ANSWERS Speaker Information
Randall S. Miller, Esq.
President/CEO
Randall S. Miller & Associates
43252 Woodward Avenue, Suite 180
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
(248) 335-9200 x101
rmiller@rsmalaw.com
Randall S. Miller, Randy as he is called by his friends, graduated from Michigan State University in 1987 with a B.S. in Political Science/Pre-Law. He earned his J.D. at the Detroit College of Law in 1992. After spending over a decade as a trial attorney, Randy started his law firm, Randall S. Miller & Associates in 2002. The firm is now in the States of Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Randy is also the CEO of U.S. Default Management, a back office solutions provider, helping save servicers millions of dollars per year. His current focus is on their new Universal Attorney Audit Platform, which benefits servicers and attorneys alike. Schweitzer Title Agency, LTD is another of Randy’s companies, providing national title solutions, as well as handling closing/escrow matters. He formerly sat on both the Executive Board and Executive Committee of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and headed its PAC Task Force. He also served on the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice. As a member of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly, an elected position that he held until being term limited out, he chaired its Drafting Committee where he had the ability to redraft Michigan’s’ attorney ethics standards.
Natalie A. Grigg, Esq.
Partner
Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP
500 Bausch & Lomb Place
Rochester, New York 14604
585-445-2610
NGrigg@woodsdefaultServices.com
Natalie A. Grigg is the Supervising Partner in the firm’s Default Servicing Department, overseeing staff and attorneys, while ensuring compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Ms. Grigg represents lenders, investors, and services in residential mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy actions, evictions, and related litigation throughout New York State.
Prior to joining Woods Oviatt, Ms. Grigg represented creditors and servicers in contested matters in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings throughout New York State. She has extensive experience with litigated matters within bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings as well as commercial litigation.
Ms. Grigg received her Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo Law School in May 2002 with a concentration in Civil Litigation. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Legal Studies in February 1999 from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Julie McGaharan
Hyatt Tamaya Mist Spa & Salon
1300 Tuyuna Trail
Santa Ana Pueblo, NM 87004
505-771-6128
Janisa.Casillas@hyatt.com – Contact Janisa Casillas to reach Julie.
Heart to Heart Healing with Julie A McGaharan
I am a traditional healing arts practitioner whose training and traditions come from Mexika & Azteca cultures. I am of Apache blood line passed onto me by my great-grandmother who along with my grandmother were curanderas – healers for their communities.
My work includes doing limpias – energetic clearings and body work, I work with a variety of herbs, essential oils, and most importantly I am the guardian and guide for Temazcalli Yaoxochitl which is a Meso-American sweat lodge where we hold ceremonies for releasing and renewing not only at the physical level but emotional and spiritual as well.
I am also a yoga teacher who has been a practitioner for over 40 years.
Within all of these practices I lead meditations to not only assist in calming and centering the mind, body and spirit but also to draw in self-discovery and contemplation.
I await your presence – from my heart to yours - Namaste
Eric Maddox
4115 East 98th Street
Tulsa, OK 74137
918.812.6030
Eric@ericmaddox.com
Upon graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1994, Eric Maddox joined the U.S. Army as an infantry paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division. After spending three years as a paratrooper, jumpmaster and a qualified ranger, Eric reenlisted as an interrogator and Chinese Mandarin linguist. Since 9/11, Eric has conducted over 2,700 interrogations while deploying eight times in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) to include multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
In 2003, while assigned to a special operations task force in Tikrit, Eric conducted over 300 interrogations and collected the intelligence which directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. As a result, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director’s Award and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement. After being hired as a civilian with the Department of Defense, Eric continued to help fight the Global War on Terror (GWOT) until 2014. In May 2015, he earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and is now a private consultant and negotiator and lives in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Eric is also the author of Mission: Black List No. 1 (Harper Collins, 2008), which he wrote with the permission of the Department of Defense.
Christianna J. Kersey, Esq.
Managing Attorney
Cohn, Goldberg & Deutsch, LLC
1099 Winterson Road, Suite 301
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090
(410) 296-2550 x3155
CKersey@cgd-law.com
Christianna holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Delaware (B.S. 2006) and a Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware (J.D. 2010). Christianna is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She concentrates her practice in the area of creditor’s rights, real estate, litigation, foreclosure, eviction and unsecured collections. Christianna also handles compliance related issues for Cohn, Goldberg & Deutsch, LLC. Ms. Kersey is currently a member of the USFN Board of Directors and has written numerous articles for industry related publications, she is also a frequent speaker at industry events.
C. Lance Margolin, Esq.
Partner Emeritus/Director: REO and Eviction Services
The Margolin & Weinreb Law Group, LLP
165 Eileen Way, Suite 101
Syosset, New York 11791
516-921-3838 Ext. 306
Lance@nyfclaw.com
C. Lance Margolin is Partner Emeritus and Director of Eviction and REO Services at The Margolin & Weinreb Law Group, LLP. He has been representing the mortgage default industry for over 30 years and concentrates his practice in: foreclosures (residential and commercial), REO’s, evictions and title litigation. The firm represents many national lenders/servicers as well as hedge funds and individual investors. A 1983 graduate of the University of Bridgeport School of Law (now known as Quinnipiac School of Law), Mr. Margolin was admitted to practice law in NY in 1984. Mr. Margolin has been at the forefront of the default servicing industry. Having handled countless REO evictions and closings, Mr. Margolin is frequently called upon to fix the unfixable and to solve the unsolvable. He has been a speaker at many lender and servicer conferences, and he has hosted and has been featured on many webinars and trade events as well and countless industry-related functions.
David Merkur, Esq.
Partner
Greenspoon Marder
200 East Broward Boulevard, Suite 1800
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301
(954) 491-1120
david.merkur@gmlaw.com
David Merkur serves as the Financial Services practice group’s Managing Attorney at Greenspoon Marder. He is dedicated to lender representation in all aspects of default litigation. David oversees day to day operations of the multistate department consisting of over 15 attorneys and over 100 staff.
Mr. Merkur has extensive experience representing mortgage loan servicers, investors, governmental insurers and originators in all aspects of litigation including title litigation, eviction and settlement initiatives. He works with private loan investors to complete full service due diligence in advance of non-performing loan pool purchases. Compliance with federal collections acts and state fair lending practices are essential to his clients and he advises on implementing process and procedures to ensure compliance.
