It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Jodi Gaines, Chief Executive Officer at Claims Recovery Financial Services (CRFS).

Jodi began her career as an insurance claims clerk at Anchor Mortgage Services in 1989, where she became enamored with the mortgage servicing industry. In 2002, she created CRFS- a company which has since grown to over 600 employees- at her kitchen table. In 2019, Jodi left CRFS to work on other initiatives, including joining the New York MBA and working her way through the ranks of the Executive Board up to President. She has since returned to her role at CRFS as Owner and CEO. CRFS is a vendor and service provider to servicers, sub-servicers, and investors within the mortgage industry. Among other services, CRFS partners with clients to help them recover funds they are owed from HUD from any property that has gone through loss mitigation or foreclosure.

Jodi’s 35-year history in the mortgage servicing industry makes her uniquely suited to explain the evolution of the claims process, from technology to the latest loss mitigation developments, and we are fortunate to have her on the show!

Welcome to What the M, Jodi!

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A huge thank you to our Season 2 sponsor, Guardian Asset Management -

Guardian Asset Management is THE one-stop shop for lenders, servicers, hedge funds, residential and commercial property investors, and government entities that need a full suite of property management solutions under one roof.

This week, we zigged instead of zagged! Typically, What the M does not focus episodes on state-specific issues; however, the current regulatory environment in New York merits a departure from our usual format.

In this episode, we address the current legislative impact on statutes of limitation, the overall foreclosure environment, pending legislation and its impact on the mortgage marketplace, and lastly the New York Mortgage Bankers Association’s role in addressing all of the above. We are fortunate to have two guests who are uniquely qualified to speak on these topics: Joe Culver, the Executive Director of the New York Mortgage Bankers Association, and Jeff Pinard, the current President of the New York Mortgage Bankers Association.

Welcome to What the M, Joe and Jeff!

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A huge thank you to our Season 2 sponsor, Guardian Asset Management -

Guardian Asset Management is THE one-stop shop for lenders, servicers, hedge funds, residential and commercial property investors, and government entities that need a full suite of property management solutions under one roof.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Steve Paton, CEO of Universal Component Lender Services (UCLS).

Steve has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Finance from Sacramento State University. He has held senior leadership positions at JP Morgan Chase, Marix Servicing, Carrington Mortgage Services, and SingleSource Property Solutions. He then founded Distinguished Mortgage Services before moving to his current position as Chief Executive Officer of UCLS.

Steve’s 30+ years in the default servicing industry has given him invaluable insight into the complexity and gravity of servicers’ responsibilities, and he is graciously sharing that insight with us today.

Welcome to What the M, Steve!

You can listen to What the M at the link below, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

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A huge thank you to our Season 2 sponsor, Guardian Asset Management - Guardian Asset Management is THE one-stop shop for lenders, servicers, hedge funds, residential and commercial property investors, and government entities that need a full suite of property management solutions under one roof.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Cesar Hernandez, CEO of Agility 360.

Cesar received his Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and has now been in the mortgage and default servicing industry for nearly three decades. He began his career as an Asset Manager at Goldman Sachs. He then became the Chief Administrative Officer and Board Member at Wingspan Portfolio Advisors, where his functions and responsibilities included corporate development, client management, vendor management, compliance, operational efficiency, and corporate financial planning and forecasting. Cesar also has extensive experience deploying and managing large outsourcing relationships in the banking, real estate, energy, healthcare, and technology industries. Since founding Agility 360, Cesar has served as its Chief Executive Officer for the past ten years.

Cesar’s 28-year history in the default servicing industry has given him invaluable insight into the past, present, and future of mortgage-related finance, and he is graciously sharing that insight with us today.

Welcome to What the M, Cesar!

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A huge thank you to our Season 2 sponsor, Guardian Asset Management -

Guardian Asset Management is *the* one-stop shop for lenders, servicers, hedge funds, residential and commercial property investors, and government entities that need a full suite of property management solutions under one roof.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Courtney Thompson, Executive Vice President and Head of Servicing at CMG Financial.

Courtney has a BA from Western Michigan University and a JD from Michigan State University. She began her career at Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller, PC. She has been in the mortgage and default servicing industry for over 19 years and was the SVP of Servicing at Flagstar Bank and the Chief Product Officer at Sagent. She then founded Consigliera, a consulting firm for default servicers.

