Jason P. Bohrer, CMB
Newbold Advisors | Managing Director

Jason P. Bohrer has over 26 years experience in mortgage finance. His main focus is developing high performing teams and achieving results through talent management, employee education, transparent financial and operational reporting, and employee compensation linked to results.

He is managing director of Newbold Advisors, a management consulting firm focused on the mortgage finance and capital markets industries. Most previously, he was president of United Guaranty Residential Insurance Company of North Carolina and group executive responsible for all domestic activities.

Prior experience includes executive vice president of SunTrust Mortgage and president of the subsidiary Value Tree Real Estate Services, executive vice president of American Home Funding and Managing Director of GMAC. Bohrer started his career on Wall Street, working on the bond trading desk of Donaldson, Lufkin, Jenrette Securities Corporation.

Bohrer has specific functional experience in securities trading, hedging, mortgage credit risk management, new ventures, and sales.

Nigel Brazier
Acqura Loan Services | President
Vantium Capital, Inc. | Executive Vice President

Nigel Brazier is the President of Acqura Loan Services (and Executive Vice President of Vantium Capital, Inc.).  Mr. Brazier has over 15 years of expertise in financial management, business development, risk management and operational management in the mortgage industry.  Most recently, Mr. Brazier was Managing Director at Fannie Mae where he developed and managed the component servicing program for the National Servicing Organization responsible for the risk management of nearly $3 trillion of mortgage risk.  Mr. Brazier joined Fannie Mae in 2005 as Vice President – Finance, responsible for various financial restatement projects and single family finance.

Prior to this, Mr. Brazier was SVP – Business Development and Strategic Initiatives of Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. (SPS – previously known as Fairbanks Capital Corp.).  During, his tenure at SPS, Mr. Brazier managed the growth of the company to nearly $80 billion in served assets, being responsible for corporate acquisitions and flow servicing relationships.  He also helped to manage the process to improve operational processes and comply with regulatory requirements.

Prior to joining SPS, Mr. Brazier was with GE Company for 17 years in various capacities.  He was most recently responsible for pricing and negotiated transactions at GE Mortgage.  Additionally, while with GE Mortgage, he was the CFO of the mortgage servicing operations, the Quality leader for the mortgage servicing operations, and the Finance leader for acquisitions.  Prior to his experience at GE Mortgage, he filled numerous roles in Finance and Business Development at various GE businesses in the US, Asia and Europe.

Jeff Cashmer
Essent Guaranty | Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer

Jeff Cashmer joins Essent with more than 18 years' experience in mortgage finance, mortgage insurance and business development.

Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Radian Guaranty, Inc., with responsibility for all operations, pricing and sales functions.  Mr. Cashmer held previous management positions with the company's business development, capital markets, international business and strategic planning groups. Prior to Radian, he worked at Household Finance Corporation with roles in underwriting and quantitative marketing analytics.

Jeff Cashmer earned a BS in finance from Illinois State University and an MBA from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

Tracy Maynard Cole
Colonial National Mortgage | Production Branch Operations Manager

Tracy Maynard Cole serves as Assistant Vice President and Production Branch Operations Manager for Fort Worth based Colonial Savings, with responsibility for the Mortgage Loan Origination Systems, compliance, business analysis and process, third party vendor relations, and training of branch Loan Officers and support personnel for the company’s 17 retail branches, 4 regional credit union offices, as well as a national Home Loan Center.  Colonial Savings is federally chartered, originating loans in all 50 states, and currently services approximately $13.5 Billion in residential mortgages.

Daniel E. Cooper
Cornerstone Mortgage Company | Senior Vice President

Mr. Cooper is currently a Senior Vice President at Cornerstone Mortgage Company where he is responsible for the implementation and management of the Company’s AOT and agency loan sale programs. Previous positions include Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Mortgage Banking for Franklin Bank and Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Secondary Marketing and Portfolio Management for Bank United Corp. With 25 years of experience in the mortgage banking and banking industries, Mr. Cooper has directly handled over $70 billion in mortgage servicing rights acquisitions and sales, has sold and acquired over $75 billion in mortgage loans and securities, has managed a whole loan and securities portfolio in excess of $4 billion and a servicing portfolio in excess of $30 billion.  Mr. Cooper received a B.S.B.A. degree in Finance from the University of Florida, a M.B.A. Degree with a concentration in Finance from Florida Atlantic University and a Certified Mortgage Bankers designation in 2005.

John A. Courson
Mortgage Bankers Association | President & CEO

John A. Courson is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Courson has been involved in the mortgage industry for more than 40 years and served as Chairman of MBA in 2003.

