Thank you to everyone who attended the 2025 Annual Meeting & Expo.
Registered attendees can access copies of the PowerPoint slides and audio recordings by following the directions below.
Accessing Session Recordings and Slides
- Login to NRMLAonline.org with your username and password
- Once you’re logged in, come back to this page and look for the Documents tab located at the top of this page next to the Registration Fees tab
- Once you click the Documents tab, the session slides will be displayed in the same order they were presented in the agenda.
If you need assistance, please email Darryl Hicks, VP, Communications, at [email protected].
As past National Manager for C2 Reverse, Scott Harmes created the reverse mortgage division of the nation’s largest mortgage broker. Over the last ten years, Scott designed and implemented the C2 Reverse Training, Certification, and Origination program that has certified hundreds of veteran “forward” loan officers, preparing them to ethically and competently help senior homeowners utilize reverse mortgages as a sustainable solution. Scott is now in a support role to the current National Manager for C2 Reverse, Shain Urwin, CRMP. Scott is a member of both the NRMLA Board of Directors and Education Committee where he has helped create and teach course content for NRMLA’s continuing education courses for NMLS & CRMP CE Credit. Additionally, Scott has mentored more than 15 percent of all Certified Reverse Mortgage Professionals nationwide through to their successful CRMP certification, the highest-level certification in the reverse mortgage industry.
Shannon Hicks is a co-founder of Reverse Focus, Inc. and a regular commentator and Editor-in-Chief of HECMWorld.com. Drawing from his prior experience as a reverse mortgage originator and working in the financial services industry, Shannon has covered reverse mortgage news stories since 2008 when he began HECMWorld Weekly, the nation’s only weekly podcast for reverse mortgage professionals. In 2011, he launched a series of weekly video episodes, The Industry Leader Update with commentary and analysis focused on all things reverse mortgage. Shannon firmly believes an educated and empowered sales force is key to expanding reverse mortgage acceptance and increasing our relevance in the conversations surrounding retirement.
Loren Riddick is a fifth-generation native from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. After earning an associate degree from Walters State Community College while playing basketball, Loren began a modeling and acting career in New York where he was featured in commercials and beyond with the likes of the “Cosby Show” and “All My Children.” Foregoing a promising career in show business, Loren followed his heart by leaving New York to be with his true love Missi, who was attending East Tennessee State University. After earning a second degree from ETSU, Loren entered the mortgage business in 1999 and today is the National Director of Reverse Lending at Nexa Mortgage. His passion for seniors and helping other forward mortgage professionals embrace the amazing news of the HECM is an undeniable passion for Loren and his team.
Steve Irwin is the President of National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). In this role, Steve provides oversight to the association’s initiatives to serve as an educational resource, policy advocate, and public affairs center for consumers, lenders and related professionals. Steve works to enhance NRMLA’s presence in the political debate affecting a number of issues that impact member companies’ ability to serve the nation’s senior citizens. His extensive background includes experience as a senior executive charged with strategic planning, organizational design, portfolio acquisition, risk management, and quality control. In Steve’s 30-year tenure in the reverse mortgage field, he has directed operations by identifying key drivers and risks, re-engineered business processes, and devised initiatives for creating best-in-class customer experiences. He received his B.A. in liberal arts with a major in English Literature from Grinnell College and his MBA from the McLaren School of Management at the University of San Francisco. He is also a board member of Solas Nua, Washington, DC’s multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated exclusively to contemporary Irish arts.
With over 20 years in financial services, a long time friend introduced Ryan Ponsford to retirement lending in 2017. Initially thinking products like reverse mortgages were a scam, he turned down the opportunity multiple times until he was finally challenged to just do the math. Shortly after recognizing the impact accessing home equity could have on retirement planning, Ryan began designing content, meeting with financial professionals, and assisting the lending industry in communicating and illustrating the benefits of home equity in retirement. Now, through Equity Wealth Strategies, Ryan and his colleagues are supporting financial institutions and individual advisors by teaching and modeling the use cases and impact of home equity access in retirement.
