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NRMLA Annual Meeting 3 NRMLA Thanks Our Patrons Premier Patron Diamond Patrons Gold Patrons Silver Patrons Media Patrons Tuesday Lunch Tuesday Breakfast Welcome Reception Coffee Service (Monday & Tuesday) Wednesday Breakfast CRMP Breakfast Hydration Station Key Cards
NRMLA Annual Meeting 4 Peter Bell CEO 202-939-1741 pbell@dworbell.com Sujata Chavan Sr. Accountant 202-939-1799 Schavan@dworbell.com Meredith Graham Comptroller 202-939-1783 mgraham@dworbell.com Darryl Hicks Vice President, Communications 202-939-1784 dhicks@dworbell.com Steve Irwin President 202-939-1776 sirwin@dworbell.com Will Keys Accounting Manager 202-939-1763 wkeys@dworbell.com Laura Ross Process and Innovation Officer 202-939-1793 lross@dworbell.com Hannah Sievers Membership and Events Manager 202-939-1795 hsievers@dworbell.com NRMLA Staff
NRMLA Annual Meeting 5 Agenda Monday, October 23 9:30 am Registration Desk Open 10:30 am Board of Directors Meeting (Closed session) 11:00 am Loan Originator Roundtable—Armstrong 2 Presenters: • Scott Harmes, CRMP, Reverse Mortgage Manager, C2 Reverse • Loren Riddick, CRMP, National Director of Reverse Lending, Worthington Mortgage Group • Bruce Simmons, CRMP, Reverse Mortgage Manager, American Liberty Mortgage, Inc. 1:00 pm Welcome Remarks—Ballroom Presenter: • Steve Irwin, National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association 1:15 pm Keynote Address: The Honorable Julia Gordon Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC Interviewer: Peter Bell, CEO, NRMLA 1:45 pm Update from NRMLA’s Leadership—Ballroom Presenters: • Steve Irwin, President, NRMLA • Michael Kent, President, PHH Mortgage Corporation dba Liberty Reverse Mortgage • Christopher Mayer, CEO, Longbridge Financial, LLC • Scott Norman, Vice President, Field Retail & Government Relations • Alex Pistone, President, Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage 2:30 pm 11 Principles for Personal and Professional Growth—Ballroom Presenter: • Lorraine Geraci, LG Consulting Unlimited 3:30 pm Senior Housing Revolution: The Future Vision of Communities and Active Living—Armstrong 2 Presenters: • Tara Ballman, Executive Director, National Aging in Place Council • Scott Fulton, President, National Aging in Place Council Approved for 1 CRMP Credit 4:15 pm Navigating Appraiser Independence and Bias Concerns—Armstrong 2 Moderator: Shannon Hicks, Co-Founder, Reverse Focus, Inc. Presenter: • John Dingeman, Chief Appraiser, Class Valuation • Jim Milano, Member, McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC Sponsored by 5:00 pm Welcome Reception—Marketstreet Sponsored by Monday, October 23, exhibit hall will be open from 12:00 to 6:00 pm
NRMLA Annual Meeting 6 Agenda Tuesday, October 24 8:00 am Breakfast Sponsored by 9:00 am Level-Setting Client Expectations After Loan Closing—Armstrong 2 Moderator: Jay Wright, Attorney, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Presenters: • Gail Balettie, SVP, Borrower Care and Client Satisfaction, Celink • Leslie Flynn, SVP, Servicing, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Approved for 1 CRMP Credit 10:45 am The Doctor Is In: Learn the Symptoms Before Giving a Diagnosis— Armstrong 1 Presenters: • Craig Barnes, CRMP, Wholesale Training Director, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage • Sue Haviland, CRMP, Founder, Reverse Mortgage Mastery • Jim McMinn, Director of Training, Longbridge Financial 10:45 am Effective Strategies to Mitigate Government Investigation & Litigation Risk—Armstrong 2 Presenters: • Jim Brodsky, Partner, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC • Bob Niemi, Director of Government Affairs, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC • Tim Ofak, Partner, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC • Soroush Shahin, Partner, Weinder Brodsky Kider PC Approved for 1 CRMP Credit 11:45 am Networking Lunch—Marketstreet Lunch Patron 1:15 pm General Sessions: The Honorable Alanna McCargo, President Ginnie Mae—Ballroom Introductions by Michael McCully, Partner, New View Advisors 1:45 pm Interview with a Nashville Area Musician—Ballroom Interviewer: • Robert M. Filippone, Vice President and Branch Manager, Norcom Mortgage 2:15 pm David Berenbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Housing Counseling—Ballroom Introductions by Elly Johnson, President, All Reverse Pro, and Chairwoman, NRMLA HUD Issues Committee Tuesday, October 24, exhibit hall will be open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
