Mortgage Manager Playbook

Suha Zehl CMB, Founder/Managing Director at Z Technology Solutions. Highlights include: implementing AI and fear problem; knowing what you don’t know; customer for life experience and emotional connection; “shiny new object problem” and tech stack evaluation. Suha has over 25 years’ experience in the industry.

James White, General Manager, Banking at Total Expert. Highlights include: data viewed as a liability not an asset; personalization is fundamental; crawl, walk and run; 4 key data points and high tech/high touch.

Greg Sayegh, Chief Strategy Officer/Co-Founder, InGenius. Highlights include: what is leadership malpractice; if recruiting you “own” them; accountability is not micromanaging; 50% close 92% of sales and key goals in selling. Greg has been in the mortgage industry for over 35 years.

Debra Killian, owner of CLOES.Online. Highlight include: communicate as soon as possible; most important mesh personality with customer; referral customers speak to immediately and offer options to customers. Deb is a 35 year veteran in mortgage lending.

Pat interviewed Michael Hammond JD,CMT at NexLevel Advisors LLC. Highlights include: out of balance sales teams; failure to manage capacity; leveraging best practices; changing manager compensation models and training as an investment. Michael is a seasoned mortgage technology executive with over two decades of experience in financial services industry.

Mark Stiving author of Selling Value, How to Win More Deals at Higher Prices. Most know they’re supposed to sell value, but don’t know how. Mark discusses how buyers discover value and how salespeople can help.

Joe Camerieri, Director of Sales, Private Label Origination at Maxwell. Highlights include: what is really different between lenders; creating scale; variable cost model; business or product and loans per month are not efficient. Joe has been in mortgage banking for over 40 years.

Bill Kroll, Managing Director, The Casey Group. Highlights include: develop a strategy; set agenda and objectives; don’t reinvent the wheel and make sure you get references. Bill retired as EVP from the ABA and has been consulting for various companies, working with Banks and Credit Unions. Bill has over 40 years’ experience in the financial industry.

Jon Overfelt, Director of Sales/Owner at American Security Mortgage Corp. Highlights include: preapprovals have ramped up costs; most tech helps consumers; slow second—fast first; leveraging time and don’t buy if can’t implement. Jon has been in the mortgage industry for over 25 years.

Jeff Scheuren, EVP, President and COO at Fulton Mortgage Co. Highlights include: key factors that drive pricing; start with cost to originate; understanding market rate movement; what is a good proxy and be a true financial advisor. Jeff has been in the mortgage industry for over 30 years.

Rick Sharga, Founder & CEO, CJ Patrick & Co. Highlights include: future for housing is bright; follow population growth; back office productivity is key; work your database and more consolidation of the inefficient. Rick’s firm is a market intelligence and business advisory that helps real estate, financial services, and technology companies develop a position of competitive advantage and use it to drive business strategies.

Brian Koss, Regional Director, Movement Mortgage. Highlights include: dual representation doesn’t work; no part time people; raising value of professionalism and a la carte selection. Brian has been in the mortgage industry for over 35 years.

Tom Finnegan, Principal at STRATMOR Group. Highlights include: volume and profitability not a relationship; cost per loan now; free agent sales culture; production economics and deeper analysis of sales force. Tom is an experienced mortgage banking chief executive and is currently a strategic consultant in mortgage banking.

S.A. Ibrahim, retired CEO at Radian. Highlights include: winners will be proactive; intermediaries will enter; biggest impact will be AI not NAR settlement and AI in mortgage industry will happen sooner rather than later. S.A. Ibrahim is a seasoned executive with almost 40 years of experience in the fintech sector.

Mark Deitz, Manager Director of Mortgage at SECU Credit Union. Highlights include: networking community; relevant education; involvement in industry and monthly newsletter. Mark has been in the industry over 20 years.

Kevin Peranio, Chief Lending Officer. Highlights include: no dual representation; industries are specialized; impact of buyer’s cycle time; mine your own database and master one thing. Kevin has been in the mortgage industry for over 25 years.

Jon Overfelt, Director of Sales/Owner, American Security Mortgage Corp. Highlights include: social media as an connection tool; face to face matters; auto-campaign is not selling; doing what others won’t and take action consistently. Jon has been in the mortgage industry for over 25 years.

Dan Ervin, FVP, Mortgage Sales Director at First Merchants Bank. Highlight include: market share growth; WIIFT; living in the “Now” and assume nothing. Dan has been in the mortgage industry for over 30 years.

Greg Sayegh, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder.  Highlights include:  role of Branch Manager and Regional Manager has changed; 40% industry turnover; churning of low producers and 88% of LOs are doing two loans or less a month.  Greg has been in the mortgage industry for over 35 years.

Mark Deitz, Managing Director, Mortgage at SECU.  Highlights include:  retraining to purchase money market; market shrinkage is an opportunity; sales leadership mindset; peer networking matters and investing in the right people. With over 20 years experience, Mark is a Certified Mortgage Banker, a Certified Mortgage Advisor and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mortgage Bankers Association of Metropolitan Washington.

