Brena Nath
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@HousingWire | Snippets on the mortgage industry & life
Articles by Brena Nath
Data-driven leadership will define the 2026 housing market
Each new year brings new table stakes for the housing industry, as leaders assess the factors and trends that are no longer optional to stay competitive. Trends in AI, data and lead generation are driving many of these shifts. Nora Guerra, Guild Mortgage’s senior vice president of community lending solutions, will kick off the Housing Economic Summit in Dallas on Feb. 10 to show how she is harnessing data to make faster business decisions in 2026.
BREAKING: Rocket CEO Varun Krishna Returns to The Gathering for Keynote Fireside Chat
Varun Krishna is back. And the timing couldn’t be more electric. The Rocket Companies CEO returns to the stage at The Gathering 2025 for a keynote fireside chat – just months after shaking up the housing landscape with the huge acquisitions of Mr. Cooper and Redfin. Krishna is executing a bold strategy to integrate real estate, mortgage, and servicing into a seamless, end-to-end consumer platform – and he’s doing it with precision. The wild part? Krishna called this shot at The Gathering 2024.
HousingWire unveils powerful new tools to help subscribers stay ahead in a fast-changing market Original
Today, HousingWire announced the release of its latest round of subscription enhancements, equipping its audience with deeper insights and convenient features that continue to position industry professionals as experts. The updates include a customizable Housing Market Data tool that gives users the power to customize charts and data on the HousingWire site and a gifting tool that allows subscribers to share news and articles with people in their network without a HousingWire subscription.
New Hampshire Association of Realtors partners with HousingWire
HousingWire has partnered with New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR) to bring original data, analytics and news to its members who are the voice for real estate in the state. Opportunities are revealed when housing leaders have an industry-spanning, deeply informed perspective, which is made possible through HousingWire insights that members can make decisions on.
Greater Bergen Realtors brings news and analysis to members with HousingWire partnership
With our commitment to providing insights that housing professionals can make decisions on, HousingWire announced a new partnership with Greater Bergen Realtors, delivering exclusive news, market data and housing research to agents in New Jersey’s Greater Bergen Realtors association. Greater Bergen Realtors is located in New Jersey and serves members in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties.
Illinois Realtors partner with HousingWire to unlock The Full Picture - HousingWire
In our dedication to providing the full picture to housing professionals across the U.S. housing market, HousingWire has partnered with Illinois Realtors, bringing exclusive news, market data and housing research to the 50,000 Illinois Realtors that power the state’s real estate market. Illinois Realtors is one of the largest trade associations in the country and is dedicated to advocacy, education and ethics for real estate practitioners.
HousingWire Magazine: October/November 2023
On HousingWire branding calls earlier this year, someone asked us what our tagline, “Moving Markets Forward,” means to me. Having referred to this phrase for over 10 years, the explanation we’ve used is as adaptable and forward thinking as the saying is supposed to be. At its core, it means providing you with what you need to win the market. When we started using this phrase in 2013, it was providing education around the launch of the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
HousingWire Annual completes merger with The Gathering of Eagles
In a groundbreaking development for the real estate and mortgage industries, HousingWire has announced the successful merger of HousingWire Annual and RealTrends’ Gathering of Eagles. The merger, which has been in the works for several months, brings together two powerhouse events that have been at the forefront of industry thought leadership. By joining forces, The Full Picture begins to emerge, creating business and knowledge opportunities for mortgage, real estate, title, and appraisal leaders.
HousingWire Magazine: The Housing Wealth Issue
Leading up to this issue, I’ve been building the Women of Influence panels for October’s HousingWire Annual in Austin, Texas. One of my biggest takeaways in planning and hosting dedicated Women of Influence sessions at our flag-ship event is that these sessions are for every-one. And, reading through this year’s esteemed list of women explains why. I first want to recognize and congratulate those who made the 2023 list.
What are housing leaders doing that you’re not?
Even wonder what goes on behind the scenes as HW Media intentionally builds and creates its events? This letter from the editor series shows the ins and outs of our HW Annual Event in Austin, Texas from Oct. 10-12. To learn more about the event or to register, go here. Seventy…give or take a few. This is how many speaking slots we created when we crafted this year’s HousingWire Annual agenda. And, we’ve put a lot of thought into who gets to be a part of this number.
Q&A: Top lenders on where mortgage tech stands in 2023
This year’s down market has shifted what mortgage lenders are seeking from their technology partners, because the spare dollars for nice-to-haves are no longer around. The booming housing market the past few years brought with it a surge in mortgage tech adoption, and while this movement towards innovation has been welcomed by mortgage parties, now more than ever lenders are looking at the data behind these mortgage tech claims.
HousingWire Magazine: The Real Estate Issue
TO QUOTE BON JOVI, “Whoa, we’re halfway there!” The last six months in the housing market were tough. 2023 has been a year that started off with some renewed optimism thanks to an uptick in housing activity but quickly took a turn as events, like the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, threw a wrench into a lot of forecasts for the year. Over the next 6 months, the housing market winners will be the people who are forging opportunities despite what’s happening.
HousingWire Magazine: The 'Title and Escrow' Issue
When looking at the home-buying process, I’ve always found it fascinating and impressive that the title agent usually wins the buyer-driven social media post. The homebuyer just wrapped this long process with their real estate agent and mortgage loan officer, but it’s the photo with the title agent that they tend to post on social media as they hold the keys to their new house. To add to the story, the buyer usually doesn’t even pick the title agent — the seller does.
HousingWire Magazine: The 'Servicing' Issue
Who would you say carries the longest relationship with the homebuyer? From the real estate agent to the title agent, the real estate transaction is one of the largest money transactions that also has the highest number of people involved. My answer would be your mortgage servicer. But even my answer is debatable and might be changing. Historically there has been so much focus on choosing the right real estate agent and loan officer.
HousingWire Magazine: December 2022/January 2023
AT THE END OF EACH YEAR I always get nostalgic looking back on the key moments that defined the year. 2022 was a unique one, as much of the year served as a transition. We were coming off a housing market like nothing we have ever seen before — with the years prior establishing record-setting origination volume. There was so much business to go around. That simply wasn’t the case in 2022.
HousingWire Magazine: October/November 2022
OUR OCTOBER/NOVEMBER ISSUE has long focused on the state of housing, but what’s unique about the theme this year is the collaboration and synergies that are happening in the space. The state of housing at this point is, in fact, innovation. This issue includes two big features our 2022 HousingWire Vanguard honorees and a power-packed list of the housing companies that made the Inc. 5000 list. What’s remarkable, and not too surprising, is the way these two lists intertwine.
HousingWire Magazine: July 2022
Last September, I ran into Dalila Ramos, who now is founder of Love and Tacos Media, but at the time, she served as vice president of diversity and growth at Equity Prime Mortgage. I was getting ready to lead a panel on minority homeownership for our own conference — HousingWire Annual — and was asking leaders in minority homeownership for their input on the topic.
Rent Increases Up Sharply Year-over-year, Pace is slowing
Stocks traded off session highs as weaker-than-average volumes mark the beginning of summer, and as traders awaited the jobs report later this week and eyed the official start of the Fed's second Quantitative Tightening program (which will end as "gloriously" as the first one) which will drain the Fed's balance sheet by $95BN per month. Contracts on the S&P 500 were 0.2% higher by 730 a.m. in New York, after the underlying index finished May up exactly 0.1%; Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.1%.
HousingWire Magazine: June 2022
Stock market crashes trigger panic selling, but opportunity can follow. Pgallery for iStockphoto; Canva What Is a Stock Market Crash? It's every investor's worst nightmare: a sudden and steep market decline that wipes out years of gains in a matter of days. They affect everyone from retail investors to professional traders to institutional fund managers to those saving for retirement, to name just a few.
HousingWire Magazine: June 2022
I’ve been a fan of the CliftonStrengths’s assessment for more than a decade, applying my own top strengths and learning the strengths of my teammates to see how we can operate with our talents in the workplace. While my top 5 have slightly shifted over the years, “strategic” has been one of my most consistent strengths, which is exactly why meeting 2022 Rising Star Morgan Salama felt so impactful.
2022 Rising Star Morgan Salama: The intersection of strategy and real estate
HW: First off, congrats on being named a 2022 Rising Star. If you were standing on a stage giving an acceptance speech, who would you want to thank for helping you get where you are today? Morgan Salama: First, if there’s anything that I have learned in my career, it’s that nobody gets anywhere alone. Not even sort of, and that’s probably a cliché thing to say, but I truly believe it.
HousingWire Magazine: May 2022
Last October, an in-depth look at how Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson planned to lead the agency was the feature story for the magazine. Her leadership captured the industry’s attention for many reasons, one of those being the fact that the director leaving office, Mark Calabria, was looking at ways to bring the GSEs out of conservatorship. Thompson had no plans of continuing that conversation.
HousingWire Magazine: April 2022
Brena Nath, Director of HW+ and Events From the cover feature on Finance of America’s Patti Cook to the commentaries and solutions that focus on the title space, our April issue highlights just how much the housing and real estate industries have grown and changed — and changed for the better as innovation and technology drive the space forward. Starting on page 24, you can read about Cook’s retirement announcement at the start of this year, as she steps away from her role as CEO.
HousingWire Magazine: March 2022
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor Innovation and disruption are two words that you see time and time again when it comes to the housing industry. In 2013 when I first joined HousingWire, conversations focused a lot on how antiquated and behind the housing sector is compared to any other business sector. I’d say this concept hasn’t been true for a while now though.
HousingWire Magazine: February 2022
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor I never thought I would see the day when the housing industry and the dating industry shared a common struggle — getting ghosted. The term is not so fondly used in the dating world when someone suddenly and without explanation withdraws from communication. In similar sentiment, the word is used in the mortgage servicing space when a borrower decides to cut contact with their servicer.
Master Class: How to become an experience architect
Skip to content Who’s afraid of the PSPA? Stakeholders are divided over whether, in light of proposed changes to its capital rule, the FHFA should retool its agreement with the U.S. Treasury and remove policies some say never belonged there in the first place. Back to the Future of Mortgage Lending This webinar will discuss what’s to come in the future of mortgage lending by analyzing past trends in the industry, evolving consumer behaviors and demographics of the industry’s production capacity.
HousingWire Magazine: December 2021/ January 2022
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor As we enter a new year, let’s look at some of the events that we can look forward to in 2022. For starters, it’s the year the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup will take place. Toward the end of the year, Americans will also be selecting the 118th Congress. But what about what’s next for the housing industry?
HW+ Member Spotlight: Bill Lowman
This week’s HW+ member spotlight features American Pacific Mortgage CEO Bill Lowman. Joining the company in 2002, American Pacific Mortgage named him president in 2004, and in 2016 he became CEO. Leading one of the largest independent mortgage banks in the country, Lowman is active in the industry, serving as immediate past chairman/treasurer at the California Mortgage Bankers Association, along with serving on the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Residential Board of Governors.
What does mortgage tech disruption actually look like? SimpleNexus' Cathleen Schreiner Gates answers
If you added up the impact that HousingWire’s Vanguard winners have had on the industry, you’d likely have a comprehensive list of the initiatives that have moved markets forward. These are the leaders who have dreamt, shaped and molded a better way to execute the home-buying journey. From injecting technology into the mortgage process to redefining the real estate agent and home shopper relationship, these leaders have laid the foundations for millions of homeowners.
Homepoint's Phil Shoemaker: Lessons from a tech-based mortgage leader
If you added up the impact that HousingWire’s Vanguard winners have had on the industry, you’d likely have a comprehensive list of the initiatives that have moved markets forward. These are the leaders who have dreamt, shaped and molded a better way to execute the home-buying journey. From injecting technology into the mortgage process to redefining the real estate agent and home shopper relationship, these leaders have laid the foundations for millions of homeowners.
RE/MAX Gold Nation's James O’Bryon on growing a top real estate brokerage
If you added up the impact that HousingWire’s Vanguard winners have had on the industry, you’d likely have a comprehensive list of the initiatives that have moved markets forward. These are the leaders who have dreamt, shaped and molded a better way to execute the home-buying journey. From injecting technology into the mortgage process to redefining the real estate agent and home shopper relationship, these leaders have laid the foundations for millions of homeowners.
HousingWire Magazine: October/November 2021
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor 2021 has been a year of transition. We’ve been transitioning to a new White House administration, transitioning away from a refinance market and cautiously transitioning back to meeting in person. And now, the year is almost over, with only one more magazine issue left until we cross over into 2022. But before we head into the new year, this issue will focus on what today’s housing leaders and regulators are zeroed in on and the current state of housing.
How to hire more operational players in the mortgage space
Agnes Standowicz, vice president, underwriting leader at United Wholesale Mortgage This year’s list of HousingWire Insiders radiate influence well beyond the walls of their individual companies, providing the infrastructure that upholds the whole industry. HousingWire decided to dive deeper into a few of our award winners to get a peek behind the curtain on what defines an Insider, with this Q&A featuring Agnes Standowicz, vice president, underwriting leader at United Wholesale Mortgage.
How can the mortgage industry retain more employees?
Sandra Madigan, digital product director, enterprise product strategy, servicing technologies at Black Knight This year’s list of HousingWire Insiders radiate influence well beyond the walls of their individual companies, providing the infrastructure that upholds the whole industry.
How can the mortgage industry recruit people earlier in their careers?
Dave Sheeler, president of residential servicing and correspondent lending at Freedom Mortgage This year’s list of HousingWire Insiders radiate influence well beyond the walls of their individual companies, providing the infrastructure that upholds the whole industry.
Can the mortgage workforce demands of 2020 stand the test of time?
Four months into the new year and conversations among mortgage executives were focused right back on the same issue that always happens after a mortgage boom — LO comp. Three mortgage executives were virtually gathered to talk about the routine topic at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Spring conference in April. The session was a part of the MBA’s decision to merge its usual succession of conferences into one, lump virtual conference due to the pandemic.