NRMLA Annual Meeting 7 Tuesday, October 24 3:00 pm An Outsider’s Perspectives on Reverse Mortgages—Ballroom Presenter: • Jason Oke, Global Client President, Dentsu 4:00 pm The Reverse Mortgage Counseling Process: What Loan Officers Need to Know—Armstrong 1 Moderator: Neil Sweren, CRMP, Senior Vice President, Atlantic Coast Mortgage, LLC Presenters: • Jennifer Cosentini, Housing Director, Cambridge Credit Counseling • Justin Lally, Reverse Mortgage Counseling Manager, Cambridge Credit Counseling 4:00 pm Understanding Ginnie Mae and Its Relationship to the HECM Program—Armstrong 2 Moderator: Caroline Jensen, Counsel, Mayer Brown Presenter: • Joe Kelly, Partner, New View Advisors LLC • Tim Wilkinson, Vice President, Capital Markets & Pricing, Longbridge Financial, LLC Approved for 1 CRMP Credit Agenda Wednesday, October 25 8:30 am Breakfast Sponsored by 8:30 am CRMP Breakfast—Armstrong 2 Sponsored by 9:30 am Reinventing Yourself—Ballroom Presenters: • Jim Cory, CRMP, Managing Director-Reverse, Guild Mortgage • Scott Norman, Vice President, Field Retail & Government Relations, Finance of America Reverse LLC • Melanie Parks, Vice President, National Field Sales, Longbridge Financial, LLC 10:15 am Embracing Change: Reverse Mortgages and AI—Ballroom Presenter: • Byron Torres, CEO, Reachality 11:00 am NRMLA Business Meeting Presenters: • Steve Irwin, President, NRMLA • Joe DeMarkey, Consultant • Michael Kent, President, PHH Mortgage Corporation dba Liberty Reverse Mortgage • Scott Norman, Vice President, Field Retail & Government Relations, Finance of America Reverse LLC 11:30 am Annual Meeting Concludes Wednesday, October 25, exhibit hall will be open from 8:30 to 9:30 am
NRMLA Annual Meeting 8 NRMLA Welcomes CRMPs Lori Anderson, Thrive Mortgage LLC, Georgetown, TX Craig Barnes, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, New Windsor, NY Eric Colburn, Guaranteed Rate Inc, Raleigh, NC Jim Cory, Guild Mortgage Company, San Diego, CA David Darling, Guild Mortgage Company, Carlsbad, CA George Downey, The Federal Savings Bank, Braintree, MA Brandy Edwards, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Trabuco Canyon, CA Cesar Flores, Longbridge Financial, LLC, New Hyde Park, NY Paul Francom, Academy Mortgage Corporation, Draper, UT Greg Gianoplus. Guaranteed Rate Inc., Wilmington, NC Jaime Girard, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Clifton Park, NY Kevin Guttman, C2 Financial Corporation, Colorado Springs, CO Scott Harmes, C2 Financial Corporation, Valley Center, CA Matt Harrison, Movement Mortgage, LLC, South Jordan, UT Susan Haviland, Reverse Mortgage Mastery, Marco Island, FL Melinda Hipp, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, San Antonio, TX Timothy Kennedy, US Mortgage Corporation, Melville, NY Brett Kirkpatrick, The Federal Savings Bank, Braintree, MA Desmond Lenz, American Pacific Reverse Mortgage Group, Roseville, CA Jamie Longe, PHH Mortgage Corporation dba Liberty Reverse Mortgage, Royal Oak, MI
NRMLA Annual Meeting 9 NRMLA Welcomes CRMPs Robin Loomis, Bay Equity LLC, Tucson, AZ Jon Maiolatesi, Longbridge Financial, LLC, Canton, MI Mario Martirano, Cardinal Financial Company, Mahopac, NY Joe McParland, Leader 1 Financial, Harwich Port, MA Sue Milligan, Princeton Mortgage, Bay St Louis, MS Lisa Moriello, loanDepot, Shelton, CT Wendy Oshiro, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Honolulu, HI Tim Pearce, Finance of America Reverse LLC, Murietta, CA Loren Riddick, Worthington Mortgage Group, Alcoa, TN Shana Roach, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Lake Havasu City, AZ Ken Sawan, Benchmark Mortgage, Brick, NJ Clay Selland, Signet Reverse Mortgage, San Ramon, CA Bruce Simmons, American Liberty Mortgage Inc., Denver, CO Ellen Skaggs, Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Corona, CA Sean Skaggs, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Irvine, CA Glen Smart, Bay Equity LLC, Tucson, AZ Neil Sweren, Atlantic Coast Mortgage, LLC, Baltimore, MD John Thompson, C2 Financial Corporation, Pasadena, CA Parker Turk, Sun American Mortgage Company, Mesa, AZ