Mr. Merkur also manages the firm’s Business Compliance practice group, which provides ancillary legal support and due diligence initiatives for some of the Firm’s largest clients.
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
Bar Admissions
Florida
Education
J.D., Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, 2008
B.A., Political Science, University of Florida, 2005
Practice Areas
Financial Services
Professional and Community Involvement
Ted Lucas Foundation, Board Member
January Taylor, Esq.
Managing Partner
McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC
3550 Engineering Drive, Suite 260
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
470.289.1305
jtaylor@mtglaw.com
January Taylor is a managing partner and co-founder of McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC. She has over 20 years of real estate and creditors rights experience and has spent her career providing foreclosure, bankruptcy, REO, litigation, compliance, strategic planning and litigation services to banks, credit unions investors and servicers. She has written numerous articles and has been asked to speak at continuing legal education seminars, national conference and seminar panels, and webinars. Ms. Taylor also serves on the Board of Directors for Pink Peaches, Inc. a non-profit charity focused on supporting breast cancer patients, encouraging early detection, and providing research funding. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Salisbury University and her J.D. from Regent University School of Law. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar, Georgia Bar, South Carolina Bar, the ALFN, MBA, NACTT and the Legal League 100. Before joining McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC, Ms. Taylor was a Managing Partner at Brock & Scott, PLLC and prior to that she was a Managing Partner at Johnson & Freedman, LLC. Ms. Taylor lives in Atlanta, GA where she enjoys spending time with her family and 3 dogs.
Regina M. Slowey, Esq.
Managing Attorney - Litigation, Title, Evictions, REO, Collections
Orlans PC
1650 W. Big Beaver Rd.
Troy, MI 48084
248 502 3070
rslowey@orlans.com
Regina Slowey has over 20 years of litigation experience, specifically devoted to business and real estate litigation involving the mortgage lending and servicing industries. Yet her not so secret passion is title – having also been involved in the title industry for over 15 years, working with realtors, agents, and underwriters, and being one of the few who enjoys both the transactional and litigation side of title. She began as a title attorney in the litigation practice at Orlans PC in 2013, and discovered she had found a firm that shares her core values of respect, collaboration, and innovation. Regina is licensed in Michigan and California, and manages the REO, title, collection, eviction and litigation areas of practice throughout the ten jurisdictions of Orlans PC. She loves to share her expertise at training seminars, conferences, and continuing legal education courses on real property law and related topics. She is also a proud graduate of the University of Michigan, (where she earned an undergraduate degree in Classical Civilization that her father still questions) and her JD (which her father also questioned but accepted a tad more gracefully).
Steven Higgins-Prelle
Vice President
SlateRock Asset Management LLC
3033 South Parker Road, Suite 440
Aurora, CO 80014
720-476-7995
shiggins@owslp.com
Steven comes in with a full-circle of experience within the Mortgage and Servicing industry. Starting out over 15 years in mortgage origination, he moved on to Foreclosure, Bankruptcy and Litigation on the Attorney services side. His next steps moved on to Servicing running the Title and Litigation department as well as Trial and Mediation attendances. Following his time on the servicing side, he now oversees mortgage servicing for a private investor portfolio of over 10,000 loans. He has previously been a moderator and panelist with the ALFN Answers Conference as well as a 2018 Recipient of the ALFN JPEG Picture the Future award.
Damian Searles
Manager
Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing
75 Beattie Place, Suite 800
Greenville, SC 29601
864.312.4909
damian.searles@shellpointmtg.com
Damian Searles, native of Greenwood, SC currently resides in Greenville, SC. Damian has a background in both the finance and business industries where he is paving the way for emerging leaders, ideas, and business strategies. Damian received his Associate's Degree in 2010 with a focus on Business Management and Administration. He recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in Project Management. In his current career, he is the manager of a team of foreclosure specialists. Understanding that this wasn’t a “fun” position, he decided to take on the task anyway, because leaders don’t always do what is fun, they do what is necessary. Damian’s leadership style is one of poise, compassion, integrity, critical thinking, process improvement, and growth. No matter what the circumstance, he lives by the motto, “Excellence is the only way”. With his foundation in banking, business, management, finance, and leadership, his disciplines give him the knowledge and experience required to make the necessary changes for growth and development for himself and other leaders around him. To continue expanding himself as well as his love for reaching, teaching, and impacting people, Damian is also a member of Toastmasters Intl. In his spare time, he likes traveling, cycling, flying his drone, and spending time with the people he loves the most. His future goals include becoming an Author. Damian will be releasing a devotional in 2022 for Leaders entitled No Vision, No Victory, Inspirational Journal for Leaders. With this devotional, Damian's mission is to make sure that every leader knows at least this one principle; Where there is no vision; the people will perish.
Keri P. Ebeck, Esq.
Partner
Bernstein-Burkley
707 Grant Street, Suite 2200 Gulf Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412.456.8112
kebeck@bernsteinlaw.com
Keri is a partner and co-manager in the Bankruptcy & Restructuring practice group of Bernstein-Burkley, P.C. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a Partner, she handles commercial, consumer, and real estate bankruptcy matters, as well as she is the co-manager of the bankruptcy group. Keri is certified by the American Board of Certification in consumer bankruptcy and is a member of the standards committee for the ABC. Keri is the past Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section, which is responsible for studying bankruptcy and commercial law and informing its members of proposed changes to related legislation. Keri is currently servicing as the Vice Chair of the Finance and Investment Committees for the Allegheny County Bar Association. Keri is also serving as the Vice-President of Membership for the Pennsylvania Creditors’ Bar Association.
A member of the American Legal & Financial Network (ALFN), Keri was awarded the 2017 JPEG: Picture the Future Award, which recognizes stand-out young professionals for their achievements and commitment to the mortgage servicing industry. She is a member of the ALFN’s Bankruptcy and Women in Legal Leadership Committees and is a member of Legal League 100.
Keri is also a member and the past finance committee chair of the Judith K. Fitzgerald Western Pennsylvania Bankruptcy American Inn of Court and a member of the Turnaround Management Association. She is licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania; the U.S. District Court of New Jersey; the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio; the U.S. District Courts of Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana; the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas; the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Keri has spoken on bankruptcy and collection topics nationally at the ALFN Answers annual conference as well as ALFN’s Bankruptcy conference since 2013. Keri also speaks, plans sessions and moderates regularly for the Allegheny County Bar Association, NBI and Pennsylvania Bar Institute on bankruptcy, collections and repossessions. Keri has also presented several on site client seminars as well as hosted webinars for clients, prospective clients and industry representatives on bankruptcy and collections. Keri was recently recognized in the 2021 edition of Pennsylvania Best Lawyers for Bankruptcy.