Greg Schatz, Director of National Sales, Allied Mortgage Group.  Highlights include:  target sales strategies for different generation; Gen Z is the first digital generation; leadership matters in CRA; state auditors issue and diversified thinking is required.  Greg has more than 30 years’ experience in the mortgage industry.

Tim Pascarella, President, Ross Mortgage.  Highlights include:  don’t over think it; start with emotion; how to overcome video fear; check ego for video and ask for followers.  Tim has been with Ross Mortgage for over 24 years.  Check out his videos.

John Seroka, President, Seroka Brand Development. Highlights include: need both quantitative and qualitative metrics; lead quality matters; corporate personality; social sentiment is key and must test for success. With a track record dating back to 1987, John specializes in creating and implementing digital marketing and public relations strategies.

Stephen Moye, Sales Manager/Sr. Loan Officer, New American Funding. Highlights include: two for one selling strategies; who controls lead wins; what others can’t do; Plus 1--learn a niche and develop a skill and consistency matters in marketing. With over 25 years in the mortgage industry, he was named by Scotsman Guide and Mortgage Executive Magazine as one of the top loan originators in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Michael Seminari, Director of Customer Experience at STRATMOR Group. Highlights include: takes more to have customers “love” you; what drives repeat business referrals; pulse point interactions; asking “unmasked” questions and how does Gen Z want to be handled during the process. Michael has 25 years of B2C and B2B Enterprise sales, customer experience, product management and account management in the FinTech and Mortgage Industries.

George Ballew, SVP, UVA Credit Union. Highlights include: Non-Delegated--limited by investor’s risk level and Delegated—your control is greater; “own the loan”; retaining top producers is a challenge and view your product mix. George has been in the mortgage industry for over 30 years.

Jay Promisco, Chief Production Officer, Sierra Pacific Mortgage. Highlights include: making a shift to managing costs; review data daily; act on data; review vendor stack and the importance of sales activities. Jay has been the mortgage industry for over 20 years.

Connor Bartley is a Senior Recruiter at loanDepot. Highlights include: walking into the unknown; handshakes to hugs; goals and dreams; get unstuck and “fill your cup”. Connor has been in the recruiting field for over 17 years. Check out Connor’s Blog.

Nestor Villanueva, AVP of Mortgage Lending at Northwest Federal CU. Highlights include: accepting changed market conditions; building relationships is key; value equation; tangible & intangible values and take action and have a long-term view. Nestor has been in the mortgage industry for over 16 years.

Dale Syta, Managing Director, Bellco Home Loans. Highlights include: getting the right people on the bus; back to basics; can’t have placeholders; who knows you and sourcing business has changed. Dale has been in the mortgage industry for over 20 years.

Bill Bodnar, Chief Revenue Officer at Tabrasa, LLC and Chief Market Analyst at Mortgage Market Guide. Highlights include: Loss of “hustle”; AI discussion; advisor of financial market information and the outlook for 2024. Tabrasa, LLC is a SaaS based provider of financial technology.

Jennifer Fortier, Principal, at STRATMOR Group. Highlights include: “shiny object” syndrome; drivers & outcomes; rush to buy technology products; automation is key and mock up new workflow. Prior to consulting, she was SVP of an independent mortgage banker where she managed secondary marketing activities and provided oversight of technology investments.

Nicole Poole, VP Residential Lending at The Police Credit Union, discusses Getting the Green Light for Sales Investment. Highlights include: being relevant is critical; rebuilding the shop; sell equals members’ solutions; engage employees in slower growth and build out your “story”. Nicole has been in the mortgage industry for over 20 years.

Michael Yates, SVP, Mortgage Sales Director at Mercantile Bank of Michigan. Highlights include: keeping focus on the NOW; structure equals discipline; importance of being coachable; creating your own success and LO’s business model. Michael has been in the mortgage industry for over 20 years.

David Burruss is MSR Sales Director at Mortgage Capital Trading (MCT). Highlights include: current MSR trends; assumptions matter to regulators; three guardrails; rise of smaller transactions and the Wall Street buyer. David is a top sales and marketing executive with a proven track record of outstanding accomplishment in the mortgage industry for over 25 years.

Terry Lancaster is author of How to Sell More Cars. One of Terry’s key points is that social media is not an advertising platform but it is actually a communication and connectivity platform like the telephone. Highlights of the Deep Dive interview are: develop your own tribe; who knows you—be known before found; easier the sale the more profitable and AI is changing everything. Terry has authored three #1 best-selling books: BETTER! Self Help for the Rest of Us, How to Sell More Cars, and Unstuck. He is a contributing writer for Forbes and he has been a featured speaker at TedX, The National Association of Broadcasters, and the National Automobile Dealers Association.

John Seroka, President, Seroka Brand Development. Highlights include: trust factor is key; segment emails by needs and pain points; consistent uncanned approach; use of data to segment and do more with less in today’s marketplace. With over 20 years’ experience, John’s company focuses on marketing, digital marketing, social media and and public relations for the mortgage and real estate industries. John was a former mortgage loan originator and past Chair of the California MBA Mortgage Innovation Committee.