Courson began his lifelong career in mortgage banking working for Kassler & Co., in Denver, Colorado, during summers in high school and college. Before completing his degree, he began originating loans as a producing branch manager in a two-person production office in a Denver suburb. After graduation, Courson worked as a loan officer on both commercial and residential loans at a Denver, Colorado branch of Fort Wayne Mortgage where he would later take over managing the branch office and eventually he became the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer in its Detroit, Michigan headquarters. Courson also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Pacific Mortgage Company, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westwood Mortgage Corporation, and as President and Chief Operating Officer of Fundamental Mortgage.

From 2004 to 2008, Courson served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Housing Finance Agency, a position for which he was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prior to serving as MBA’s Chairman in 2003, Courson served as a member of MBA's Board of Directors, as well as on both the Residential Board of Governors (RESBOG) and the Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG). He served as Chairman of RESBOG from 1999 to 2000. Additionally, he served as Chairman of MBA's Legislative Steering Committee, MORPAC, MBA's State and Local Liaison Committee and Mortgage Reform Task Force. He also served as President of the California Mortgage Bankers Association from 1997 to 1998 and Michigan Mortgage Bankers Association from 1978 to 1979, and as a Director of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association from 1986 to 2000.

Courson received his undergraduate degree in business and finance from the University of Colorado. He is married to Marcia Courson. They have two children and four grand children.

Bruce Giacoma
NewDay Financial LLC | Chairman of the Board

Mr. Giacoma is Chairman of the Board and heads the Capital Markets for NewDay Financial, LLC.   Mr. Giacoma brings over 20 years of executive management experience in the Mortgage Backed Securities industry. Prior to joining NewDay, Mr. Giacoma was the CEO of GM Capital Management, LLC a company which specializes in consulting for mortgage companies with secondary marketing, mergers, acquisitions, and warehousing arrangement needs.  

Before starting GM Capital Management, Mr. Giacoma was the Chairman and Co-Founder of Residential Mortgage Banking in which he oversaw the operations of six retail offices with approximately 130 employees. Under Mr. Giacoma's leadership, Residential Mortgage Banking originated approximately $50 million per month and built a servicing portfolio of approximately $650 million. Mr. Giacoma negotiated the sale of Residential Mortgage Banking to Roselyn Savings Bank.  

Mr. Giacoma was also the Chairman and Founder of Keystone Mortgage Company which was a full service mortgage banking firm based out of Indianapolis, IN. While working for Keystone, Mr. Giacoma developed branch offices and managed correspondent relationships with takeout investors.  Mr. Giacoma negotiated the successful sale of Keystone to Meridian  Bancorp. 

Joseph Grimes
Fannie Mae | VP of Risk Management - Single Family Business

Joseph Grimes is Fannie Mae's vice president for Single Family Risk Management.  He is responsible for credit risk management, production and transaction management, and servicing relationships for the Single-Family management team in the western states.  Before joining Fannie Mae, Grimes worked for GE Capital, Dun & Bradstreet, Fremont Financial, and Aames Investment Corporation, where he was senior vice president of Strategic Initiatives. He has 25 years of experience working in the financial services industry and extensive leadership experience in credit, operations, mortgage and acquisitions, product development, business management, and quality control.  Grimes has a master of business administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelor of arts from Kenyon College.

Todd L. Hempstead
Fannie Mae  | Senior Vice President

Todd Hempstead is Fannie Mae's senior vice president – Single-Family Mortgage Business.  Hempstead is responsible for achieving revenue, profitability, and housing mission goals. He is based in Pasadena, CA.   Prior to this role, Hempstead served as vice president for Single-Family Structured Transactions where he was responsible for managing Fannie Mae’s District of Columbia customer account team that supports the company’s regional offices in Single-Family Mortgage Business.   Between 1986 and the present, Hempstead served in a number of other capacities at Fannie Mae, including manager of secondary mortgage products, assistant director of negotiated transactions, and director of negotiated transactions.   Hempstead left Fannie Mae briefly from 1984 to 1986 for the Metropolitan Equity Financial Services, where he was responsible for corporate planning, which included planning, establishing and maintaining retail, and wholesale banking operations.   Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Hempstead worked for PMI Mortgage Insurance as regional underwriter manager.  Hempstead began his career in the financial services industry in 1976 working in the Consumer Lending Industry with experience in auto, home improvement, retail installment and personal lending. 

Hempstead received his bachelor of arts from the University of Maryland. 