Keri is an active volunteer with Make-A-Wish Foundation, Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapter. Keri is also a board member of the Trojan Education Foundation.
Michael McCormick, Esq.
Senior Partner, Bankruptcy
McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC
1544 Old Alabama Rd
Roswell, GA 30076
(678) 281-3918 / Ext. 13918
Michael.McCormick@mccalla.com
Michael is a senior partner in the bankruptcy department at McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, where he assists in the bankruptcy representation for dozens of mortgage lenders and servicers nationwide. He has been with the firm since 2004.
Michael is a native of Toronto, Canada and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario. He graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1994 and is admitted to practice in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Michael is a frequent speaker and author on various topics related to bankruptcy, including the handling of escrow accounts during a bankruptcy proceeding, and the recent bankruptcy form changes. He has also appeared as an expert witness in several bankruptcy cases on behalf of mortgage servicers. Michael is a member of numerous local and national bankruptcy organizations, including the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (associate member). He is chair of the Loan Modification Subcommittee of the NACTT Mortgage Committee and was recently appointed to the Committee on Case Administration and the Estate of the ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy Law. He is also recognized by the American Board of Certification as a Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist.
John Crane, Esq.
Partner, Managing Attorney
Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC
10700 Abbotts Bridge Road, Suite 170
Duluth, GA 30097
972-757-1486
jtc@raslg.com
John Crane received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. Mr. Crane counsels national mortgage servicers on the myriad of federal and law impacting foreclosure, bankruptcy, loss mitigation, REO, eviction and other areas of the default servicing industry. His areas of concentration include bankruptcy law, creditor rights, foreclosure law, property law, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth-in-Lending, RESPA, mortgage regulatory compliance, banking regulations and FCRA. Mr. Crane has devoted much of his time to the consumer bankruptcy space and has played an active role in the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT) Mortgage Committee and currently serves as the Committee’s Co-Chairman. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Deputy General Counsel of Citi’s North American Operations where he provided legal support to the default servicing areas within Citi’s consumer businesses. Mr. Crane is licensed in Georgia & Texas.
Hilary Bonial, Esq.
Managing Director
Bonial & Associates, P.C.
14841 Dallas Parkway, Suite 425
Dallas, TX 75254
972.643.6607
Hilary.Bonial@BonialPC.com
HILARY B. BONIAL is the Managing Director of Bonial & Associates, P. C. a default services law firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Born in Nacthitoches and raised in Central Louisiana, Hilary joined Brice Legal Group in 1999. The law firm which now bears her name has been a leader in representing creditors for almost 30 years. Hilary often speaks about her love of Bankruptcy Law throughout the nation and is a regular at industry events. In her spare time, she is a boating and BBQ enthusiast. Member of the Louisiana State Bar 1996, Texas State Bar 2006, Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification and the Louisiana Board of Specialization.
Tiffany M. Cornejo, Esq.
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee
Chapter 13 Standing Trustee - New Mexico
625 Silver Ave. SW, Suite 350
Albuquerque, NM 87102
505-243-1335
trustee@ch13nm.com
Tiffany received her Bachelor of Science in Journalism (B.S.J.) degree at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas in 2002 and then remained there to obtain her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2005. Tiffany was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship Award and Bremeyer Scholarship Award. During law school Tiffany was a voting member of the Admission’s Committee for the 2005-2006 incoming class.
While in law school Tiffany worked as a law clerk for Cloon Legal Services (Baldwin, Kansas), a bankruptcy firm practicing solely in consumer bankruptcy law. From there Tiffany was asked by one of the Partners to aid in the start-up of his own firm; Tiffany accepted and continued her work as a law clerk for The Law Office of Garret & Coons (Lawrence, Kansas) practicing primarily consumer bankruptcy law.
After graduating law school Tiffany worked as an Associate for Shapiro & Mock (Overland Park, Kansas) representing mortgage companies in the areas of foreclosures, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, commercial litigation, collections, replevins, evictions, and landlord–tenant law, all in both Kansas and Missouri.
From there, Tiffany moved to Saint Louis, Missouri to accept her current position as Senior Staff Attorney for Russell C. Simon, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee in the Southern District of Illinois where she not only represents the Trustee and trust, but supervises 4 paralegals, 2 mortgage administrators and a legal clerk. Tiffany was in this position for nine years.
On December 1, 2017, Tiffany was appointed as the Chapter 13 Trustee in New Mexico. Tiffany is also the Chapter 12 Trustee (case by case) for New Mexico, and a Board Member of ACT12.
Tiffany is admitted to practice in the Federal District Courts of Kansas, Western Missouri and Southern District of Illinois, and in the states of Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Diane Rosenberg, Esq.
Managing Partner
Rosenberg & Associates, LLC
4340 East-West Highway, Suite 600
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-907-8000
diane@rosenberg-assoc.com
Born in Washington, DC, Diane holds a Bachelors of Science from the College of Business Management at the University of Maryland (1987) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond T. C. Williams School of Law (1991). Diane is an AV Preeminent rated attorney with Martindale Hubbell and practices in the areas of foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, real estate and litigation. She serves as a panelist at numerous default industry events and regularly provides educational training sessions. Diane is admitted to appear before all federal and state courts in the jurisdictions of Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Diane is a member of the Maryland State, Virginia State and District of Columbia Bars, and the Bankruptcy Bar Association of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia and serves on the USFN Membership and Education Committees.
Katherine Owens
Client Relations and Operations Manager
Rose L. Brand & Associates, P.C.
7430 Washington Street NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
(505) 833-3036
katherine.owens@RoseLBrand.com
Katherine Owens is the Client Relations and Operations Manager for Rose L. Brand & Associates, P.C. (RLBA), a women-owned and minority-owned firm. Since joining RLBA in 2001, she has strived to set new standards in excellence by focusing on efficiency, accuracy, customer service, and innovation in technology.