Bill Nolan brings over two decades of experience in both wholesale and retail lending to the Longbridge team. A dynamic leader in the reverse mortgage wholesale space, Bill specializes in consulting with partners to identify what customers truly need to compete in today’s market. Most recently the Wholesale Field Sales Leader at Liberty Reverse, Bill has a proven track-record of managing multi-billion-dollar branches across wholesale and correspondent lending operations. As Wholesale Sales Manager at Longbridge Financial, Bill coaches the team of core Account Executives to help their customers find the keys to increase volume and revenue.
Jim Cory is a mortgage entrepreneur with 28 years of experience building successful, high growth teams in the reverse mortgage industry. As Managing Director of Reverse at Guild Mortgage Company, Jim is a leader of the company’s reverse mortgage division and is working to expand Guild Mortgage’s reverse presence. Jim has held a variety of leadership positions at several mortgage companies, including Cherry Creek Mortgage, Seattle Mortgage, and Fannie Mae. Jim currently serves as the Co-Chair of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association and has served on its Board of Directors since 2011. Jim also Chairs the NRMLA Ethics Committee and is Co-Chair of the Education Committee. Besides the reverse mortgage business, Jim is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, and his interests include history, humor, sports, and fitness.
Joseph DeMarkey has spent over 27 years in the reverse mortgage business and is currently a senior account executive at CrossCountry Mortgage where he helps educate forward mortgage loan officers about the opportunities of reverse mortgages. Previously, he was the business leader for the Reverse Mortgage business at Nations Direct Mortgage, a full time consultant to Equitable, the Strategic Business Development leader at Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC, and assistant vice president at MetLife Bank, N.A., where he was responsible for sales management, product development, strategic business development and government and industry relations. From 1998 to 2008, DeMarkey was a vice president at EverBank Reverse Mortgage Co. (formerly BNY Mortgage Company) where he managed retail sales and government and industry relations. He has served on NRMLA’s Board of Directors since 2003, was co-chairman from 2007 to 2009 and from 2012 to 2018 and currently serves as chairman of the Executive Committee.
Michael Kent has served as President of Liberty Reverse Mortgage since April 2015. He now serves as Senior Vice President, Reverse Asset Management and Industry Relations for Liberty’s parent company, ONITY. Before joining Liberty, Kent spent four years at Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc. (RMS) as President of Loan Originations. In addition to his reverse background, he has over 30 years of “forward” mortgage experience and has held leadership roles across various lending functions, including sales, operations, and secondary markets. He currently serves as Co-Chairman of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association and is a member of the Association’s Executive Committee.
Megan serves as Vice President of Allegiant Reverse Services. She’s dedicated to managing accounts and working closely with operations to ensure clients’ files are closed promptly and accurately. Megan has been active in the Reverse Closing and Mortgage industry since 2005, overseeing business development and client services. She also serves as a personal liaison between ARS and clients to streamline processes. Megan has been highlighted in multiple industry articles, been a key speaker at conferences, and has held numerous training sessions on Reverse Mortgage title and settlement solutions.
Shelly Fisher is a Lead Settlement Officer at Allegiant Reverse Services, overseeing Team Specialized with expertise and leadership rooted in over two decades of experience in the Title and Settlement industry. Since entering the reverse mortgage space in 2004, Shelly has closed more than 22,000 reverse mortgage transactions, demonstrating unmatched dedication and deep knowledge of the field. In addition to her professional role, Shelly actively serves her community as the Ground Team Leader for Placer County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team. She is trained and certified in FEMA protocols, CPR/First Aid, Helicopter Safety and wilderness search operations. Shelly’s commitment to excellence-both in the office and in the file-reflects her passion for service, precision, and making a meaningful impact wherever she’s needed.
Tina Meilinger serves as Senior Vice President of Allegiant Reverse Services, where she works closely with settlement teams and ARS clients. She started in the Title and Settlement Industry in 1981, and has worked in the areas of Commercial, Industrial, Residential and Subdivisions. Since 2003, Tina has specialized in the Reverse Mortgage industry as a Senior Vice President. She is multi-state licensed in Missouri, Indiana and Maryland; and has received the Overall Achievement Award in Reverse Mortgage from 2003-2006.