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NRMLA Annual Meeting 11 Earning Continuing Education Credits NRMLA is your primary resource for continuing education credits. While attending the 2023 Annual Meeting, you can earn up to four (4) credits toward the Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional designation. Please make sure to sign the attendance sheet at the CRMP sign-in table. Following is a current list of courses that have been approved for CRMP credits. Senior Housing Revolution: The Future Vision of Communities and Active Living 1 CE credit Monday, October 23 • 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm Level-Setting Client Expectations After Loan Closing 1 CE credit Tuesday, October 24 • 9:00 am to 10:30 am Effective Strategies to Mitigate Government Investigation & Litigation Risk 1 CE credit Tuesday, October 24 • 10:45 am to 11:45 am Understanding Ginnie Mae and Its Relationship to the HECM Program 1 CE credit Tuesday, October 24 • 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
NRMLA Annual Meeting 12 2023 Board of Directors Executive Leadership Scott Norman, Co-Chairman Finance of America Reverse LLC Austin, TX Robert Sivori, Vice Chairman Brean Strategic Advisors New York, NY Michael Kent, Co-Chairman PHH Mortgage Corp. dba Liberty Reverse Mortgage Rancho Cordova, CA Jim Cory, CRMP, Vice Chairman Guild Mortgage San Diego, CA Michael McCully, Treasurer New View Advisors Naples, FL Elly Johnson, Secretary All Reverse Pro Hiram, GA Directors Rob Awalt Allegiant Reverse Services Roseville, CA Jennifer Cosentini Cambridge Credit Counseling Agawam, MA Christopher Downey Harbor Mortgage Solutions Braintree, MA Megen Lawler Bay Docs Novato, CA Britney Luth Finance of America Reverse LLC Tulsa, OK Loren Riddick, CRMP Worthington Mortgage Group Alcoa, TN Carmalon Batiste Traditional Mortgage Acceptance Corp., Bellevue, WA Laura Cullen Longbridge Financial, LLC Mahwah, NJ Kevin Gherardi Reverse Technology Group Palm Beach Gardens, FL Kristina Larese Finance of America Reverse LLC Tampa Bay, FL Chris Mayer Longbridge Financial, LLC Mahwah, NJ Stephen Ryczek Constellation Mortgage Services Southfield, MI Terry Connealy Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Omaha, NE Joe DeMarkey Holliston, MA Scott Harmes, CRMP C2 Financial San Diego, CA Ryan LaRose Celink Lansing, MI Alex Pistone Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage, San Diego, CA Jay Wright Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Birmingham, AL
NRMLA Annual Meeting 13 Speaker Biographies Gail Balettie, Celink 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 participates on the HUD Issues Committee. Balettie attended the University of Texas in Austin, majoring in Business Administration. Tara Ballman, National Aging in Place Council Tara Ballman is a nationally recognized aging-in-place expert who is passionate about connecting and supporting professionals serving older adults. She is the author of three books on financial retirement issues, two books on aging in place issues, and podcast co-host of Aging in Place Conversations. For years, Tara and her family struggled through the evolving stages of her father’s declining health. Unexpected illnesses, unforeseen situations, and a fear of the future were their reality, with so many questions and nowhere to turn. After her father passed, she had a desire to help other families navigate through the stages of aging and proactively plan for future needs, regardless of what life throws at them. Tara currently serves as Executive Director for the National Aging in Place Council, where she brings professionals and communities together to champion aging-in-place