J.K. Huey, CMB, AMP
Wells Fargo Bank | Senior Vice President, Short Sale/REO

JK is the Senior Vice President responsible for the Short Sale and REO departments of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.  Prior to joining Wells Fargo, she was the servicing manager at IndyMac Bank.  She has also held senior management positions with other large companies in the industry, including Washington Mutual and HomeSide Lending.  She has managed Customer Service, Default Management, Escrow Administration, Cash Management, Investor Reporting, Acquisitions and Retail Production.

JK is a graduate of the MBA School of Mortgage Banking and holds the designations of Master Certified Mortgage Banker and Accredited Mortgage Professional. She also has her Masters Degree in Business Administration.

JK is a part of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America – Certified Mortgage Banker, Accredited Mortgage Professional, MORPAC Committee, Loan Administration Steering Committee.  Texas Mortgage Bankers Association – President 1998-1999, Past Chairman of Multiple Committees, Recipient of Young Mortgage Banker of the Year 1992. Other – LPS Mortgage Advisory Board, Freddie Mac Servicer Advisory Board, Fannie Mae Customer Advisory Group, Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Brendan J. Keane
First American CoreLogic | Senior Vice President

Mr. Keane is Senior Vice President at First American CoreLogic, a subsidiary of the First American family of companies.  His responsibilities include residential real estate client advisory and consulting, with a particular emphasis on investors, originators, and servicers. Data and analytics developed by First American CoreLogic, Loan Performance, and First American Real Estate Solutions are a few of the resources upon which the Advisory and Valuation Services practice is founded.

In addition, Brendan is a National Sales Account Director focusing on clients with capital, origination, and servicing needs.

Prior to joining First American, Brendan was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse Securities, most recently co-heading its U.S. Asset Finance group.  He was also a senior member of the firm’s Specialty Finance investment banking practice and headed its Real Estate-related Asset Finance effort.  Before joining Credit Suisse, he was a member of Prudential Securities Fixed Income and Investment Banking departments, where he headed its Real Estate Asset-Backed Securitization program.

In addition, he was a senior residential mortgage-backed securities ratings analyst at Moody’s Investors Service and a corporate associate of the law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.

Michael P. Lau
Phoenix | Executive Vice President

Michael P. Lau, Executive Vice President, has 18 years in the mortgage banking industry and has been with Phoenix for over six years. Prior to Phoenix, he spent six years with First Colorado Mortgage Corporation as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He was responsible for corporate operations including secondary marketing, underwriting, shipping and delivery, insuring, information systems and accounting. He was instrumental in the acquisition of four independent mortgage companies in 1998 and 1999; including negotiations of the purchase, negotiation of the stock purchase agreement and related employment agreements, and the assimilation of those companies into the existing infrastructure. He began his career with Criterion Financial Corporation in loan servicing and ultimately moved into secondary marketing where he has spent the balance of his mortgage banking career. Michael has a B.S. in accounting from Gonzaga University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Jerry McCoy
Fannie Mae | Vice President Business Development

Jerry McCoy is Fannie Mae's vice president for the National Servicing Organization, reporting to the senior vice president - National Servicing Organization. McCoy is responsible for the design, implementation, and management of Servicing initiatives that transform the business within Single-Family. McCoy focuses on process improvement, business process management, and measurement. He collaborates with his team to build the structure and design strategy to effectively execute the portfolio management business (i.e. loss mitigation tool set). McCoy's team manages and executes all Servicing campaigns and component servicing strategies, and develops a comprehensive servicing surveillance process.

Prior to joining Fannie Mae, McCoy was a capital markets executive at Macquarie Banking & Finance Group where he directed the capital market and product management activities that included balance sheet funding strategies, pricing, hedging, product design and development, and the quantitative analysis function for the U.S.-based mortgage lending division of the Macquarie Investment Banking franchise from Australia. Before that, McCoy was with NetBank as a member of the executive management team. As the Chief Capital Markets and Marketing Executive he established and executed strategies related to balance sheet management, pricing and product development as well as the bank's brand management and retail marketing activities. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of marketing and operations manager for dealer services at AmSouth Bank.

McCoy has a bachelor of science from the College of Charleston.

Scott McIlhaney
CitiMortgage | Operational Risk Head

Scott McIlhaney is the Head of Operational Risk for CitiMortgage.  Reporting direct to the Chief Risk Officer for CitiMortgage, he has overall responsibility for Quality Control, Collateral Risk Management, Fraud Prevention and Investigation, and CounterParty Risk Management for the mortgage company.  He is based in Dallas, TX and manages teams located in Dallas, TX, St Louis, MO and Ann Arbor, MI.

McIlhaney began his career in 1986 working in a full service Consumer Finance Office and during his 22 year career with Citi, McIlhaney has held management positions across Wholesale and Retail Originations, Underwriting, e-Business, Compliance, Securitizations and Risk Management.  The Operational Risk team has been responsible for extensive work with Fraud and Collateral scoring tools improving pre-fund detection and loan loss avoidance.