This passion led her to the role of Compliance Manager before transitioning to her current duties in Operations overseeing firm performance and client relations. Katherine works in lockstep with the Firm President, Executive Committee, and IT Department on policy and procedure creation and implementation. Through her knowledge of regulatory and legal requirements and controls she ensures client expectations and timelines are met through oversight of the firm’s vendor management program, compliance and due diligence program, GSE reporting and timeline management, and client scorecard management and reporting.
A firm believer that knowledge is a priceless gift, Katherine empowers those around her to succeed in an ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape by providing in-house and remote training sessions throughout the U.S. on national and state-specific topics in the mortgage default banking industry. Her focuses include helping clients develop, implement and maintain standardized procedures, notebooks and templates, as well as process improvement techniques for the servicing community.
As an industry veteran, Katherine has weathered the Great Recession, COVID-19 pandemic, and an economy teetering on the brink of recession without losing stride. A focus on flexibility, resource knowledge, technology, and mitigation of controllable issues caused by unforeseen economic shifts has been key in overcoming these roadblocks in uncertain times.
Katherine holds an FSA Master Certification in Diversity and Inclusion, Mortgage Industry Regulatory Compliance, Distressed Asset Disposition, and Legal Practice. She is also proud to be a member of the ALFN Inclusion Diversity Equity & Awareness (IDEA) Committee promoting inclusion and diversity initiatives within the legal and servicing communities.
Caren Castle, Esq.
Senior Mortgage Servicing Attorney
The Wolf Firm
1851 East 1st Street, Suite 100
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(949) 371-8364
caren.castle@wolffirm.com
Caren Jacobs Castle is a Senior Mortgage Servicing Attorney at The Wolf Firm, A Law Corporation. Ms. Castle has over 30 years of experience in the mortgage servicing industry and many honors. She is a past president of USFN and was the organization’s first female president. She also served as the first Chairperson of the Board of The Legal League 100. Ms. Castle was recognized by Housing Wire in 2011 as an influential woman in the housing industry, was honored by FiveStar in 2011 for outstanding leadership and service to the housing industry, and received the USFN member of the year award in 2012. She has participated on numerous high level committees including committees within the US Department of the Treasury and the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. While practicing in Colorado, Ms. Castle served on the legislative committees of both the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association. Ms. Castle has also been recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyer in real estate. Ms. Castle speaks extensively throughout the country on mortgage servicing related issues and has been a featured speaker at numerous national MBA Servicing Conferences, USFN and Legal League 100 events.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
• Default Practice: Extensive experience in mortgage default related representation including foreclosure, compliance, title resolution, loss mitigation and REO.
• Bankruptcies: Experienced in representation of mortgage lenders in all chapters of bankruptcy.
• Evictions: Knowledge of post-foreclosure evictions.
EDUCATION
• Occidental College, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Cum Laude - 1977
• Southwestern University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude - 1980
Peter Lublin, Esq.
Senior Partner
Rubin Lublin, LLC / Rubin Lublin TN, PLLC
3145 Avalon Ridge Place, Suite 100
Peachtree Corners, GA 30071
770-246-3333
plublin@rlselaw.com
Peter Lublin is the senior partner of the firm. His primary areas of practice include business litigation, construction and banking litigation, real estate related litigation, contract disputes, lender liability defense, financial institution litigation and title insurance claims litigation.
Mr. Lublin frequently speaks nationally and locally on real estate related topics, including mortgage fraud and regulatory compliance. Mr. Lublin maintains an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell. This peer rating is the most prestigious in the legal profession and indicates he has achieved the highest levels of professional excellence and integrity.
Practice Areas
Education
Admissions
Ari Miller, Esq.
Managing Partner
Miller, George & Suggs, PLLC
2200 W. Commercial Blvd., Suite 103
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33309
786-268-9954
amiller@mgs-legal.com
Ari Miller, Esq. is Managing Partner at Miller, George & Suggs, PLLC. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2005 and is also a member of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Ari graduated with honors from the University of Florida in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He graduated cum laude from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law in December of 2004. While in law school, Ari was a member of Florida Blue Key and Vice Chancellor of the Honor Court. He has practice experience in the areas of Landlord-Tenant, Real Estate, Homeowner and Condo Association Law, Consumer Fraud, Civil Rights, Employment Discrimination, Disability Law and General Civil Litigation.
Rachel Lorenzo
Senior Manager- Default Oversight
Fannie Mae
1700 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19170
(215) 575-1435
rachel_m_lorenzo@fanniemae.com
Rachel Lorenzo joined Fannie Mae in January 2010. She has held many roles within the Servicing Organization and presently oversees the management of Fannie Mae’s firm managers. She is responsible for ensuring Fannie Mae is proactively working with the Mortgage Default Counsel to improve performance, reduce processing timelines and escalate potential risks for Fannie Mae. Rachel has over 20+ years’ experience in mortgage servicing and default asset management. Her team’s goals are to improve foreclosure and bankruptcy outcomes, partner with Single Family Servicing Management and internal stakeholders to ensure foreclosure and bankruptcy processes operate efficiently. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science from Rider University in New Jersey. She’s an avid health nut always looking for different ways to exercise and enjoys her beach days with a book!
Adam Gross, Esq.
Founding Partner
Gross Polowy, LLC
900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 201
Westbury, NY 11590
716 204 1780
agross@grosspolowy.com
Adam Gross is a founding partner of Gross Polowy, LLC, a boutique firm that specializes in residential mortgage servicing, servicer initiated home retention efforts, foreclosure and all related issues. Mr. Gross’ practice focuses on consulting mortgage servicers on compliance with New York mortgage servicing regulations and foreclosure procedures, solutions for expired statute of limitation and timeline reduction strategies. He also oversees the firm’s compliance with the legal and procedural requirements for New York and federal court foreclosures and serves as senior advisor to the firm’s compliance committee.
Graduated from Clark University in 1988 and Case Western University School of Law in 1991. Mr. Gross is a regular speaker on New York foreclosures to mortgage servicers and at mortgage servicing conferences nationwide. His community involvement includes serving as Commack Youth League lacrosse coach and Suffolk County Police Athletic League football coach.
Jacqueline F. McNally, Esq.
Managing Attorney - Foreclosure
Padgett Law Group
6267 Old Water Oak Road, Suite 203
Tallahassee, Florida 32312
(850) 422-2520 Ext. 7161
jackie.mcnally@padgettlawgroup.com
Jackie specializes in judicial foreclosure and title clearance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She has been involved in the default servicing industry for more than a decade.