through collaboration, education, and advocacy. Craig Barnes, CRMP, Mutual of Reverse Mortgage In his role as Wholesale Training Director at Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage, Craig Barnes, CRMP, provides training for all reverse wholesale partners. Barnes is a regular speaker at NRMLA events and has been a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional (CRMP) since 2010. He serves on the Independent Certification Committee, which oversees the CRMP designation, and on NRMLA’s Education Committee. Barnes has been in the reverse space for nearly 20 years and a trainer for more than 30 years. He is a DDI Certified Master Trainer and holds a BS in Business Education. David Berenbaum, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development David Berenbaum serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Counseling at the Department of Housing and Urban Development whose mission is to ensure that families have the knowledge they need to obtain, sustain and retain their housing via HUD's network of over 1,650 housing counseling agencies and their Certified Housing Counselors. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, Mr. Berenbaum collaborates with HUD’s leadership, professional staff, and partners to provide high-impact services to ensure that every American has a place to call home and the ability to achieve their financial dreams. David brings more than 30 years of leadership and program experience to the Office of Housing Counseling previously serving as the chief executive officer of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation and holding executive positions with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the Equal Rights Center, the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington, and Long Island Housing Services.
NRMLA Annual Meeting 14 Jim Brodsky, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC Jim Brodsky is a founding member of the Washington, DC law firm of Weiner Brodsky Kider PC, who advises clients on strategic business initiatives, federal compliance and regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, and secondary mortgage market transactions. As a former HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary, he has deep experience in FHA and Ginnie Mae (as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) requirements, issues, and opportunities, and also is Co-General Counsel of NRMLA. Jim is a Director of Enterprise Community Development, the nation’s fifth-largest affordable housing developer and community owner with well over a billion dollars of investments in almost 13,000 homes with more than 21,000 residents in 112 communities in four mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. Jim also formerly served as a director (and as initial lead director and as chair of the Compensation Committee) of MFA Financial, Inc., a multi-billion-dollar NYSE-listed REIT that invests, on a leveraged basis, in residential mortgage financial assets and that is the owner of Lima One Capital. Jennifer Cosentini, Cambridge Credit Counseling 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. Joe DeMarkey, Consultant Joseph DeMarkey has spent the past 25 years in the reverse mortgage business and is currently a consultant. Previously, he was 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. John Dingeman, Class Valuation As Chief Appraiser, John is responsible for quality control and compliance, which includes appraisal escalations. vendor quality control, client escalations, and mandatory reporting. He is a Certified Residential Appraiser in 11 states, a Registered Property Tax Agent in Arizona, and a Qualifying and Continuing Education Instructor for multiple course providers. Dingeman is the Past President of the National Association of Appraisers and the Coalition of Arizona Appraisers. He has also served on several boards, including the Arizona Board of Manufactured Housing, Phoenix Village Planning Committee, Homeowners Association and a charitable organization supporting foster children in Arizona called Arizona Helping Hands.