HousingWire Magazine: September 2021
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor Did you dream about getting into the mortgage industry? It’s a question — an often joked about question — that I think we’ve all heard before when chatting with others in the space. Personally, my own answer is no, but here I am nearly eight years later still in it, albeit from the journalism side. I distinctly remember my first interview at HousingWire.
Rocket Mortgage’s Rebecca McDonald on product strategy at the fast-growing lender
It was a sunny and extremely humid Thursday morning. Of course, that’s almost standard for Dallas, and it wasn’t going to prevent these three women from showing up to the magazine cover shoot with an energy and excitement that couldn’t be stopped. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I’d say this cover is worth so much more than that.
HousingWire Magazine: August 2021
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor In the wise words of Beyoncé, “Who runs the world? Girls.” This is the exact type of energy and fervor that fills the award profiles of HousingWire’s 2021 Women of Influence honorees who are featured in this magazine. Starting on page 28, you’ll see how these 100 women have taken a year that has disproportionately impacted women and defied the odds to set new records in and out of the housing finance space. You’ll also see a lot of firsts in these pages.
Minority Homeownership: HousingWire July 2021 Magazine
Brena Nath HW+ Managing Editor Minority homeownership, which is the focus of this issue, has a lot of moving parts to it. And while there’s much more impacting the growth of minority homeownership than what can fit into the following pages, this issue highlights some of the biggest challenges in increasing homeownership levels, along with ways the industry can band together to create meaningful change.
Marketing to reach a diverse audience
HousingWire Editor-In-Chief, Sarah Wheeler, sits down with Jake Fehling, Keosha Burns, and Teressa Lurk as they share some of the ways attendees can grow a diverse audience portfolio. Here is a small preview of the session, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity: Sarah Wheeler: At the top of the marketing funnel, how are you reaching these different buyer groups?
The Pulse of Consumer Shopping Behavior: Mortgage Purchase, Refi & More
The mortgage industry is about to get rough and lenders should be prepared to sharpen all aspects of the marketing and sales operations process in order to survive. Innovative solutions that enhance first-party data can help marketers create highly personalized and targeted experiences for their existing customers and prospects.
Winning in a red-hot purchase market
HousingWire’s Digital Media Manager Alcynna Lloyd joins Courtney Graham and Bill Dallas as they share the latest updates on the housing market and how they’re winning in a red-hot purchase market. Courtney Graham is the chief marketing officer at Princeton Mortgage and Bill Dallas is currently the president of Finance of America Mortgage. Here is a small preview of the session, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity: Alcynna Lloyd: First, let’s define a hot market.
Keynote: René Rodriguez
Renowned speaker René Rodriguez shows attendees how to practically apply his proprietary AMPLIFII formula to achieve maximum influence through a hands-on workshop.
Social Media Master Class: LinkedIn/Clubhouse
HousingWire’s Managing Editor, Brena Nath, joins Judi Fox, a LinkedIn business coach, to show attendees the latest strategies and updates on LinkedIn and share a few insights on managing a professional social media platform. Here is a small preview of the session, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity: Brena Nath: So what are some of the biggest changes that you’ve seen on LinkedIn since we last talked in June? Judi Fox: So I would say creator mode has been really, really powerful.
Social Media Master Class: Instagram
Chelsea Peitz, national director of social sales at Fidelity National Financial, shows attendees the latest strategies and updates on Instagram. She also shares a few insights on how to manage a successful social platform.
Understanding the Current Market
HousingWire Editor-In-Chief, Sarah Wheeler, sits down with Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae, to walk attendees through the latest update on the housing market and share a few predictions for the future along the way. Here is a small preview of the session, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity: Sarah Wheeler: Doug, thank you so much for being here.
Social Media Master Class: TikTok
HousingWire’s Managing Editor, Brena Nath, interviews Scott Betley, a loan officer at NFM Lending, to show attendees the latest strategies and updates on TikTok. He also shares a few insights on managing this social platform, discussing how he has amassed thousands of leads through his TikTok strategy. Here is a small preview of the session, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity: Brena Nath: What made you decide to join TikTok in the first place?
Conversation with our Marketing Leaders
HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins sits down with Courtney Graham and Paul Akimade, two of HousingWire’s 2021 Marketing Leader winners, for a candid chat about what it means to be a mortgage marketer. Here is a small preview of the session, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity: Clayton Collins: Can you kick us off with your overview of what you believe the role of the chief marketing officer is and mortgage banking?
Executing a Successful Content Strategy
HousingWire Editor-In-Chief, Sarah Wheeler, sits down with Brian Rieger, co-founder and CEO at Content Beacon, and Kirk G. Willison, vice president at Arch Mortgage Insurance Company, to walk attendees through the process of creating a successful content strategy.
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