A true innovator and self-confessed “participator,” Courtney is committed to developing large-scale strategies for the entire servicing industry. She believes strongly that a consumer-first strategy and transparency in the default mortgage servicing industry benefit investors, servicers, and consumers.

Courtney’s vision for the default servicing industry is a true breath of fresh air, and her interview is a must-listen!

Welcome to What the M, Courtney!

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A huge thank you to our Season 2 sponsor, Guardian Asset Management -

Guardian Asset Management is *the* one-stop shop for lenders, servicers, hedge funds, residential and commercial property investors, and government entities that need a full suite of property management solutions under one roof.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Renardo “Rick” Hicks from Eckert Seamans, LLC.

Rick received his BA in Government from Hamilton College, his JD from Northeastern University, his LLM from Temple University. Rick also holds honorary Doctorate degrees from Allen University, Central Pennsylvania College, Morris Brown College, and Turner Theological Seminary.

Prior to joining Eckert Seamans, Rick served as Chief Counsel at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, a role in which he served as advisory and enforcement legal counsel involving gas, electric, telephone and water utilities in state and federal courts and agencies. He also managed the Commission’s Law Bureau, with additional responsibility for drafting policies, procedures and regulations from concept to implementation. Rick previously served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Executive Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Public Protection Division within the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

Rick’s extensive experience within the arena of consumer protection and consumer advocacy makes him uniquely suited to discuss this week’s show topic, consumer protection laws and their enforcement at the state and federal level.

Welcome to What the M, Rick!

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Mark Calabria. Mark is an author, advisor, economist, and the former Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

Mark received his BA in Economics, as well as his PHD in Economics, from George Mason University. He then worked as a Senior Staff Member for the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. From 2009 to 2017, he was the Director of Financial Regulation Studies at the Cato Institute. From 2017 through 2019, he was the Chief Economist to the Vice President of the United States. In 2019, he became the Director of the FHFA.

Mark is currently the Managing Director of SEDA, an elite expert witness firm specializing in financial services. We are honored that Mark took the time to sit down with us and share his insights regarding Covid’s effect on the housing market, which is the subject of his fascinating new book, “Shelter from the Storm: How a Covid Mortgage Meltdown was Averted.”

Welcome to What the M, Mark!

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“This is a story about how you can directly help Main Street without bailing out Wall Street.”

https://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Storm-Mortgage-Meltdown-Averted/dp/1952223563

The COVID-19 pandemic upended our daily lives and transformed the political landscape. The crisis was not only an unprecedented shock to our health care system but also an unprecedented threat to our economic well-being, including the mortgage and housing markets. While the primary focus of the federal response was appropriately on public health, a critical aspect of that response was the efforts to keep families in their homes.

Despite the reforms following the 2008 financial crisis, our financial markets were not prepared. March 2020 brought another financial crisis, moderated by the responses of our financial regulators. Calls for bailouts rose again, but some were determined not to repeat the many mistakes of 2008.

As the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, Mark Calabria was responsible for leading that response. In Shelter From the Storm, he tells the story of how millions of families were provided mortgage and rental assistance―both to keep them safe and to keep our financial markets functioning. He offers readers a peek behind the curtain of government decisionmaking in a crisis and shows how FHFA minimized housing disruptions at little to no cost to the taxpayer and resisted repeated calls for industry bailouts and subsidies.

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It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M!

This week, Kent and Steve interview Jason Myers, Vice President of Business Development at MCS (Making Communities Shine). MCS is a nationwide property services provider working across commercial properties, single-family rentals, and the property preservation industry.

Jason received his BS in Advertising and Public Relations from Texas Christian University (Go Horned Frogs!) and began his career at Pulte Homes, where he worked in marketing. From there, he moved on to the Five Star Institute, where he remained for more than 14 years and rose to Senior Vice President and National Director of Sales. He is presently the Vice President of Business Development at MCS, where he oversees new client acquisition, emerging market expansion, new product growth with existing clients, and overall sales strategy. He is a motivational manager able to drive a team to reach individual potential and eclipse corporate objectives, and is skilled in negotiation, advertising, marketing, sales, strategic partnerships, and business line strategy.

His 20-year history in the real estate industry has given him invaluable insight into the market today, and we are lucky to have him as a guest!

Welcome to What the M, Jason!