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NRMLA Annual Meeting 16 Robert M. Filippone, Norcom Mortgage Robert Filippone is a seasoned mortgage veteran with over 30 years of experience in the mortgage industry. He has a diverse background in supporting homeownership initiatives and solutions tailored to the changing needs of borrowers. His primary focus is on the specialized needs of senior homeowners regarding reverse mortgage solutions. In addition to his role as Vice President, Branch Manager at Norcom Mortgage, Rob currently sits on the board of Western Connecticut Area on Aging, Neighborhood Housing Services and the Advisory Council of Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust. Leslie Flynne, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Leslie Flynne joined the reverse mortgage industry in July 2011. Currently with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, she is responsible for servicing oversight. She was formerly with PHH Mortgage and Reverse Mortgage Solutions, where she was responsible for managing a reverse REO division, all aspects of servicing operations, HUD regulations and compliance within servicing and client relations. Previously, Flynne was a consultant for the SolomonEdwards Group where she was directly involved in banking resolutions and asset liquidation for a government entity. From 1989 to 2008, she served in a variety of financial and operational director positions within Washington Mutual Bank and its predecessor Bank United, which included servicing operations for the commercial real estate lending portfolio, servicing operations for the commercial banking operations, branch acquisitions and consolidation and corporate mergers and acquisitions. Scott Fulton, National Aging in Place Council Scott Fulton is an innovative thought leader in aging well, with unique access to the realities of the aging experience and insights into extending healthspan while preserving wealth and resilience. He’s a podcast host and co-author of three books. WHEALTHSPAN is next, due out in late 2023. Scott has served in research and business roles in multinational corporations and has a passion for applying systems solution thinking to solve big challenges. Fulton walks the talk, with a passion for endurance sports, having completed multiple athletic challenges, including Ironman triathlons. Lorraine Geraci, LG Consulting Unlimited Lorraine has been a mortgage and education leader for the last 20 years. She was an originator and sales manager in the reverse mortgage industry before getting back to her passion of education and development. Lorraine has not only run Learning and Development Divisions for major mortgage lenders, like MetLife and Finance of America, she has also taught and presented to over 15,000 real estate and mortgage sales professionals nationwide on utilizing home equity for retirees and professional development. Previously, she ran the education division for a major New York Utility company at the start of her adult career. Lorraine currently has a consulting Company called LG Consulting Unlimited and is dedicated to assisting individuals and Companies with growth and development resources and education for maximum performance. Julia Gordon, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Julia R. Gordon serves as the Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Gordon was nominated for this role by President Biden and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 12, 2022. Ms. Gordon brings to HUD more than 30 years of experience in housing finance, policy, and advocacy in both the public and private sectors. Throughout her career,
NRMLA Annual Meeting 17 Ms. Gordon has been both a strong advocate for and a hands-on practitioner working to achieve equal justice, fairness, and equity in housing and consumer protections. In her current role, Ms. Gordon is responsible for HUD’s policies, programs, and operations supporting the nation’s homebuyers, homeowners, renters, and communities. Prior to joining HUD, Ms. Gordon was President of the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST) from 2019-2022 and Executive Vice President of NCST from 2015-2019 where she was a passionate advocate and leader for housing equality and neighborhood investment, launching multiple new initiatives supporting neighborhood stabilization and affordable housing. Scott Harmes, CRMP, C2 Reverse As National Manager for C2 Reverse, the reverse mortgage division of the nation’s largest mortgage broker, Scott Harmes has designed and implemented the C2 Reverse Training, Certification, and Origination program that has certified hundreds of veteran loan officers, preparing them to ethically and competently help senior homeowners utilize reverse mortgages as a sustainable solution. Scott is a member of both the NRMLA Board of Directors and NRMLA's Education Committee where he has created and teaches course content for NRMLA's Continuing Ed courses for NMLS & CRMP CE Credit. Additionally, Scott has mentored more than ten percent of all Certified Reverse Mortgage Professionals nationwide through their successful CRMP certification, the highest-level certification in the reverse mortgage industry.