McIlhaney is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in Business Management Information Systems.

Claudia J. Merkle
PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. | VP, National Account Operations & Risk

Claudia Merkle is Vice President, National and Regional Account Operations & Risk for PMI Mortgage Insurance Co.  She is responsible for managing risk and operations for the Top National Lenders and Regional Correspondents for PMI.  By working directly with Lenders to evaluate loan performance, underwriting policies and products, as well as quality assurance procedures, together they are helping consumers achieve sustainable home ownership.  Claudia joined PMI in 1996 as Managing Director for the Northeast Region managing sales, operations and contract underwriting.  She has been in her present position since 2004.

Robert Padgett
Freddie Mac | VP DAM Strategy and Initiative Management

Robert Padgett was named vice president of Default Asset Management (DAM) Strategy and Initiative Management in December 2009. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading strategic planning and delivery efforts for processes and initiatives affecting DAM operations, and overseeing these efforts’ impacts across the company. These initiatives address federal directives, as well as regulatory and statutory changes impacting all lines of non-performing loans. His organization includes personnel in DAM Operations Change Management, Initiatives Delivery, Process Analytics, File Quality Review, Borrower Outreach and Education, and Risk Management/Control.

Mr. Padgett has been in the mortgage banking industry for more than 25 years and has been with Freddie Mac since 1992. His career with the company began in the Multifamily Division, where he was a loan underwriter. He moved into Single Family Operations in the Loss Mitigation Department, and then into the Credit Risk Oversight Division, where he was responsible for oversight of the Single Family Operations, Structured Finance, Multifamily, and Real Estate Asset-Backed Portfolio Divisions. Mr. Padgett returned to the Loss Mitigation group in 2004 as the director of Non-Performing Loans. Mr. Padgett was named senior director of Non-Performing Loans in June 2008 and then senior director of Strategy and Initiative Management.

Mr. Padgett holds a B.S. in finance from Florida State University and has completed graduate work at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Thomas M. Piercy
Interactive Mortgage Advisors, LLC| Managing Member

Thomas Piercy,  has enjoyed a highly productive career in the mortgage industry as an advisor, consultant, and transaction pioneer. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated a remarkably broad resume of experience and expertise, which in combination with over 400 directly managed transactions constituting over $400 billion in value, Tom has earned his reputation and distinction as one of the preeminent transaction advisors to the industry.

Tom is the Managing Member of Interactive Mortgage Advisors, a consulting and advisory firm that he co-founded in 2001 that provides a variety of services to the mortgage industry including: seller representation related to whole loans, REOs, and servicing rights; buyer representation related to entity acquisitions, whole loans, REOs, and servicing rights; structuring of portfolio asset management strategies, mortgage asset valuations, and market research. In the seven years since its formation, IMA has advised over 70 clients which include most if not all of the industry’s largest companies.

Prior to forming IMA, Tom was a founder and board member of Matrix Bancorp, a unitary thrift holding company comprised of a billion dollar savings and loan, full-service mortgage banking platform, investment bank, as well as other associated subsidiaries. As CEO of the Capital Markets unit, he oversaw the trading functions of this institution and a staff of approximately thirty finance professionals.

Under his guidance, this group managed the purchase of over $350 million mortgage assets for the bank ,brokered over $450 billion of servicing rights (over $70 billion a year),and developed the distinction as the leading servicing broker and servicing valuation advisor to the mortgage industry. Tom also distinguished himself as industry innovator during this time by introducing the concept of forward bulk servicing trades to the mortgage industry. His efforts were instrumental in furthering bulk forward trades as a common practice. At Matrix, Tom also served as an advisor to the RTC, and in this role gained considerable experience and insight into the interworkings of the Federal Government and the process by which to effectively acquire assets from them.

Shane Ross
Litton Loan Servicing LP |Chief Operating Officer

Shane Ross joined Houston, Texas based Litton Loan Servicing LP in December 2000 to develop an Account Management department responsible for managing strategic client relationships, default analytics, and reporting.  In 2007 Shane assumed the responsibilities of Litton’s default servicing operations including collections, loss mitigation, foreclosure and real estate management.  Shane was named Chief Operating Officer of Litton in June of 2008.  Shane is currently responsible for managing Litton’s servicing operations.  Shane and his team have been instrumental in developing servicing strategies and technology aimed at reducing credit losses for investors while at the same time preserving homeownership for customers.