She graduated from Dickinson College in 2002 and Penn State Dickinson School of Law in 2005. She has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of GSE rules and guidelines as well as FDCPA and CFPB requirements. Her major areas of practice include Creditors’ Rights, Bankruptcy, Eviction and Litigation.
Jackie is an active participant in the default industry and its associated organizations. She is regularly featured in trade publications, industry conference panels, webinars, and often leads direct client training events on foreclosure trends and issues specific to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, where her practice is primarily centered.
LICENSED IN PENNSYLVANIA, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GEORGIA
2002 EARNED B.A.
DICKINSON COLLEGE
2005 EARNED J.D.
PENN STATE DICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW
Chris Iaria, Esq.
Managing Attorney – Illinois
Diaz, Anselmo & Associates, P.A.
1771 W Diehl Rd., Ste. 120
Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 453-6829
ciaria@dallegal.com
Christopher S. Iaria joined Diaz Anselmo & Associates in March 2012. He is licensed to practice law in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the State of Illinois, and in the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois. Focusing on civil litigation, his practice is concentrated in the areas of mortgage foreclosure, title insurance litigation, real estate law, and mechanics lien litigation. He is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara (2004) and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School (2009). Mr. Iaria is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Dupage County Bar Association.
Education
Joseph A. Camillo, Jr., Esq.
Managing Partner
Brock & Scott, PLLC
1080 Main Street, Ste 200
Pawtucket, RI 02860
401-217-8701 x2403
Joseph.Camillo@brockandscott.com
Mr. Camillo is Managing Partner of our New England Foreclosure/Default Servicing/Litigation Practice Groups. He has over 26 years of experience in the areas of Banking, Creditors’ Rights, Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Real Estate, Litigation, Regulatory Compliance and Condominium Law. He also has extensive experience in representing public sector/quasi-governmental agencies such as Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency; Rhode Island Housing; Maine State Housing, Fannie Mae; Freddie Mac; HUD, USDA and the Veterans Association. Mr. Camillo lectures extensively throughout the country on topics such as foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, condominium law and litigation.
Practice Area
Litigation & Defense, Real Estate Default, Special Assets Resolution, Title Curative
Admitted to Practice
Education
Alicia Wood
VP, Servicing
Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions
980 Hammond Drive
Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30328
Alicia.Wood@angeloakms.com
214-666-7832
Ms. Wood is currently VP over Servicing at Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions where she directs interim servicing and servicing oversight activities. She joined the Angel Oak management team in March 2019 after 2 years at HomeBridge and 9 years at Residential Credit Solutions, holding senior management positions over the Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, REO and Loan Administration departments, including acquisitions, escrow, special loans and correspondence. Prior to RCS, she spent 6 years at Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc., most recently as the Vice President of Foreclosure and Bankruptcy. She joined Saxon as the AVP over Loss Mitigation in 2001 and was promoted to Vice President of the group in late 2002 prior to managing the foreclosure, bankruptcy and REO departments in late 2005. Ms. Wood worked at Conseco Finance / Greentree Servicing for 5 years with 2 of these as a Collections Manager before she joined Saxon.
Yusuf Haidermota, Esq.
Shareholder
Kass Shuler, P.A.
1505 N. Florida Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33602
813-229-0900 ext. 1472
yhaidermota@kasslaw.com
Yusuf Haidermota is a Shareholder at Kass Shuler, P.A. where he is a member of the Firm’s Litigation Group focusing his practice on Creditor Rights, Real Estate, and Fair Debt Litigation. Yusuf is an experienced litigator, and his practice extends statewide in both state and federal courts, including the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. Yusuf has successfully handled lawsuits involving breach of contract, real estate issues, commercial collections, foreclosures, and other business issues. Yusuf also defends servicers and investors being sued under state and federal fair debt laws. He is a frequent speaker on the Florida Consumer Collection Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act and Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Yusuf joined Kass Shuler, P.A. in 2011. Prior to joining the firm, Yusuf was an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit.
Blake A. Strautins, Esq.
Managing Partner of Litigation
Kluever Law Group
225 W Washington St, Suite 1550
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 981-7388
bstrautins@klueverlawgroup.com
Blake A. Strautins is a co-owner and managing partner of Kluever Law Group, where he heads the firm’s litigation department. Blake has been practicing in the field of complex litigation since he began his legal career in 2007, with the last 8 years devoted to creditors rights and mortgage foreclosure litigation throughout the state of Illinois. His significant experience includes litigating cases concerning the FDCPA, TILA, and complex mortgage foreclosure litigation issues. Over the last few years, he personally handled and won several appeals that created new law for the Illinois mortgage foreclosure plaintiffs’ bar.
Andrea Tromberg, Esq.
Managing Member
Tromberg Morris & Poulin, PLLC
1515 South Federal Hwy, Ste. 100
Boca Raton, FL 33432
561-338-4101
atromberg@tmppllc.com
Mrs. Tromberg has been practicing law since 1996. She has extensive experience in foreclosure law, creditor litigation, commercial litigation, appeals, trial, and management. She offers clients her comprehensive knowledge of the law and ability to maneuver difficult and complex legal matters. Andrea Tromberg has served for seven years on the Board of Directors for the American Legal and Financial Network (ALFN), and was the first elected Chairwoman. She has served on numerous committees and is a current member of the leadership committee for Women in Legal Leadership (WILL). Tromberg has been engaged as a speaker at various events including: ALFN, NCBA, Five Star and other groups to discuss hot topics in the industry such as statute of limitation, proposed bills in Congress, ethics, FDCPA claims and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). She has also been involved with multiple amicus briefs filed on critical issues that have been heard by the Florida Supreme Court.
Sally Garrison, Esq.
