Ain't My First Mortgage Podcast

Skip interviews Rick McKinley, a Plaza Home Mortgage account executive and CMB (certified in 2018) with 30 years in lending, about strengthening the account executive–loan officer relationship through fundamentals. Rick argues top AEs should lead with knowledge, clear expectations, and process transparency—not swag—while adapting to increased complexity from compliance, technology, and product opt...

Today on Ain’t My First Mortgage podcast, Skip interviews Melissa Peregord, principal of Secord Consulting, about her mortgage and growth background and how she helps small to mid-size companies solve stagnating revenue and go-to-market challenges. Melissa shares her 12-year Rocket Loans experience spanning origination, capital markets, secondary marketing, and director of bank relations managing...

Today on Ain’t My First Mortgage Podcast, Skip talks with Dionne Bass (“Ask the Underwriter”), a former underwriter who now trains mortgage professionals and real estate agents to better understand the mortgage process. Bass specializes in proper loan pre-qualification, spotting issues that can slow approvals, and improving personal SOPs so LOs don’t rely too heavily on AI tools without understand...

On today’s episode of Ain’t My First Mortgage podcast, Skip interviews Kortney Lane-Schafers, VP of Growth and Client Advocacy at MMI, about using mortgage data to drive production and reduce the LO rollercoaster. Kortney says the best part of the industry is relationships, while the biggest challenge is shifting market cycles. She explains MMI’s evolution into “MMI 1,” combining the MMI Data Cent...

Today Skip welcomes Karley Bond, a First Horizon market manager for West Tennessee and North Mississippi with 20 years in mortgage lending and active involvement in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and Tennessee MBA. Bond explains the value of industry association participation—education, advocacy, leadership development, and especially networking, mentorship, and relationships. She shares t...

Today Skip welcomes Ralph Remy, Senior Director of Client Digital Experience at National MI, about growing mortgage production by better leveraging bank and credit union branches as an internal referral source. Remy explains that poor branch leads often stem from lack of training, and urges loan officers to start with education that teaches tellers and bankers “cues and clues” to identify mortgage...

On the show today, Skip welcomes back a good friend and top producer Laura Witte, Co-owner/Founder and Loan Officer at Highland Mortgage in Atlanta, Georgia, recognized as the top producing woman mortgage originator in Georgia with 130+ million in volume and a career-high year.  Laura and Skip discuss how she builds trust and puts borrowers at ease, emphasizing respect for clients at any credit or...

Today Skip interviews Steve Richman after spending time together at the Mortgage Bankers Association State & Local Workshop and advocacy events in Washington, DC.Steve emphasizes that advocacy and PAC education need a clearer elevator pitch and that relationship-building with legislators can influence rules affecting the mortgage industry.  They discuss what loan officers are facing now, espec...

Today Skip welcomes Brian Vieaux, president of MISMO (Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization), a nonprofit that creates mortgage data standards so technologies can exchange loan data seamlessly. Brian explains MISMO’s recent Mortgage Compliance Dataset, developed over two-plus years after parallel requests from CSBS regulators and a large 50-state lender to standardize state audit da...

Today on the show, Skip welcomes David Upbin, VP of Education and Strategy at the Mortgage Bankers Association, discusses MBA education offerings supporting single-family and commercial/multifamily professionals, noting commercial knowledge is important even for residential-focused institutions.  He highlights key programs including School of Mortgage Banking, School of Loan Origination, and the o...

Today Skip welcomes Steve Beecham, a 30-year mortgage veteran, Alpharetta’s oldest mortgage broker, author (4 books, latest: A Few Big Ideas), small boutique brokerage with his son, and a speaker/coach. Steve shares how he accidentally found a career in mortgages, built a referral-driven, low-volume/high-quality business, and intentionally lives the motto “help first.” He explains practical networ...

Today on the show, Skip talks with Paul Sushereba (MLB Wholesale/Retail non-QM lead; mortgage since 2010, based in Dayton, OH) about what non-QM is and where it’s headed. Paul explains non-QM’s two main lanes: DSCR business-purpose investor loans and alt-doc options for self-employed/complex income (bank statements, P&L, 1099).  He stresses non-QM is not subprime and often features strong borr...

In this episode of Ain't My First Mortgage Podcast, Skip welcomes back former co-host Kayla Kallander. As a seasoned mortgage lender with a decade of experience, Kayla shares her rise to success, setting new personal records in 2025 with $43 million in loans.  She discusses the importance of strong systems, consistency, and leveraging social media for business growth. Kayla emphasizes the val...

In this episode of Ain't My First Mortgage Podcast, Skip welcomes Heather Arato from the Einfach Group. Heather discusses her role in optimizing efficiencies for title companies and lenders, highlights her involvement with Women in Title, and addresses some of the challenges within the industry including scalability issues and fraud. She also shares her inspiration for Title Talk Tuesday and...

If you don't know Ashley, you'd better get acquainted because she is working hard for the mortgage industry not only in Louisiana but across the southeast! Join us as we chat about her background, what she's doing at Eustis, and how the Louisiana MBA is making a difference. This one is a must listen for all involved in our industry and who want to learn from a master networker!

In the first of these style episodes, Skip discusses industry news and talking points that are important to know. 

Welcome to the first episode of Ain't My First Mortgage Podcast, with our host Skip Willcox! Today, Skip welcomes Peter Benjamin, President of the American Credit Union Mortgage Association (ACUMA). They discuss Peter's personal and professional background, ACUMA's events and initiatives, and the organization's focus on improving access to educational resources for credit union...