Power House

Mortgage fraud has moved from a technical compliance issue to a political weapon. Though detected fraud remains uncommon, allegations can carry enormous weight—especially when homeownership feels increasingly out of reach. The episode explores why intent matters, how accusations can shape reputations before the courts weigh in, and what this reveals about public trust and the American dream. Relat...

In this Power House conversation, Kevin Kauffman shares how Freddie Mac is working alongside lenders to meet rising costs and a changing housing market. He describes a partnership built on listening, data, and practical support—from streamlining lending processes to helping consumers find down payment assistance. Related to the episode: ⁠Zeb Lowe’s LinkedIn⁠ Kevin Kauffman's LinkedIn Freddie Mac F...

Trade associations are looking beyond the C-suite to better serve the people closest to consumers. Clayton Collins and California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti discuss how stronger member engagement and collaboration across state lines can help the mortgage industry navigate a changing landscape. From industry consolidation to AI and housing affordability, the conversation explores how associations can t...

al Tarsia of Castle Green Finance joins Zeb to explain C-PACE, a financing tool that lets commercial developers fund energy-efficiency and resilience work without reopening the whole capital stack. He covers how it can make a deal pencil when conventional lending leaves a gap, where it fits in housing development and disaster rebuilding, and why long-term fixed-rate money matters in a market this...

On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with top-producing originator and Premier Mortgage Resources executive Mandi Feely Swain to trace her career from loan processing to the executive level. She explains what separates the originators who will excel in a tough market from those who fall away. Related to the episode: ⁠Zeb Lowe’s LinkedIn⁠ Mandi Feely's LinkedIn Premier Mortgage Resour...

Zeb Lowe and California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti unpack the policy decisions shaping the mortgage industry—from the defeat of California’s proposed CRA bill and stalled mortgage portability and PACE proposals to disaster-rebuilding assistance and forbearance reform. They also look ahead to the ROAD to Housing Act and why affordable housing deserves mortgage professionals’ attention. The big takeaway...

Homeowners 55 and up are sitting on enormous untapped equity, and most lenders still don't have a plan for it. Jim Cory, Managing Director of Reverse at Guild Mortgage and a board member at NRMLA, joins Zeb to explain how reverse mortgages went from a loan of last resort to a flexible tool for older homeowners and the almost-seniors behind them. He covers the rise of jumbo reverse products, the mo...

Shant Banosian, president at Rate, calls this market “separation season,” the stretch when the best operators pull away from the pack. He leads 2,000 originators and has personally closed more than 40,000 loans and $10 billion in volume, and with rates above 7% he sees an opening most of the industry is missing. In this episode, he walks Clayton Collins through how top originators pair data and te...

Kevin Rodman spent 24 years at Morgan Stanley, rising from bond trader to partner overseeing mortgage operations as the system came apart in 2008. What separated the survivors from the casualties, he says, was culture and discipline, and a refusal to let one superstar desk run the firm off a cliff. Those lessons now sit at the core of ABL Asset Based Lending, the private lender he helped build int...

Logan Mohtashami built his housing market framework out of frustration with online “doom porn.” In this episode, HousingWire's lead analyst walks Zeb Lowe through how it actually works: why the 10-year yield and mortgage spreads matter more than the Fed funds rate, which labor data he watches first, and how he reads purchase apps, pending sales, inventory, and price cuts to judge pricing power. He...

In this episode of the Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Sean Faries, founder and CEO of Land Gorilla, a company that’s become a quiet force behind construction loan management across the country. Sean walks us through what makes construction lending fundamentally different from a traditional purchase or refi, explaining that you’re really underwriting a future home that doesn’t exist yet. It’s...

Fraud isn’t just a closing risk. It’s a housing affordability problem. On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Chris Morton, CEO of American Land Title Association, to unpack the growing threat of wire fraud, deed fraud, seller impersonation and AI-powered scams—and the costs those risks ultimately create for homeowners and lenders. Morton also weighs in on Fannie Mae’s title insur...

