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!***************************************************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! ***************************************************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! ****************************************************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!****************************************“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.***************************************

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!

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve are honored to bring you an interview with the Honorable Annette M. Rizzo. Judge Rizzo was gracious enough to drop by to discuss mortgage foreclosure mediation programs, how the model was developed for courts, the success rates seen by these programs, and how the model program spread throughout the United States.Judge Rizzo served as a Judge in the First Judicial District of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 16 years, with the majority of that time spent in the Civil Major Jury Trial Program. Prior to her tenure on the bench, she worked in both the public and private sectors. Her many roles included litigating at the oldest continuous law firm in the United States, serving as Senior Counsel at a global insurance firm, and serving as an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia.In 2008, Judge Rizzo developed the Philadelphia Court’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program. This program, which continues to thrive today, is a pioneering achievement that brings together homeowners, lenders, attorneys, and housing counselors in an effort to keep city residents in their homes. The program has been a model for similar programs in Pennsylvania and in other jurisdictions and six other states.Judge Rizzo has since testified about the Program before TARP, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the U.S. House of Representatives. She continues to speak nationally about the program at trainings for the judiciary, mortgage finance companies, public interest entities, lender servicers, and government agencies including the Federal Reserve, FTC, FDIC, CFPB, the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, NeighborWorks America and many others. Internationally, our guest participated in a European Union Conference and CLE program in Italy regarding the merits of Alternative Dispute Resolution, the Foreclosure Diversion Program, and international mediation systems.At the invitation of Philadelphia’s City Council in 2020, our guest joined a creative team that developed an innovative Eviction Prevention & Diversion Program modeled after the successful Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program. In her spare time, our guest serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Temple University School of Law State Court Clinical Program, which she developed in 2007.Welcome to the podcast, Judge Rizzo!*******************************************************What The M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik, and produced and edited by Sarah Noel Sheffield.

This week on What the M, we have a very special guest…host!  With Kent out of the office, his law partner, Brooke Sanchez (literally) stepped up to the mic! Brooke is not only the Managing Partner of McPhail Sanchez, LLC, she is also the firm’s Managing Bankruptcy Attorney. Naturally, Steve was eager to pick her brain about current bankruptcy trends, rule changes, and more!   Brooke received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Alabama (Go Jags!) and her JD from Cumberland School of Law. Brooke represented debtors in consumer bankruptcy for more than ten years before joining Kent’s firm in 2018 and shifting her focus to creditor representation. Having been on both sides of the courtroom, Brooke has a unique perspective and knowledge base to draw from (and is a self-professed “bankruptcy geek”).   Tune in to hear Brooke and Steve’s lively roundtable discussion about the latest “hot topics” in the bankruptcy world!  Welcome back to What the M, Brooke!

“Father Time is undefeated.” – Erik QualmanIt’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve are excited to bring you an interview with internationally renowned author and speaker Erik Qualman. Erik stopped by “What the M” to discuss his latest book, The Focus Project, and how it can help leaders, lawyers, and anyone else who struggles with prioritizing their to-do list!Erik has written numerous other books including Socialnomics, Digital Leader, and What Happens in Vegas Stays on Youtube. His Socialnomics work has been featured on 60 Minutes and has been used by the National Guard and NASA. He is a former sitting professor at Harvard & MIT’s edX labs, and is currently a professor of Digital Leadership at Northwestern University. In addition to being an author, Erik is a highly-sought after keynote speaker. He has been called “The Digital Dale Carnegie” and “The Tony Robbins of Tech.” Erik has spoken in 55 countries, reaching over 50 million people worldwide.Erik has a BA in marketing from Michigan State University and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. He received an honorary doctorate for his accomplishments in the field of digital leadership from Lake Superior State University. Erik has been voted the World’s 2nd Most Likeable Author- behind only Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling. Even more important, Erik says, is trying to live up to the title of “World’s Best Dad” that his daughters scrawled on his coffee mug.Welcome to What the M, Erik!

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Jesse Randall, COO of Black Dome Services, LLC. This episode focuses on the topic of property preservation in relation to mortgage servicing industry, as well as its interplay with handling defaulted mortgages. Since Black Dome is one of the fastest-growing property preservation companies in the country, Jesse was the perfect person to interview! Jesse attended Stephen F. Austin University where he studied Political Science and Economics. He has held numerous roles within the niche market of property preservation and default mortgage solutions. With executive leadership positions at mortgage servicers, national preservation companies, Fortune 500 companies, and his own privately held preservation company, Jesse has touched every servicing level through the life cycle of a default mortgage.  He has been a speaker at various Five Star and Legal League events on issues relating to property preservation and the mortgage servicing industry, and is an avid Texas A&M fan (Go Aggies!)  Welcome to What the M, Jesse!

