CONNECT by California MBA

Welcome to California MBA's podcast, Connect, our all-new podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry.California MBA serves to represent the residential and commercial real estate finance industry before all governing bodies. The California MBA encourages and promotes sound business practices and honesty in marketing, origination, lending and servicing of mortgage loans through our educational and networking opportunities.

CONNECT by California MBA is a business podcast hosted by The California MBA, with 266 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

The California MBA hosts CONNECT by California MBA, a business show with 266 episodes published.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  Standards Are the Foundation - Amy Moses on MISMO, MCD & the Future of Mortgage Data | Connect

  Sep 28, 202626 min

  Standards are invisible when they're working well — but when they're missing, the entire mortgage ecosystem feels it. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Amy Moses, Vice President of Strategic Growth at MISMO, for a wide-ranging conversation on the data standards, compliance tools, and AI governance frameworks that every mortgage lender needs to understand right now — before the deadlines hit. From UAD 3.6 rolling out in November to the Mortgage Compliance Dataset piloting with California DFPI in Q1 2027, the pace of change in data and standards is accelerating fast. MISMO is building the infrastructure — but lenders have to show up and engage. In this episode: - What MISMO actually does behind the scenes — and why every lender is already benefiting from it whether they know it or not - UAD 3.6 explained: why this is a systematic change, not just a technology change — and why lenders who haven't started are already behind - The Mortgage Compliance Dataset (MCD): how one standardized file could cut state exam costs in half and end the era of paper-based regulatory reviews - California DFPI's pilot rollout of MCD — Q1 2027 is closer than you think - FRAME: MISMO's AI governance framework — the toolkit small and mid-sized lenders are calling a lifeline - Why 27 state regulators have already downloaded FRAME — and what that means for lenders who haven't - How to get started: mismo.org/CD for MCD resources and mismo.org for FRAME - What the next 12-18 months look like — and the one action every lender should take right now Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  Treat Your Loan Officers Like Clients — Artin Babayan's Formula for IMB Growth | Connect

  Sep 20, 202623 min

  What does it actually take to build a relationship-driven IMB that grows 80% year over year — without losing its culture? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Artin Babayan, Founder and CEO of Premier Plus Lending, for a candid, open-kimono conversation on what separates focused IMBs from the pack, why saying no to good opportunities is sometimes the best growth strategy, and how deep relationships — not AI automation — will determine who wins the next cycle. Artin spent 20 years as a top-producing loan originator before building Premier Plus into a high-performing Southern California IMB with 43% of production in non-QM, a $20 million minimum production standard, and a culture built from the core out. This is the playbook. In this episode: - Why smaller IMBs can move at light speed when it comes to technology adoption — and why that's their biggest competitive edge over larger lenders - The LOS transition that takes a small IMB 6 months vs. 18 months for a big one — and why that gap matters - Why complexity is the enemy of growth — and how Premier Plus is tackling it head-on - The hard choices: when to let someone off the bus — and why waiting always makes it worse - Why 43% of Premier Plus production year-to-date is non-QM — and why that's intentional in the LA market - The internal model that treats loan officers like clients — and how one LO went from $10-15M a year to on pace for $50M - "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" — the accountability culture behind the growth - Why deep relationships with referral partners, not AI automation, will separate the winners in the next cycle - The counter-intuitive advice Artin would give any IMB leader right now: say no to good opportunities Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  Do You Really Know Who You're Wiring Money To? | Andrew Liput, Secure Insight | Connect Podcast

  Sep 7, 202625 min

  The closing table is where a lender's money, documents, reputation, and borrower relationship all come together. And it's also one of the most vulnerable moments in the entire mortgage transaction. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Andrew Liput, President and CEO of Secure Insight, for a wide-ranging conversation on wire fraud, closing risk, business email compromise, and what lenders must do before money ever leaves the account. Andrew is an attorney by trade who saw the problem 25 years ago — lenders sending millions of dollars to closing professionals they had never verified, never vetted, and had no real relationship with. He built Secure Insight to fix that. Since launching in 2012, Secure Insight has overseen close to 60 million closing transactions with zero lender losses. In this episode: - Why the FBI considers business email compromise the largest element of white collar fraud in the United States today - How AI is making phishing schemes more sophisticated — and why criminals are tracking the same trends as the rest of the industry - The real anatomy of a wire fraud incident: how clicking one wrong email three days before closing can open a backdoor into your entire system - The origin story of Secure Insight: why a real estate attorney in 2001 thought it was strange that lenders sent millions of dollars to people they'd never verified - How Secure Insight's database of 95,000+ closing professionals across all 50 states works — and what a risk rating actually tells a lender - TruePay: how settlement agents can instantly verify that a payoff recipient and bank account are legitimate before disbursing funds — no onboarding, no training required - The KYB/KYC enhancement: verifying that the party receiving funds is who they say they are - Why slowing down is the most important thing a closing professional can do — and why speed is the fraudster's best friend - The single most important question every lender should ask before money leaves the account Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  UAD 3.6, AI & the Future of Property Valuation | Kenon Chen, Clear Capital | Connect Podcast

  Aug 16, 202631 min

  Appraisal modernization. UAD 3.6. Property data as infrastructure. These aren't back-office compliance topics — they're the next competitive battleground in mortgage. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Kenon Chen, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Growth at Clear Capital, for one of the most forward-looking conversations on collateral, data, and AI we've had on the show. Kenon has spent more than two decades at the intersection of strategy, product, and valuation — and he's here to talk about what's changing, what it means, and why lenders who aren't moving right now will be in survival mode when November hits. In this episode: - What appraisal modernization actually means right now — beyond the buzzword - UAD 3.6 explained: why moving from a doc-based to a data-based approach is the fulfillment of the digital mortgage promise - The November 2 deadline — what lenders need to be doing operationally, technologically, and with their people - Why the lenders jumping in early are gaining competitive advantage — and why the ones waiting will be stuck checking boxes - How Clear Capital is already live on UAD 3.6 with hundreds of reports — using computer vision and AI to deliver quality earlier and reduce round trips - Why property data is the glue that stitches together disconnected systems across origination, servicing, home equity, and capital markets - What happens when a borrower sees a different home value in their servicing portal than when they apply for a HELOC — and what that costs a lender in brand trust - Why silence is still an answer: if you're not giving consumers accurate property analytics, they'll get them somewhere else - Where AI is headed in valuation over the next 12-18 months — and why appraisal needs to be part of the top-of-funnel strategy, not an afterthought Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  The Human Side of Disaster Servicing: Forbearance, Rebuilding & What Must Come Next | Connect

  Aug 10, 202622 min

  When a natural disaster destroys a home, the mortgage servicer is one of the first calls a homeowner makes. What happens in those first days and weeks can determine whether a family rebuilds — or falls through the cracks. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Ron Malik, Senior Vice President of Default Servicing at Dovenmuehle Mortgage, one of the nation's most experienced mortgage subservicers. Dovenmuehle has been an instrumental partner in California MBA's wildfire recovery and rebuilding work — bringing the operational expertise that turns strong policy ideas into solutions that actually work for homeowners. This is the conversation behind the work. In this episode: - What a servicer's disaster response actually looks like from day one — proactiveness, task force deployment, and identifying impacted borrowers immediately - How Dovenmuehle balances speed, empathy, efficiency, and investor requirements all at once during a disaster - What forbearance really is — and why it has to be clearly explained to every homeowner before they sign - Where the rebuild process breaks down: insurance proceeds, draw schedules, inspections, liens, and the gap between what insurance pays and what rebuilding actually costs - Why the $100 million California Disaster Rebuilding Fund matters — and why that solve isn't always available - How Dovenmuehle's participation shaped real legislative outcomes — helping California MBA move to neutral or supportive on key forbearance bills - Why no one can do this work alone — and what true servicer and trade association collaboration looks like in practice - What success looks like for wildfire families and participating servicers one year from now Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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