Faith Arnold Schwartz
HOPE NOW Alliance | Executive Director

Ms. Schwartz leads the day to day operations and management of the HOPE NOW Alliance, a non-profit coalition of nationwide servicers/lenders, investors, counselors and other mortgage market participants.  Ms. Schwartz serves as an industry spokesperson around foreclosure prevention and has given testimony to several congressional hearings and has conducted interviews in print and on radio and television.

Based in Washington, D.C. throughout her career, Schwartz has been active in industry activities focused on combating predatory lending. Prior to joining HOPE NOW, Schwartz served as senior vice president of Public Affairs and Enterprise Risk Management at Option One Mortgage Corporation, a
Subsidiary of H&R Block Inc.   

Schwartz was Director of Sales/National Lending and Alternative Markets, for Freddie Mac in McLean, Va.  At Freddie Mac, she led cross divisional efforts to combat predatory lending through new programs, new products and targeted policies that impacted the market.  She became a recognized industry expert and leader in finding solutions to the problem.

Dennis G. Stowe
Residential Credit Solutions, Inc. | President and CEO

Mr. Stowe served as President and COO for Saxon Capital, Inc. He joined Saxon in 1994 as President and CEO of its affiliate Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc. to build the company’s sub-prime mortgage servicing operation. Mr. Stowe led the growth of the platform from a staff of eighteen employees servicing under $1 billion in assets to three hundred professionals servicing approximately $12 billion in assets prior to his departure. Mr. Stowe directed the development of the company’s policy and procedures, training program and proprietary technology in support of Loss mitigation and Default Asset Management achieving above average ratings as a Primary Sub Prime Residential Servicer and an average Special Servicer rating.

Prior to joining Saxon Mr. Stowe led the liquidation efforts of Goldome Credit Corporation, a sub-prime lending and servicing subsidiary of the failed Goldome Bank, for Niagara Portfolio Management.

Tim Stern
Lenders One Mortgage Cooperative | President

Tim Stern is co-founder and President of Lenders One, an alliance of national mortgage bankers, where his primary roles revolve around two areas – membership growth and member experience. He is responsible for overseeing the acquisition of qualified mortgage bankers to join the cooperative, as well as ensuring that member companies get the utmost value out of their membership. Utilizing his extensive background in the mortgage and real estate finance industries, Stern has helped position the company as the largest alliance of mortgage bankers and collectively the ninth largest mortgage originator in the United States.  

Throughout his 15 years in the real estate and real estate finance industry, Stern acquired exceptional experience in the real estate and mortgage industries. Before establishing Lenders One with Scott Stern and Barry Sandweiss in 2000, Stern was in the real estate and finance business at Solon Gershman Inc. While there, he was involved in the leasing and sales of over five million square feet of commercial real estate transactions.

Prior to the his career at Gershman, Stern co-founded WCB Inc., a sports and event marketing firm, with Barry Sandweiss. The firm created and managed basketball events in 16 U.S. cities that raised over $1 million for charities, and was a close partner of ICG (Inner-City Games) Chicago/Atlanta, an event chaired by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover.

Stern started his professional career at Julien J. Studley, a commercial real estate company based in Chicago, IL. While there he exclusively represented tenants in over one million square feet of office leasing transactions. In 1993, he was awarded the “Rookie of the Year” award.

Stern plays an active role in National Association of Independent Mortgage Bankers (NAIMB) ongoing efforts to advocate legislation that is beneficial to Lenders One members and independent mortgage bankers everywhere. He is also an active member the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), National Association of Realtors (NAR), and is a licensed member of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).

Stern is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He currently resides in St. Louis with his wife Julie and his four daughters.

Garrison Wynn - keynote
Motivational speaker Garrison Wynn helps people learn how to make the jump from being great at what they do to understanding and developing the qualities it takes to be chosen for the job. He gets them to understand why their products, services, or leadership styles — or those of their competitors — are selected. As he says, “If the world agreed on what's best, everybody would choose the best and nothing else would be considered. Decision making doesn't work that way.”

As a motivational speaker, advisor, author and entertainer, Garrison has worked with some of the world's most effective corporate leaders and salespeople, from multibillion-dollar manufacturers to top New York Stock Exchange wire houses. He has a background in manufacturing, entertainment, telecommunications, and financial services. Garrison started as a sales and marketing person in a branch office of a Fortune 500 company at age 24 and was chosen to be department head at corporate headquarters three years later. He researched and designed processes for 38 company locations nationwide, developed, and marketed products still being sold in 30 countries. An experienced actor in films and a former professional stand-up comedian, he has hosted television specials and national radio programs. Garrison has joined best-selling authors Stephen R. Covey, Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield in a new book “Speaking of Success”.