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NRMLA Annual Meeting 19 Sue Haviland, CRMP, Reverse Mortgage Mastery Sue Haviland’s background includes nearly 35 years in the mortgage business, the last 20 of which were focused on the reverse space. Sue is a CRMP, a member of NRMLA's Education Committee, an ATD Master Trainer, and holds the CAPS designation through the National Association of Home Builders. She has been an originator, trainer, speaker, and author, and hosted her own radio show, “Senior Spotlight with Sue Haviland." Sue is the founder of Reverse Mortgage Mastery, a coaching practice that works with loan officers who want to excel in the reverse space. Sue is President of Step Smart, an all-volunteer non-profit in southwest Florida that educates the public on the importance of fall prevention and the simple steps they can take to make their home safer. She is also a board member of the National Aging in Place Council. Shannon Hicks, Reverse Focus, Inc. Shannon is a co-founder of Reverse Focus, Inc. and a regular commentator and Editor-inChief 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. Steve Irwin, National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association As president of NRMLA, Steve Irwin oversees the association’s initiatives to serve as an educational resource, policy advocate and public affairs center for consumers, lenders and related professionals. His background includes experience with strategic planning, organizational design, portfolio acquisition, risk management and quality control. He received his B.A. from Grinnell College and his MBA from the University of San Francisco. Caroline Jensen, Mayer Brown 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. Joe Kelly, New View Advisors Joe Kelly is a veteran securitization professional, primarily in prime mortgage assets, including reverse mortgages. Before establishing New View Advisors, Kelly managed all aspects of Lehman Brothers’ prime mortgage finance agenda, including the first U.S. reverse mortgage securitization in 1999, and SASCO 2006-RM1, one of three securitizations nominated for Total Securitization's North American RMBS Deal of the Year. As a partner at New View Advisors, he provides product development, valuation, strategic advice and transaction management to HMBS issuers, proprietary whole loan issuers, servicers, investors, broker-dealers, lenders, and rating agencies.
NRMLA Annual Meeting 20 Michael Kent, PHH Mortgage dba Liberty Reverse Mortgage Michael Kent has served as President of Liberty Reverse Mortgage since April 2015. Before joining Liberty, Kent spent four years at Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc. (RMS) where he was President of Loan Originations. In addition to his reverse background, he has over 30 years of “forward” mortgage experience, and he 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. Michael was born and raised in Chicago and attended Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He has been involved in several not-for-profits working in the areas of homelessness, world hunger, and women’s cancer. Mike is married to Sandy Kent (formerly Tennekoon) another industry veteran. They have a blended family of seven incredible children. Mike and Sandy live on the edge of the Tahoe National Forest in Nevada City California. Justin Lally, Cambridge Credit Counseling Justin Lally is the Reverse Mortgage Counseling Manager at Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp., a 501(c)3 non-profit agency that offers housing, credit, bankruptcy and student loan counseling nationwide. He has been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and has been providing HECM counseling since 2010. Justin is also a HUD Certified Housing Counselor, has obtained NCHEC Certification in Homeownership Counseling, and is a PFE Certified Debt Management Professional. Justin’s responsibilities include the training and continuing education of both new and current reverse mortgage counseling staff, development of new policies and procedures, and ensuring compliance with both internal and external agency requirements. Christopher Mayer, Longbridge Financial, LLC 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 MortgageBacked 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. Alanna McCargo, Ginnie Mae Alanna McCargo was sworn in as Ginnie Mae's 18th President in December 2021. She began her work with the Biden-Harris Administration as a Presidential Appointee in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as Senior Advisor for Housing Finance for Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. Ms. McCargo's career in housing finance spans decades and has centrally focused on how America's housing finance system can equitably and affordably serve the capital and credit needs of all households. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Ms. McCargo was Vice President of the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute, a social and economic policy research firm where she led and developed evidence-based research and analysis on the U.S Housing Finance system. She helped to advance the national policy conversation around reducing racial homeownership and wealth gaps and removing barriers to accessing credit and capital. Ms. McCargo also served as Executive Director of the Mortgage Servicing Collaborative, a cross-sector initiative that identified and developed policy recommendations for mortgage servicing and securitization reforms to enable stability for the housing finance system through all economic cycles.