Managing Member
The Mortgage Law Firm, PLLC
421 NW 13th Street, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
405-246-0602
Sally.Garrison@mtglawfirm.com
Sally E. Garrison received a B.A. in Economics, Environmental Science, and Political Science, from Claremont McKenna College in 1995. She received her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma, College of Law, in 2000. During her studies at the University of Oklahoma (OU), she also attended the Oxford Summer Program at Queen’s College, focusing on the European Union and Intellectual Property. Before beginning her work in real estate litigation, Sally taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma, College of Law, in the areas of Intellectual Property, Copyright, Contracts, and Law in Cyberspace. She assisted in the research and editing of Copyright in a Global Information Economy, ISBN 0-7355-2430-0; Toward an International Fair Use Doctrine, Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 2000, Volume 39, No. 1; and Givers, Takers and Other Kinds of Users: A Fair Use Doctrine for Cyberspace, Florida Law Review, January 2001, Volume 53, No. 1. From 2001 to 2008, Sally worked as in-house counsel for OU, representing various departments and organizations including Student Affairs, OU Police Department, Sam Nobel Museum, Alumni Affairs, Development, Housing and Food Services, and the University Outreach, among numerous others. She is currently the managing member of The Mortgage Law Firm, PLLC, in Oklahoma, and is licensed in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Hawaii. Her work includes motion practice, non-jury and jury trial work, and appellate practice. She is also the Firm’s Client Relations and Marketing Liaison, working closely with clients to ensure excellent service and communication. In addition to firm work, she has consulted with local law firms to provide system efficiency and managerial advice. She is a graduate of the Stagen Leadership Academy Integral Leadership Program, and was awarded Black Belt recognition for her work in communication, influence, and motivation. She was a finalist for the Women in Housing 2019 Keystone Award for Cultural Leadership. She won the USFN’s Member of the Year Award in 2020, along with being named one of OKC’s Top Attorneys by 405 Magazine in the area of real estate. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the USFN.
Jeffrey D. Weisserman, Esq.
Managing Partner & General Counsel
Trott Law PC
31440 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 145
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 642-2515
jweisserman@trottlaw.com
Jeff Weisserman is General Counsel and a Managing Partner for Trott Law, PC and previously managed its litigation department. He is also a partner in the Colorado firm of Barrett Frappier and Weisserman, LLP. Prior to joining Trott Law in 2003, Jeff was a partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, P.C. in Detroit, where he specialized in representing mortgage lenders and other industry participants in litigation and other matters. Jeff graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 1984, and received his Juris Doctor with honors from Wayne State University in 1987. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association and the Mortgage Bankers Association of Michigan. He recently ended terms on the governing council of the Michigan Bar Association’s Real Property Section and as a member of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity Michigan Fund’s Board of Governors. Jeff is active in legislative affairs relating to the mortgage industry and has testified before various legislative committees regarding real property legislation. He is a frequent speaker on issues relating to litigation and the mortgage banking industry, has authored numerous materials on the industry, and was the 2004 recipient of the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association’s Outstanding Mortgage Lender of the Year.
Jim Timberlake, Esq.
President
Baer & Timberlake, P.C.
5901 N. Western Avenue, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-842-7722
jim@baer-timberlake.com
CEO, cycling aficionado, and lifelong learner, Jim believes the best way to improve is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Born in Fort Hood, Texas, and raised in Oklahoma, Jim earned his BBA in Finance at SMU in Dallas, then returned home to Oklahoma for law school. He can usually be found on a bike or researching some obscure topic. Traveling is a passion (usually with a bike in tow), with Colombia being his most recent adventure.
Erica Fujimoto
Director of Default Services & Management Consultant
Affinity Consulting Group
13700 Stevens Point Dr.
Frisco, TX 75033
727-202-3185
efujimoto@affinityconsulting.com
Erica is the primary project and client relations manager for all of Affinity’s default services projects. She handles process mapping with our clients and assists in program buildouts. She’s also involved in business development, strategic planning, and audits and compliance. Erica started in the mortgage banking industry in the late 90s working at a major mortgage servicer in foreclosure and bankruptcy, and then moved on to work at various law firms, first as a paralegal, and later as a managing paralegal. In 2007, Erica’s firm purchased the CaseAware® case management system, and she became the implementation project manager, program administrator, and trainer. She came to Affinity in 2010, where she has built a team of consultants catering to firms in the default industry.
Erica’s superpower is organization. She keeps a lot of balls in the air at one time, and rarely lets one drop. Erica is happiest when she’s helping people, and her favorite part of her job is being able to help her clients and her team every day.
Erica lives outside of Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Yoshi, of 20+ years and their two sons, Genki and Kazuki. She can usually be found watching soccer, baseball, tennis, and helping at her sons’ schools with PTA and other events. She enjoys reading, playing tennis, taking dance lessons, and shopping. She speaks fluent Japanese, and if she could spend the rest of her life doing anything, it would be traveling around the US and the world, meeting new people, and enjoying the culture of other countries.
Neeraj Mendiratta
Principal/Founder/CEO
KnovaOne, and ARMGuard Solutions
9154 Delemar Ct.
Wellington, FL 33414
804-971-7462
nmendiratta@knovaone.com
Neeraj has extensive experience in managing multiple businesses. He is a serial entrepreneur with multiple startups that are serving Collections and Default industry with more than 20 years of experience. He has excellent knowledge of the industry and regulatory environment, and strong relationships with the industry players.
He established Mendiratta Consulting Company (KnovaOne) in 2012 with the aim of helping players in the Collections and Mortgage industry to improve their processes and performance, provide visibility into their operations, and provide support for mundane and repetitive tasks. As part of his consulting, he also setup a back office in Pune, India. The consulting is supported by an IT company (ARMGuard Solutions).
Before starting his own businesses, Neeraj was head of Default for Ocwen. Neeraj briefly served as the head of Attorney Network at NCO Financial. Prior to this, he donned several hats at Capital One managing analytics, first-party and third-party agencies, and the legal collections network.
Neeraj is a member of several professional organizations in Collections and Default industry, and actively participates in NCBA, RMAi, ALFN, USFN, MBA, FiveStar and CLLA.
To learn more about KnovaOne and ARMGuard, and how they can be a cost-effective solution for your business model, please connect with Neeraj.
Dana Federspiel
SVP, Servicing Product Strategy
Black Knight
601 Riverside Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32204
904-527-4408
dana.federspiel@bkfs.com
Dana Federspiel is currently the Managing Director within the Black Knight Enterprise Product Strategy group responsible for identification, development and delivery of enterprise opportunities with new and existing products.
Dana possesses 10+ years with Black Knight and its predecessor companies, including conducting client business reviews to provide recommendations, potential cost savings and risk analysis based on the usage of current technology, compliance and best practices for mortgage servicing to assist in the sales and assessment process. Additionally, Dana has conducted numerous training courses, assisted with requirements gathering and project plans for implementation of Black Knight products and process change execution strategies specializing in default products and processing.