Josalyn Pagonis is a Lead Settlement Officer at Allegiant Reverse Services. Pagonis began her career in the mortgage industry in 2001 and quickly found her passion in reverse mortgages, where she’s specialized since 2004. In 2009, Pagonis became an escrow officer and began leading a team dedicated to reverse mortgage title and settlement nationwide. Over the years, she has closed over 18,000 reverse mortgage transactions, built extensive knowledge of the unique needs of reverse mortgages, and takes pride in providing clear, reliable support to clients and lenders alike. Guiding her team and ensuring a smooth closing process has been at the heart of Pagonis’s work for more than a decade.
Caroline Jensen is counsel in the Chicago office of Mayer Brown’s Banking & Finance practice. She represents issuers, underwriters, REITs and other corporate borrowers and investors in structuring and negotiating transactions involving residential and commercial mortgage loans, RMBS, CMBS, servicing advances and servicing rights. Caroline’s experience includes structured finance transactions, warehouse financings, portfolio sales, sales and acquisitions of servicing platforms and mortgage servicing rights, and issuances of term notes and variable funding notes.
Jeremy Prahm joined Finance of America in December 2015 as Senior Managing Director across numerous segments of our business, including portfolio management, forward mortgage, reverse mortgage, and commercial business. Mr. Prahm was appointed as Chief Investment Officer of the company in April 2021. Prior to joining FOA, Mr. Prahm served as Portfolio Manager and Director of Quantitative Solutions at Green Tree Investment Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Walter Investment Management, from December 2008 to December 2015. Mr. Prahm holds a B.S. in Economics from Saint Cloud State University.
Tim Wilkinson, Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, has over 20 years of experience in financial markets, primarily in mortgages, with a focus in the reverse segment. He has experience in a variety of roles, ranging from loan trading and portfolio management to operations and systems implementation. Tim was one of the initial participants in the HMBS market and was involved in proprietary reverse mortgage securitization while at Lehman Brothers. Tim has extensive interest rate and credit hedging experience, and at Aurora Bank FSB, was responsible for daily pricing for mortgage origination. During his tenure at Longbridge, Tim was instrumental in obtaining Ginnie Mae HMBS Issuer approval, and since that time Tim has managed the issuance of over $10bn of HMBS pools. Tim has played a key role in Longbridge’s development of proprietary reverse mortgage products and its HELOC for Seniors offering.
Laura has been dedicated to helping seniors accomplish their retirement goals since joining Urban Financial Group in 2007. Now known as Finance of America Reverse, Laura currently oversees production and daily management of the wholesale and retail underwriting teams, as well as managing the underwriting scenario desk and condo team.
Robbie started his mortgage industry career with internships during high school and college at Peoples National Bank in Colorado, and RPM & Bay Equity in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Finance in 2014, he went to work at SoFi, where he rose to Director, Capital Markets assisting in the creation of SoFi’s residential mortgage division before leaving to work for TMS in Austin, Texas. From there, he went to work for FinTech startup Riivos in San Francisco and then to Mortgage Capital Trading (MCT) in San Diego. He is an avid cyclist, has visited all 50 states and numerous countries, and produces a successful daily podcast on the residential mortgage industry.
Barbara started at Finance of America Reverse in November 2020 as the National Sales Training Manager. She has been in the mortgage business for 28 years with a focus on reverse mortgages for the last 18 years. Her passion for the reverse mortgage product and helping seniors is what keeps her motivated. Most recently, she was the Operations Manager for a mortgage brokerage, Affinity Home Equity Solutions, LLC. As a producing manager, she trained loan officers, other support staff and taught continuing education to real estate agents.
Christopher Mayer is co-founder and CEO of Longbridge Financial, LLC, where he has led the growth of the company to a market leader and top-two issuer of HECM Mortgage-Backed Securities in 2023. Longbridge has worked with financial services companies to help bring reverse mortgages to a broader audience and introduced its industry-leading Platinum private-label reverse mortgage. The company has also developed a data and research program on reverse mortgages that allows it to identify and examine new opportunities. In his career as a professor, Dr. Mayer is a renowned expert on housing, credit markets, and securitization at Columbia Business School. He serves as the Paul Milstein Professor of Real Estate at Columbia Business School and holds affiliations with Standard & Poor’s, the Urban Institute, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. Dr. Mayer holds a BA in math and economics from the University of Rochester with highest honors and a PhD in economics from MIT.
Sarah Wheeler is the Editor-in-Chief at HW Media. She joined HousingWire in 2013 as the sponsored content editor and went on to be the magazine editor and managing editor before assuming the EIC role in 2020. Her previous experience includes work in advertising, corporate communications and newspapers.
Jesse Allen is President of 55+ Lending at Rate, where he leads efforts to expand solutions that that meet the unique needs of the demographic. A transformational leader with extensive experience in financial services and community service, Jesse has built and led high-performing teams that deliver results and create lasting value for clients and stakeholders. He executes through the core principle of – Both/And leadership—where confidence meets curiosity, instinct meets data, and clarity drives results. Before joining Rate, he launched and served as President of Reverse Mortgage Lending with an independent mortgage bank, and as EVP of external production at American Advisors Group. During his time with Bank of America, he oversaw the implementation of the landmark Dodd-Frank mortgage origination rules and served as the Head of Bank of America’s reverse mortgage business, which grew from startup to becoming one of the largest platforms in the history of the industry.
Byron Batres is a Certified Financial Planner with over 23 years of experience in estate and trust settlement. Due to his personal experiences, Byron has a deep and a personal understanding of what an Executor/Administrator goes through and how to provide legal finance and technology solutions to solve probate problems.
Bill Packer’s career has spanned four decades, during which time he has worked across the consumer lending space in community, commercial, and independent mortgage banks. Having worked at institutions ranging from large Fortune 50 companies to small and mid-sized players, Bill has built a deep background primarily in operations and technology. From 2018 through 2021, he served as the Chairperson for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Residential Technology Committee and, by virtue of this office, also served on the MBA’s Residential/Single Family Board of Governors. Bill has served on several advisory boards, including Snapdocs, Flatworld Mortgage Solutions, EllieMae Technology, and the Rutgers University Customer Experience program, and currently serves on the Small- and Mid-Sized Customer Advisory Council for Salesforce. Bill is also engaged in a wide range of philanthropic and volunteer endeavors. He serves on the Corporate Outreach Speaker’s team for the New Jersey chapter of the Project Management Institute (pmi.org) and is a trustee and treasurer for his condo association. Additionally, Bill is a dive team leader, educator, and mentor with the New York Aquarium’s scuba diving team, where he also teaches the professional version of Diving for First Aid. Bill is a dive master, an AAUS scientific diver, a full suite DAN and EFR instructor, and a PSI-PCI certified tank inspector (www.scubabill.com). Bill divides his time between a home in Arlington, Texas and a condo in Morristown, New Jersey. When not underwater, he spends most mornings walking with his wife and their most recent rescue dog, Bentley.
Sergey Dyakin is the Chief Information Officer at Celink, a leading reverse mortgage servicer. In this role, he leads the technology transformation of Celink, focusing on automation, modern development practices, and cloud solutions. Dyakin has extensive experience in managing technology development for mortgage and investment analysis products, as well as deep expertise in mortgage loans, including modeling, acquisition, servicing, and securitization. Prior to joining Celink, he was the founder of Aldan Group, a consulting company focused on cloud adoption by financial industry players. Dyakin also served as Vice President, Private Equity at Fortress Investment Group from 2010 through 2016, where he helped create a leading reverse mortgage servicing business. His work at Celink has been instrumental in driving technological innovation and enhancing operational efficiency within the company.