In Part 2, Abdel Khawatmi moves beyond the technology and explains what he’s ultimately building with it: a business that creates more room for relationships. From more than 700 YouTube videos and 250 podcast episodes to hyper-local market updates, Abdel explains how consistency became a competitive advantage. He also breaks down what he refuses to delegate, his PROF framework for originators...

Abdel Khawatmi left personal injury law for mortgage after experiencing firsthand how poor communication can derail the homebuying experience. Eight years later, he’s built a high-producing business around the opposite idea: educate relentlessly, communicate clearly and stay close to the client. In Part 1, Abdel breaks down his “Six Cs of Conversion Tracking” and explains why conversations—not lea...

On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Paul Gigliotti, CEO of the California MBA, for a conversation about leadership, adaptability and what it takes to help move the mortgage industry forward. Gigliotti has built a career that spans mortgage, technology and industry advocacy, giving him a perspective that extends well beyond any single corner of the business. He discusses how str...

The AI conversation in housing has changed. The question is no longer whether the technology works—it’s what leaders do with it now. Fresh off HousingWire’s AI Summit, Zeb Lowe sits down with HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins to unpack that shift. They discuss lenders using AI to drive down origination costs, builders transforming how they identify land, and executives now managing everything from t...

How do you expand access to homeownership without taking on more risk? On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Devin Norales, Head of Mortgage and Capital Markets at FICO, to discuss the future of credit scoring and why represents one of the biggest shifts in mortgage lending in decades. Norales explains how trended credit data and rental payment history can provide a more complete...

On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with architect and researcher Ann Sussman to explore a provocative idea: many modern homes and neighborhoods are fundamentally out of sync with human biology. Drawing on neuroscience, architecture and urban design, Ann explains why our brains are wired for faces, detail, walkable environments, and how blank facades, oversized roads and car-centric...

Does making something more efficient always make it cheaper? On this solo episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe explores the Jevons paradox—the idea that making something cheaper and easier to use often leads to more demand, not less. From fuel-efficient cars and air conditioning to artificial intelligence, history shows that efficiency doesn't necessarily reduce consumption—it expands it. Zeb applies...

On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Paolo Benzan, VP of Data Strategy at Constellation HomeBuilder Systems and Rich Swier, founder of raia AI, to discuss why the future of home building won't be determined by who adopts AI first, but by who builds the strongest data foundation. The conversation explores the hidden work behind successful AI initiatives, from data quality and gov...

What if the future of housing isn't just about building more homes, but building better ones? Crazy idea, right? On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Otis Odell, National Housing Sector Leader at HED, to discuss how thoughtful design shapes well-being, community and the way people experience home. Drawing on a career that spans carpentry, custom homebuilding and national housing...

On this episode of Power House, Zeb sits down with Larry Bailey from Mortgage Workflow Partners, who began his career as a loan processor in 1993 and now champions a simple but disruptive idea: “workflow before technology.”  Bailey argues that most mortgage and real estate organizations have invested heavily in software and AI without first understanding how work actually gets done. Rather th...

On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Baron Silverstein, President of Newrez, to discuss how one of the nation’s largest mortgage companies is reinventing itself for the AI era. Silverstein shares how Newrez is using artificial intelligence to improve underwriting, servicing and the overall homeowner experience—while keeping human expertise at the center of every decision. The co...

What if solving America’s housing shortage means moving beyond the way homes have traditionally been built? In Part 2 of their conversation, Zeb Lowe and Brian Hurd explore the housing models, construction methods and financing approaches that could reshape the next generation of homeownership. Brian explains why manufactured and modular housing deserve a more serious look, how factory-built homes...

The housing affordability crisis is not just an interest-rate problem. It is the result of decades of choices that have made it harder, slower and more expensive to build the homes America needs. In Part 1 of this conversation, Zeb Lowe sits down with Brian Hurd, senior vice president of national builder strategy at Cardinal Financial, to examine the forces reshaping American housing. Brian shares...