Dana has over 20+ years of mortgage servicing experience in various roles related to processing, default management and reverse mortgages.
Gretchen Borer
National Account Manager
NetDirector
12363 Hampton Park Blvd
Tampa, FL 33624
813.736.0115
gretchen@netdirector.biz
Gretchen Borer oversees all mortgage banking sales at NetDirector since 2013. NetDirector is a cutting edge integration service that connects all servicing platforms, attorney/trustees, and critical trading partners in the default industry. Gretchen has worked in various technology arenas such as healthcare, mainframe sales, and as a LAR for Microsoft Licensing. Born in Colorado and a graduate of USC, she thrives on providing customers with an understanding of how technology can improve their overall business. Living in 8 cities and adoring travel, she is a foodie, wine & cheese lover, and appreciates a stellar beach sunset. She is inspired by her faith and two loving daughters that also reside in Florida.
Brandon Speaks
Vice President of Consulting
Provana
901 Warrenville Rd
Lisle, IL 60532
516.978.3674
brandon.speaks@provana.com
Brandon Speaks is the Vice President of Consulting for Provana where he leads the development and implementation of all platforms and services for the legal vertical. He focuses on working with firms to find ideal solutions to the challenges they face. Prior to joining Provana, he spent 10 years managing operations and IT for a collections law firm.
Scott Brinkley
Chief Executive Officer
a360inc
1755 Telstar Drive, Suite 301
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
214-471-8992
scott.brinkley@a360inc.com
Scott Brinkley is the CEO of a360inc, a leader in technology and outsourcing solutions for the legal and financial services industry. Leveraging his entrepreneurial background and industry experience, his leadership is instrumental in identifying acquisition targets, diversifying a360inc’s investments and providing strategic vision for the company. Scott has served in various executive leadership roles with organizations such as CoreLogic and First American where he honed his business, leadership, and executive management skills driving innovation and transformation. With over 25 years of industry experience across mortgage servicing, legal operations, and information technology, Scott is a sought-after speaker, contributor, and thought leader. Visit https://www.a360inc.com/people.html to contact Scott and learn more about a360inc.
Mark McArdle
Assistant Director, Mortgage Markets
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
1700 G St. NW
Washington, DC 20552
202-435-9705
Mark.McArdle@cfpb.gov
Mark McArdle is the Assistant Director, Mortgage Markets at the Bureau. In this role he leads a team that works closely with industry and other stakeholders to help inform the Bureau and the
public on current and future trends in the mortgage origination and servicing markets.
Before CFPB, McArdle was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In this role, he led the office that managed the Troubled Asset
Relief Program (TARP), including its remaining investment and homeownership preservation programs, and advised the Department on access to credit issues. He also held previous roles at
Treasury including Chief Homeownership Preservation Officer and Director of the Hardest Hit Fund. McArdle has played a key role in policy development for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), and oversaw the creation of the Hardest Hit Fund, which provided funding to state housing finance agencies (HFAs) for foreclosure prevention efforts.
McArdle has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin, and has spent twenty years working on issues related to housing, mortgage lending
and homeownership in nonprofits and government in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.
Todd Barton, Esq.
Deputy General Counsel
Fannie Mae
5600 Granite Parkway
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 773-7659
Todd_Barton@fanniemae.com
Todd Barton is Fannie Mae’s Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. Barton is responsible for overseeing legal support for counterparty issues, foreclosures, bankruptcies, real estate owned, and Fannie Mae’s mortgage default counsel program. He also provides support on Texas Home Equity Loans. Before joining Fannie Mae in 2003, Barton was a Partner with the Dallas law firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman, and Blumenthal, LLP. His 14-year practice with the firm included complex commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters.
Toniqua Green
VP, Corporate Social Responsibility
Mr. Cooper
8950 Cypress Waters Blvd.
Coppell, TX 75019
469.549.3303
toniqua.green@mrcooper.com
Toniqua Green started her career at Mr. Cooper over 15 years ago in the company’s call center and worked her way up, advocating for herself and mentoring others along the way. After only three years working in the call center, she earned the position of Foreclosures Manager, where she went from specialist to team lead to manager and, eventually, Vice President. Toniqua built her dream career through a mix of hard work and persistence, and today, Toniqua serves as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, where she oversees state and community relations, the company’s Environmental Social Governance efforts and our Diversity Equity & Inclusion initiatives. In her role, she partners with housing advocates, state housing agencies and federal housing associations to provide mortgage assistance to homeowners in need, managing outreach efforts, government sponsored initiatives, strategic planning of foreclosure prevention and new homeowner efforts in low-to-moderate income markets and underserved communities.
Rick Sharga
Executive Vice President Market Intelligence
ATTOM
505 Technology Drive, Suite 100
Irvine, CA 92618
949.322.4583
rick.sharga@attomdata.com
Rick is the Executive Vice President of Market Intelligence for ATTOM, a market-leading provider of real estate and property data, including tax, mortgage, deed, foreclosure, natural hazard, environmental risk, and neighborhood data.
One of the country’s most frequently-quoted sources on real estate, mortgage and foreclosure trends, Rick has appeared on CNBC, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, ABC News, FOX, Bloomberg and NPR. Rick is a founding member of the Five Star National Mortgage Servicing Association, on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Default Professionals, and was twice named to the Inman News Inman 100, an annual list of the most influential real estate leaders.
Rick has over 20 years’ experience in the real estate and mortgage industries, including roles as the Executive Vice President at RealtyTrac, as an EVP for Carrington Mortgage Holdings, and Chief Marketing Officer of the company’s Vylla business unit, and as the Chief Marketing Officer of Ten-X and Auction.com, the leading online real estate marketplace.
Michael Fratantoni, PhD
Chief Economist, Senior Vice President, Research and Industry Technology
Mortgage Bankers Association
1919 M St., NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
202-557-2935
MFratantoni@mba.org
Michael Fratantoni is MBA's Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Industry Technology. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing MBA's industry surveys and benchmarking studies, economic and mortgage originations forecasts, industry technology efforts, and policy development research for both single-family and commercial/multifamily markets. Additionally, Fratantoni is a member of the Board of Directors of MISMO and the membership committee of MERS.
Prior to joining MBA, Fratantoni worked in risk management and senior economist roles at Washington Mutual and Fannie Mae. He received a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in economics from The College of William and Mary, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Washington, and Johns Hopkins, George Washington, and Georgetown Universities.
Daren Blomquist
Vice President of Market Economics
Auction.com
1 Venture, Suite 300
Irvine, CA 92618
949-502-8310
DBlomquist@auction.com
Daren Blomquist is vice president of market economics at Auction.com. In this role, Blomquist analyzes and forecasts complex macro and microeconomic data trends within the marketplace and industry to provide value to both buyers and sellers using the Auction.com platform.
Daren’s reports and analysis have been cited by thousands of media outlets — including all the major news networks and leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA TODAY. Daren has been quoted in hundreds of publications and has appeared on many national network broadcasts, including CBS, ABC, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business and Bloomberg.
Leonard Kiefer, PhD
Macro Housing Econ Senior Director & Deputy Chief Economist
Economic and Housing Research
Freddie Mac
8200 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22102-3110
703 903 3830
leonard_kiefer@freddiemac.com
Leonard (Len) Kiefer is an economist who helps people understand what’s going on in the economy, housing, mortgage markets. Len joined Freddie Mac in 2009, and has served as Deputy Chief Economist since December 2012. Len is responsible for primary and secondary mortgage market analysis and research, macroeconomic analysis and forecasting.
Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Len was an assistant professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he conducted research on macroeconomics and monetary policy. He has also taught economics at The Ohio State University and finance at George Mason University.
Kiefer holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Kentucky, and a PhD from The Ohio State University. Len is a member of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) and the National Association for Business Economics (NABE).
Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four homebuyers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. www.FreddieMac.com.
President/CEO
Randall S. Miller & Associates
43252 Woodward Avenue, Suite 180
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
(248) 335-9200 x101
rmiller@rsmalaw.com
Randall S. Miller, Randy as he is called by his friends, graduated from Michigan State University in 1987 with a B.S. in Political Science/Pre-Law. He earned his J.D. at the Detroit College of Law in 1992. After spending over a decade as a trial attorney, Randy started his law firm, Randall S. Miller & Associates in 2002. The firm is now in the States of Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Randy is also the CEO of U.S. Default Management, a back office solutions provider, helping save servicers millions of dollars per year. His current focus is on their new Universal Attorney Audit Platform, which benefits servicers and attorneys alike. Schweitzer Title Agency, LTD is another of Randy’s companies, providing national title solutions, as well as handling closing/escrow matters. He formerly sat on both the Executive Board and Executive Committee of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and headed its PAC Task Force. He also served on the Executive Board of the Michigan Association for Justice. As a member of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly, an elected position that he held until being term limited out, he chaired its Drafting Committee where he had the ability to redraft Michigan’s’ attorney ethics standards.
Natalie A. Grigg, Esq.
Partner
Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP
500 Bausch & Lomb Place
Rochester, New York 14604
585-445-2610
NGrigg@woodsdefaultServices.com
Natalie A. Grigg is the Supervising Partner in the firm’s Default Servicing Department, overseeing staff and attorneys, while ensuring compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Ms. Grigg represents lenders, investors, and services in residential mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy actions, evictions, and related litigation throughout New York State.
Prior to joining Woods Oviatt, Ms. Grigg represented creditors and servicers in contested matters in Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings throughout New York State. She has extensive experience with litigated matters within bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings as well as commercial litigation.
Ms. Grigg received her Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo Law School in May 2002 with a concentration in Civil Litigation. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Legal Studies in February 1999 from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Julie McGaharan
Hyatt Tamaya Mist Spa & Salon
1300 Tuyuna Trail
Santa Ana Pueblo, NM 87004
505-771-6128
Janisa.Casillas@hyatt.com – Contact Janisa Casillas to reach Julie.
Heart to Heart Healing with Julie A McGaharan
I am a traditional healing arts practitioner whose training and traditions come from Mexika & Azteca cultures. I am of Apache blood line passed onto me by my great-grandmother who along with my grandmother were curanderas – healers for their communities.
My work includes doing limpias – energetic clearings and body work, I work with a variety of herbs, essential oils, and most importantly I am the guardian and guide for Temazcalli Yaoxochitl which is a Meso-American sweat lodge where we hold ceremonies for releasing and renewing not only at the physical level but emotional and spiritual as well.
I am also a yoga teacher who has been a practitioner for over 40 years.
Within all of these practices I lead meditations to not only assist in calming and centering the mind, body and spirit but also to draw in self-discovery and contemplation.
I await your presence – from my heart to yours - Namaste
Eric Maddox
4115 East 98th Street
Tulsa, OK 74137
918.812.6030
Eric@ericmaddox.com
Upon graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1994, Eric Maddox joined the U.S. Army as an infantry paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division. After spending three years as a paratrooper, jumpmaster and a qualified ranger, Eric reenlisted as an interrogator and Chinese Mandarin linguist. Since 9/11, Eric has conducted over 2,700 interrogations while deploying eight times in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) to include multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
In 2003, while assigned to a special operations task force in Tikrit, Eric conducted over 300 interrogations and collected the intelligence which directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. As a result, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director’s Award and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement. After being hired as a civilian with the Department of Defense, Eric continued to help fight the Global War on Terror (GWOT) until 2014. In May 2015, he earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and is now a private consultant and negotiator and lives in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Eric is also the author of Mission: Black List No. 1 (Harper Collins, 2008), which he wrote with the permission of the Department of Defense.
Christianna J. Kersey, Esq.
Managing Attorney
Cohn, Goldberg & Deutsch, LLC
1099 Winterson Road, Suite 301
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090
(410) 296-2550 x3155
CKersey@cgd-law.com
Christianna holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Delaware (B.S. 2006) and a Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware (J.D. 2010). Christianna is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She concentrates her practice in the area of creditor’s rights, real estate, litigation, foreclosure, eviction and unsecured collections. Christianna also handles compliance related issues for Cohn, Goldberg & Deutsch, LLC. Ms. Kersey is currently a member of the USFN Board of Directors and has written numerous articles for industry related publications, she is also a frequent speaker at industry events.
C. Lance Margolin, Esq.
Partner Emeritus/Director: REO and Eviction Services
The Margolin & Weinreb Law Group, LLP
165 Eileen Way, Suite 101
Syosset, New York 11791
516-921-3838 Ext. 306
Lance@nyfclaw.com
C. