers with rate buydowns, closing credits, and upgrade perks. The Incentive Era shows loan originators how to compete — not on flash, but on strategy, service, and long-term value.

It’s a heavyweight fight for the future of mortgage lending: Mortgage Bankers vs. Mortgage Brokers. Industry leaders Rick Roque and Jason duPont go head-to-head in the debate that could reshape the market for the next decade.

Anthony Marone clocks out of the police department at dawn and heads into the mortgage office by noon — living a double life fueled by discipline and drive. From night shifts to national awards, he’s proof that structure, hustle, and a little Jersey grit can build an empire.

Legacy platforms like Encompass and Calyx once ruled mortgage tech, but their reign is slipping. Tech Me Home Tonight tells the story of scrappy challengers building their own tools and redrawing the map for the entire industry.

Industry leaders Alex Reinig, Steven Grossman, and Jonathan Haddad reveal how the end of trigger leads is reshaping the broker playbook. From high-volume, fast-close strategies to relationship-driven sales, brokers must adapt to longer cycles, rising costs, and the demand for genuine advisory roles in a market where quick money is no longer on the table.

Matthew Healy, Originator at Washington Equities Mortgage Corp., and Nick Grobnagger, Co-Owner of Green Home Loans, go head-to-head on the age-old debate: pounding the pavement versus cold calling.

Ben Lavender leads a ten-person team at Madison Mortgage that closes over 100 loans a year — not by chasing leads, but by building a system that draws them in. With regular live events, podcast appearances, and a steady stream of explainer videos, “New York’s Favorite British Mortgage Broker” has turned consistent visibility (and a British accent) into a prospecting machine.