Stephanie McGuire, SVP of Lending at AmeriCU. Highlights include: right staff is key; test and verify; investment in your people makes the biggest difference; having partners who align is critical and turn and pull-through is a key measurement. Stephanie has been in the mortgage industry for over 30 years.

Andrew Clarkson CMB, VP National Mortgage Production at UnitedFedCU, talks about Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone. Highlights include: WINS-what is important now; key is time blocking; “Hunters” market; get an accountability partner and identify strengths and what you can change. Andrew has been in the mortgage industry for over 15 years.

Marty Garrity, President of Coast One Mortgage LLC, talks about Helping Realtors Do More Business. Highlights include: vision and activities matter; don’t ignore top producers; importance of performance management and personal relationships matter—work, work, work. Marty has had long successful career in the mortgage business for over 30 years.

Adam Neft, Sales Manager at Go Mortgage discusses Developing a Successful Sales Process. Highlights include: keeping team motivated; reputation matters today; repeatable process is key; sales sequence is organized and consistent and if it doesn’t work—Change It. Adam has been in the mortgage industry since 2012 and has held roles ranging from loan officer to sales trainer to branch manager.

David Ocasio Ross, AVP Mortgage Sales at AmeriCU talks about Getting LOs to go Digital. Highlights include: start small; why resist: why not try; videos work when I don’t and shared videos are key. David has over a decade of experience in Sales, Management and Business Development. He joined AmeriCU in May of 2022 to lead their mortgage sales team.

Brian Morley, SVP and Director of Sales and Marketing at Fulton Mortgage discusses Developing the Next Generation of Leadership Skills. Highlights include: servant leadership; creating value today; opportunistic market; “herding cats” and why do you want to manage. Brian has spent over 18 years with The Columbia Bank and Fulton Mortgage Company. Brian has spent over 18 years with The Columbia Bank and Fulton Mortgage Company overseeing the development and execution of strategic initiatives to help promote growth and retention.

Jess Lederman, Editor, The Mortgage Professional’s Handbook: Succeeding in a New World of Mortgage Finance talks about his recent book. Highlights include: near term opportunity is irresistible; volatility commandos; alternative strategies; paranoia reigns and cash is king. Jess is an icon in the mortgage industry and started four national mortgage companies. The Handbook has raised over $160,000 for the ALS, The MBA Foundation's Open Doors program and MYHouse. The Handbook is available at www.mortgagebanking2020.com. Use Coupon code: QFS.

Jim Deitch CPA,CMB, Co-Founder and CEO of Teraverde discusses Is Your Current Business Model Sustainable? Highlights include: robust purchase money opportunity; sustainability is operating profitability in good and bad markets; long-term housing outlook is strong and developing personnel is key. Jim is described as a serial entrepreneur, having founded over a dozen successful businesses. Most recently, he co-founded Teraverde to serve the financial services industry. He is also author of three #1 Best Selling Amazon New Releases: “Digitally Transforming the Mortgage Banking Industry", “Strategically Transforming the Mortgage Banking Industry” and “Disruptive Fintech”, released in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Pat interviews Marlene Schwoyer, EVP/Regional Sales Manager at Fulton Mortgage Co. on Using Facebook to Generate a LO’s Personal Brand. Highlights include: always take the high road with business partners and consumers; importance of sales activities; one hour many touches and just be active. Marlene has over 35 years’ experience in the mortgage industry.

Cindy Waldron, VP, Research & Analytics in the Single-Family Client & Community Engagement at Freddie Mac talks about the Mortgage Ready Report. Highlights include: Mortgage Ready is a large opportunity; first-time-homebuyers affordability map; downpayment challenges; new downpayment solutions and borrowers Smart Access. Cindy has over 25 years of experience in the mortgage and financial services industries.

Carmen Mercado, Director, Single Family Mission and Community Engagement at Freddie Mac discusses Affordable Housing and Real Estate Professionals. Highlights include: changing demographics is great opportunity; millenniums are most diverse group; realtors as trusted experts; rethink how to do business and housing counseling partnership. Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Carmen was a real estate agent, broker manager and trainer. She was featured by Housing Wire as one of the “25 Most Influential Women in the Housing Economy”.

Kurt Blumthal, VP and Senior Mortgage Banker at Ameris Bank talks about Improv and Selling!. Highlights include: cyclical amnesia; buyers uncertainty; “love this house but”; back to basics and Yes And. Kurt has been a sales leader and top producer for over 25 years. He recently joined an improv group and he shares how improv has made him a better originator and leader.

Adal Bisharat, CEO of GoalKloud discusses Digital Transformation in Coaching. Adal talks about goal management technology for the mortgage industry. Highlights include: sales is a formula with critical steps; peer accountability; scoreboard and gamification and accountability partner in coaching. Over the past 25 years, Adal has been an innovator in the area of strategy execution and productivity breakthroughs in the mortgage industry.