Azita Guzzo’s appointment as the head of technology innovation at Longbridge Financial marks a significant step in the company’s digital transformation. With over 20 years of experience in technology leadership, Guzzo brings a wealth of expertise in areas such as robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and process automation. Her leadership is expected to enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen Longbridge’s commitment to supporting clients, particularly older Americans. Guzzo’s vision aligns with Longbridge’s mission to responsibly help homeowners reshape their financial futures by educating them on home equity solutions and helping them unlock the power of their homes.
Thomas Martignoni is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Reverse, a leading reverse mortgage origination platform. He has a rich background in the reverse mortgage industry, having previously founded ReverseVision, Inc. and has held various leadership roles in the field. Martignoni’s expertise in reverse mortgages is further recognized by his U.S. Patent Award, which highlights his innovative approach to handling the HECM Financial Assessment. His work at Quantum Reverse has been pivotal in modernizing the reverse mortgage industry with advanced technology and streamlined processes.
With a passion for the mortgage business and the reverse mortgage space, George Morales is a strategic thinker and leader who excels at achieving results. Known for being great with people, George has built a reputation for developing and fostering strong relationships. Currently, George serves as the Chair of the Reverse Mortgage Development Workgroup (DWG) at MISMO, where the group leads efforts to mainstream reverse mortgage products by developing industry-standard models and work products. This role involves setting agendas, leading meetings, and orchestrating the development and maintenance of work products. As the National Sales Director at Mortgage Cadence, George drives partnership development efforts for software solutions at a national level, developing comprehensive sales strategies, managing client relationships, and identifying new business opportunities. Previously, as the Reverse Mortgage Product Manager, George provided product strategy and expertise for the Mortgage Cadence Platform, ensuring features were built, tested, and adopted successfully. In earlier roles, George served as the VP of Reverse Mortgage Lending at Primary Residential Mortgage, where he and the team led business development efforts, and as a Senior Sales & Product Trainer at American Advisors Group, where he trained sales teams and developed product strategies. George also has experience in business development and international partnerships from his time at the Center for Advanced Coaching, and as the Director of Operations at MobileCause, where he helped build the company into the nation’s largest mobile fundraising software provider.
Carol Ann Dujanovich is the Senior Vice President and Director of Reverse Mortgages at University Bank. With over 40 years in the mortgage industry, she has dedicated the last 20 years to reverse mortgages. Dujanovich began her career as a loan processor and progressed through the ranks to become a Direct Endorsement Underwriter. She was the first remote reverse underwriter at Urban Financial Group, now known as Finance of America. Her leadership and expertise have made her a key figure in the reverse mortgage sector, serving on various industry committees and the driving force in the success of University Bank’s reverse mortgage division.
Jennifer Cosentini is the Housing Director at Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. In this role, Jennifer oversees all aspects of the company’s Housing Counseling service offerings, including program development, execution, analysis, evaluation, innovation / refinement, and internal and external partnership management. Other responsibilities include supervising all counseling staff, hiring, and training new staff as needed, and ensuring that the program pipeline from intake to file closure meets or exceeds National Industry Standards and complies with all funding and regulatory requirements. Jennifer is also a HUD Certified Housing Counselor and has personally counseled over 3,500 potential reverse mortgage borrowers since 2011. Jennifer currently serves on NRMLA’s Board of Directors and the Education Committee.
Mohan Lalwani is the Program Manager at Reversemortgagehelper.org/Debthelper.com. He is a Housing and HECM counselor approved on the FHA Roster; a Certified Debt Management Professional for Financial Education; a licensed Florida Realtor and a Mortgage Broker. Mohan has been in the real estate and financial management for over 25 years and a lifetime volunteer for Little Smiles Inc., a charitable organization that helps children in need. Mohan obtained his bachelor’s degree in engineering at Ferguson College, Pune, India. Prior to moving to the U.S., he grew up in India and Hong Kong, where he was in the export business for products manufactured in China and other Asian countries.
Jim Brodsky, a founding member of Weiner Brodsky Kider PC, advises clients throughout the nation on strategic business initiatives, federal compliance and regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, and secondary mortgage market transactions.
Licensed since 2003, Lisa Dunn has specialized in working with older adults and the senior housing market. Lisa has a strong commitment to identify the challenges and provide solutions for her older clients, and their family members. For over 20 years, she has dedicated her professional career to assisting consumers with the real estate experience of a lifetime. She offers real estate seminars to the community as well as real estate industry professional education. As a professional real estate coach with Workman Success Systems she is dedicated to lifelong learning, and helping other real estate agents thrive. A Twin Cities native, Lisa loves hiking the local parks and participated in a 2015 charity hike up Mount Kilamanjaro to open the Minnesota Academy in Tanzania. Lisa is also the acting Executive Director for The Silver Closet, a furniture bank for seniors in need of household goods and furniture.
Six years of Military Schooling at La Salle Military Academy (formally in Oakdale NY) and over 27 years in management has molded Garrison Gross, CRMP, into a team builder. Before his days in management, he worked as an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Stonybrook in the Computer Science Department (teaching an introduction 100 level class). Garrison started teaching weeks after graduating from said University. In all, he taught a combined five years as both an undergrad and an employee. Garrison later opened his own Computer Training Company working with an amazing team of people. Since 2003, Garrison has concentrated on the mortgage industry. He and his team were responsible for giving customer service to over 600 mortgage professionals in all levels of technology. Today, he’s Director of Reverse Mortgage Operations for CrossCountry Mortgage where he’s responsible, in conjunction with his executive team, for overseeing and managing all aspects of the Reverse Mortgage Department.
Kelly McCabe has been working in both the forward and reverse mortgage industries for over 30 years. She is a subject matter expert in the HECM program partnering with sales, operations, underwriting, closing and insuring loans. Throughout her career, Kelly successfully led operations and risk teams, mentored underwriting schools to develop their abilities to risk assess with efficiency, strengthen their product knowledge, and successfully mitigated loan sales and audits both internal and external for many leading organizations. Without hesitation, she offers her expertise on many of NRMLA’s committees. She has great passion to help educate and grow the purchase program to be seen as a mainstream product. She is a subject matter expert for the purchase product partnering with many successful loan officers to build their careers solely based on this product. She is seen as an advocate to make sure the senior is educated correctly to understand the HECM program from origination through servicing of the loan, so they can age in place or buy their final primary dream home.
Dan Hultquist is the Co-Founder of REVERSE plus, a company that provides reverse mortgage sales tools, technology, and educational resources to the mortgage community. Dan is a reverse mortgage industry educator and advocate who has been writing and speaking on reverse mortgage topics since 2008. While he is best known for writing Understanding Reverse, his newest book, Navigating Reverse, addresses the challenges faced by existing reverse mortgage borrowers, surviving spouses, heirs, and trusted advisors.
Gail Balettie is the Senior Vice President of Borrower Care and Client Satisfaction for Celink. Prior to Celink, she spent 12 years at Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp. where she initially served as First Vice President, National Production Operations Manager, before moving over to servicing in 2011. Her reverse mortgage servicing experience includes leading borrower-facing functions, such as the call center, line of credit draws, payoffs, and payment plan changes, as well as end-of-loan functions, like HUD claims and assignments. Balettie has over 30 years of mortgage operations and management experience, including 17 years in the reverse mortgage space. Balettie co-chairs NRMLA’s Servicing Committee and she is also active on the HUD Issues Committee. Balettie attended the University of Texas in Austin, majoring in Business Administration.
Jared Skrabala is an industry expert who started as an underwriter in reverse mortgage in 2008 before transitioning to servicing and servicing oversight in 2012. Jared was responsible for helping create, enhance, and lead oversight programs for some of the largest issuers and servicers in the space. Jared is proficient with regulations for government insured loans, well versed in late-stage default servicing, and has extensive experience with contractual claim evaluation. Prior to joining RMI, Jared held various leadership roles at Bank of America and Reverse Mortgage Funding. Jared is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