Happy Holidays from all of us here at What the M! Steve is a little under the weather this week, but he and Kent both wanted to send this message out to thank the listeners for all of your support, and to wish you a very happy and safe holiday season! *************************************************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 Allen Chapman, Executive Vice President with Hub International. HUB International is a leading insurance brokerage company that provides employee benefits, business, and personal insurance products and services.  Allen graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi (Go, Golden Eagles!) where he received his BS in recreational therapy. Allen has been in the insurance industry for over 23 years, so he was a perfect choice to discuss this week’s topic- the many factors in the insurance industry that are dramatically affecting the cost, and, in many cases, the availability of homeowner coverage, and the effects these factors are having on escrow payments and home affordability. It’s a topic that affects all homeowners, and we are privileged to have Allen’s expert opinion on the subject!  Welcome to What the M, Allen!  ****************************************************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.

Happy Thanksgiving from What the M! Kent and Steve wanted to drop in and thank all of the listeners for your support. It's been a great first year for the podcast and we look forward to many more! For this week's holiday episode, Kent and Steve flash back to one of What the M's most popular episodes from Season 1 - "Latinas in Power." The Latinas in Power ("LIP") include Emily Chavarriaga, Jackie Vazquez, and Rosalie Escobedo. You won’t want to miss hearing the LIP ladies share about the fun they have together, the way they champion each other’s goals and dreams, and how they simply do life together and celebrate the wins, while holding each other accountable.  Emily Chavarriaga currently works as a product manager at Mr. Cooper and previously worked in various default roles at Bayview Loan Servicing for ten years. She is an ALFN Women in Legal Leadership Chair and is a leader for the Mr. Cooper women’s group. Jackie Vazquez worked as a Foreclosure Manager at Mr. Cooper for 10 years. She is an ALFN JPEG winner and previously worked in foreclosure, at a law firm, and as a loan officer before working at MRC. Rosalie Escobedo is the Director of Business Development at Mackie Wolf Zientz Mann. Before that, she worked in various industry roles at VRM Mortgage Services at CoreLogic. Prior to working in the industry, she directed law firms in their marketing and legal training pursuits. She is an ALFN WILL Chair and serves her community as a Precinct Chair and Party Leader. Welcome to What the M, Emily, Jackie, and Rosalie! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield. ****************************************************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 time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Daren Blomquist, Vice President of Market Economics at Auction.com. Daren began his career as a reporter for the Daily News Tribune, where he focused on county government and courts. He then moved on to Realty Trac, where he rose from Customer Service Representative to Director of Marketing Communications, focusing on mortgage trends nationwide. In 2012, he became Senior Vice President of Communications at ATTOM Data Solutions and reported on housing trends, cash and investor purchases, housing risks, default trends, and more. Daren’s reports have been cited by thousands of media outlets nationwide, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA TODAY. Daren also served as Executive Editor of the Housing News Report, which was named best newsletter by the National Association of Real Estate Editors in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, Daren transitioned to Auction.com, where he focuses on analyzing and forecasting complex macro and micro-economic data trends within the real estate market and industry. Daren is extremely active in the default servicing industry and routinely appears as a panelist at industry trade conventions. His expertise on today’s subject- foreclosure and economic trends and what we can expect in the year to come- is invaluable to our listeners. We are extremely fortunate to have him as a guest on the show. Welcome to What the M, Daren! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield. ****************************************************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.

Happy Fall to all! It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Alicia Stewart, Assistant Vice President at BSI Financial Services.Alicia has over 20 years of experience in the default servicing industry. She began her career as an AVP with Fay Servicing. She then worked for Penny Mac Loan Services as a Business Analyst. From there, she became an AVP of Default Operations for Rushmore Loan Management Service, before taking over as an AVP at BSI Financial Services.  At BSI, she is the leader of their non-agency default team, with responsibilities including BSI’s foreclosure, bankruptcy and property preservation processes. Alicia has been extremely active in the default servicing industry and recently appeared as a panelist for the Legal League in the League’s webinar series. In that webinar, Alicia spoke about how law firms and mortgage servicers can better communicate and work together. She is adept at fostering positive relationships, resolving complex issues, and optimizing operational efficiency. She believes that success is a natural outcome when we have a clear vision of our long-term goals for both our organization and ourselves. We are very excited to share Alicia's vision and expertise with our listeners.  Welcome to What the M, Alicia! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield. ****************************************************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," Kent McPhail and Steve Hladik's podcast about the default mortgage servicing industry! This week, Kent and Steve discuss the continuing surge of the post-COVID “work from home” movement. Their guest on the topic, Michael Merritt, is the Senior Vice President of Customer Care and Default Mortgage Servicing at BOK Financial.Michael attended Arizona State University, where he got his BA in Organizational Leadership (Go Sun Devils!)  He then received his MBA from Texas Tech and his Master’s Degree in Legal Studies from Texas A&M. Michael worked at Nationstar Mortgage and Goldman Sachs prior to moving over to BOK. Having been in the mortgage servicing industry for over two decades, Michael has valuable insight to share on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work culture, how companies can get the best work from remote or hybrid-remote employees, and how a company culture can be successfully built around this new model. Welcome to What the M, Michael! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield. ****************************************************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.

Welcome to Season 2 of What the M! Last season, we were fortunate enough to interview an incredible roster of talented professionals about their insights and predictions for the default servicing industry. We wanted to kick off our new season by looking back at where the industry was a year ago versus where it is today. As one of the country’s most frequently-quoted sources on real estate, mortgage, and foreclosure trends, Rick Sharga was the natural choice to help us do so!  Rick is the CEO and President of the CJ Patrick Company, a company that specializes in market intelligence for companies in the real estate and mortgage industries. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and mortgage industries, previously serving in executive roles for Realty Trac, Carrington Mortgage Holdings, Ten-X, and Auction.com. He is also a founding member of the Five Star Institute’s National Mortgage Servicing Association. Welcome BACK to What the M, Rick! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield.

Did you miss us? Kent and Steve *were* taking a brief summer hiatus before Season 2 of “What the M” drops in September. But when a fascinating U.S. Supreme Court decision was issued, Kent and Steve couldn’t wait that long to talk about it with you! In this case, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin, the Court departed from prior law and abrogated the Tribe’s sovereign immunity in bankruptcy court. Kent reached out to his friend and colleague, Marilyn Lyles, for her opinion and insight into the Court’s decision, the surprising 8-1 split, and the far-reaching impact the case could have in not only bankruptcy courts, but state courts as well. Marilyn Lyles graduated from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) with a BA in English and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law. Marilyn’s extensive experience as both a creditors’ rights attorney and as the Assistant Attorney General of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, make her uniquely suited to bring her wisdom to the discussion of this groundbreaking case.Welcome to What the M, Marilyn! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield.

Welcome to the season finale of What the M! You won’t want to miss this episode.  Since the podcast began in September 2022, Kent and Steve have interviewed amazing, thoughtful, and brilliant guests. Every season 1 guest has been uniquely qualified to speak about different aspects of the default servicing industry, and has provided valuable information to What the M’s listeners. Each guest is unique, but they all have one thing in common: they all got to answer “The Last Question.”  At the end of each episode, Kent and Steve ask their guest: “If you could go back in time and talk with the 20-year-old version of yourself, what advice would you give that young man/woman?” The answers were so fascinating, funny, and unpredictable, we decided there was no better way to close out the season than with a compilation of the collective wisdom of these responses!   We hope you enjoy this season finale of our first season of What the M as much as we did. Season 2 of What the M will air in September, so stay tuned!   If you enjoy listening to What the M, please rate, review and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you are interested in appearing on What the M, or have an idea for an episode, you can contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield.

This week on What the M, Kent, and Steve returned to the faithfully commerce-driven city of Dallas, TX in anticipation of the Legal League Servicer Summit. While there, Kent met with the Latinas in Power ("LIP") for a fun evening of dinner and fantastic conversation and camaraderie, recording the podcast the next morning with Steve and a few of the LIP ladies: Emily Chavarriaga, Jackie Vazquez, and Rosalie Escobedo.  Emily Chavarriaga currently works as a product manager at Mr. Cooper and previously worked in various default roles at Bayview Loan Servicing for ten years. She is an ALFN Women in Legal Leadership Chair and is a leader for the Mr. Cooper women’s group. Jackie Vazquez is a Foreclosure Manager at Mr. Cooper and has worked there for 10 years. She is an ALFN JPEG winner and previously worked in foreclosure, at a law firm, and as a loan officer before working at MRC. Rosalie Escobedo is the Director of Business Development at Mackie Wolf Zientz Mann. Before that, she worked in various industry roles at VRM Mortgage Services at CoreLogic. Prior to working in the industry, she directed law firms in their marketing and legal training pursuits. She is an ALFN WILL Chair and serves her community as a Precinct Chair and Party Leader.  You won’t want to miss hearing the LIP ladies share about the fun they have together, the way they champion each other’s goals and dreams, and how they simply do life together and celebrate the wins, while holding each other accountable.  Welcome to What the M, Emily, Jackie, and Rosalie! What the M is hosted by Kent McPhail and Stephen Hladik. Production and editing by Sarah Noel Sheffield.