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NRMLA Annual Meeting 23 Jim McMinn, Longbridge Financial, LLC Jim McMinn is the Director of Training at Longbridge Financial, LLC. An industry veteran, Jim brings 25 years of experience in sales, training and leadership roles and has worked exclusively in the reverse mortgage industry since 2002. Throughout his career, Jim has worked with several major mortgage lenders including Wells Fargo, MetLife, and most recently, Finance of America Reverse. In his role with Longbridge, Jim specializes in teaching others about all things reverse – the products, the history, the regulations, and his proven sales techniques. He has a passion for building relationships and takes a special sense of pride in coaching Longbridge sales staff and its partners so that clients can improve their cash flow to have a better retirement. Jim Milano, McGlinchey Stafford PLLC Jim Milano helps financial institutions – mortgage companies, banking institutions, secondary market investors, consumer finance companies, and settlement service providers – comply with federal and state lending regulations, including the HECM program. Jim also assists home equity access startups with home equity and appreciation sharing products and sales leaseback programs: designing programs, obtaining regulatory approvals, and taking them through initial and subsequent capital raises. As one of the country’s leading lawyers in reverse mortgage law, Jim regularly reviews and designs proprietary reverse mortgage loan programs. Bob Niemi, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC Bob brings a unique perspective to achieving workable outcomes for complex matters. He uses his experience and relationships to advise lenders on a wide array of regulatory and compliance matters, including licensing, examination and acquisitions. Bob’s work in the mortgage industry began over 35 years ago and includes positions held at all levels of bank and non-bank mortgage companies. Bob served as Executive Director of the Ohio Mortgage Bankers Association Board and then Deputy Superintendent for the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions. During that time, he was elected to serve as the NMLS Ombudsman, appointed to the NMLS Policy Committee and also elected to the AARMR Board of Trustees where he served as Treasurer. Since returning to the industry side in 2016, Bob has earned the Certified Mortgage Banker accreditation from the MBA. Scott Norman, Finance of Reverse Mortgage LLC A 30-year mortgage banker, Scott Norman led the original campaign to amend the Texas Constitution to authorize reverse mortgages in the state in 1999, when he founded the Texas Association of Reverse Mortgage Lenders. He later closed the very first reverse mortgage loan in Texas. Norman has also testified numerous times before the legislatures of California, Arkansas and Minnesota to help craft legislation to protect senior homeowners around the country. He got his start in the mortgage business in Austin in 1993, later becoming President of the Austin Mortgage Bankers Association. Norman is currently the vice president of Field Retail and Government Relations for Finance of America Reverse and he serves as Co-Chairman of NRMLA’s Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 term. Tim Ofak, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC Tim represents companies in the financial services and mortgage industries nationwide in federal and state litigation and government investigations. Tim’s practice includes general business and commercial litigation, including contract disputes, defending consumer class actions, suits under state consumer protection statutes, and claims under various federal statutes, including the False Claims Act, RESPA, TILA, FCRA, TCPA, FDCPA, EFTA, and PFCRA. Tim also advises clients in connection with investigations and enforcement actions brought by federal and state agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
NRMLA Annual Meeting 24 Jason Oke, Dentsu Jason is a global marketing leader who has built and led advertising agency teams on five continents. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he has also lived in Hong Kong, Paris, Chicago, New Orleans, and New York. Jason comes from a strategic background, starting his career as a brand strategist at leading agencies including Chiat/Day, Leo Burnett, and Y&R, developing strategy for companies ranging from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, and Wrigley’s to P&G, Unilever, Starbucks, Nintendo and TD Bank before moving into agency leadership roles a decade ago. Jason spent a decade at WPP where he led their huge Colgate-Palmolive relationship, first in APAC and later in EMEA, and built one of the industry’s most integrated and awarded client teams. He was then asked to lead and restructure WPP’s global relationship with Walgreens Boots. Jason joined Dentsu in 2021 and leads the company’s global relationships with both American Express and Marriott International. He is tasked with driving client growth and service model innovation. Alex Pistone, Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Alex Pistone is the President of Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage. Before that, he was the President of Retirement Funding Solutions, which was acquired by Mutual of Omaha in 2018. Alex has been in the reverse mortgage space for 14 years. He is responsible for all aspects of Mutual of Omaha’s reverse mortgage business; from sales and marketing, to operations, growth strategy, and business development. Loren Riddick, CRMP, Worthington Mortgage Group 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 Mortgage Lending at Worthington Mortgage Group. 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. Soroush Shahin, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC Soroush’s practice focuses on federal and state regulatory compliance matters related to the financial services industry. He advises mortgage companies, financial institutions, and secondary market investors on federal and state law in the areas of mortgage banking, real estate finance and consumer finance, including requirements under FHA regulations, TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA, GLBA, ILSA, and the E-Sign Act. In addition, Soroush regularly counsels clients on origination and servicing requirements, marketing practices, compliance management systems, compensation issues, and regulatory approvals. Prior to joining the firm, he was Corporate Counsel and Vice President of Operations for an automotive lender. Bruce Simmons, CRMP, American Liberty Mortgage Bruce Simmons is the reverse mortgage manager with American Liberty Mortgage, Inc. in Denver, CO. He has been specializing exclusively in reverse mortgages since January 2003 and has been in the consumer finance and mortgage business since February 1987. Bruce is fond of saying that he's closed over 1,000 reverse mortgages and has never had a customer, or family member, ever tell him that they regretted their decision to do the reverse mortgage. He is proud of this because he makes 100 percent sure that everyone who does a reverse mortgage with him understands the pros and cons of exactly what they are doing. Bruce loves working with retirees and Baby Boomers to help educate them. Whether they take out a reverse mortgage or not, he makes sure that they understand how they work. Bruce loves what he does and loves helping people.
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NRMLA Annual Meeting 26 Neil Sweren, CRMP, Atlantic Coast Mortgage Neil Sweren is a nationally certified reverse mortgage professional (CRMP) with an extensive background originating a wide range of conventional and government-insured loan programs. Neil has been in retail mortgage lending since 1989 and has focused solely on FHA’s “HECM” and other Reverse Mortgage Loan programs since 2009. Neil and his team have helped thousands of senior homeowners and homebuyers over the span of his career. Neil is currently Senior Vice-President at Atlantic Coast Mortgage charged with overseeing its Reverse Mortgage Division and continues to originate Reverse Mortgages. Neil and his team are consistently ranked among the top reverse mortgage producers in the nation and are noted industry experts in helping seniors use reverse mortgages to more affordably stay in their homes and to purchase new homes. Neil speaks often and teaches continuing education classes for related industry professionals and consumer groups on topics related to reverse mortgages and senior financial and housing-related issues. Byron Torres, Reachality Byron Torres is the founder and CEO of Reachality, an AI tech company on a mission to revolutionize the mortgage, legal, and political sectors with cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions. With a track record of success as an entrepreneur and a published author, Mr. Torres brings a wealth of expertise to the table, particularly in the realms of mortgage and reverse mortgage technology and marketing. In his latest venture, Reachality.COM, Byron is making waves by boldly introducing AI into the reverse mortgage landscape, redefining industry standards and setting the stage for a future where technology and innovation seamlessly blend to enhance these critical sectors. Byron's passion for entrepreneurship, combined with his dedication to pushing the boundaries of AI, underscores his commitment to shaping the future of these industries.
NRMLA Annual Meeting 27 Tim Wilkinson, Longbridge Financial, LLC Tim Wilkinson, Vice President of Capital Markets and Pricing at Longbridge Financial, LLC, has over 15 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 $7bn of HMBS pools. Tim has played a key role in Longbridge’s development of proprietary reverse mortgage products, as well as being responsible for pricing across all of Longbridge’s origination channels. Jay Wright, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Jay Wright advises some of the nation’s largest financial institutions and mortgage companies as they adapt to changes in the regulatory and judicial environments in which they operate. Wright’s regulatory practice involves assisting clients in the financial services and mortgage industries comply with obligations imposed on them by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and a host of state banking regulators and court systems. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to helping lenders and servicers of HECM reverse mortgages implement regulatory changes mandated by HUD, as well as interfacing directly with HUD to seek clarification about, or revision to, proposed regulatory changes.
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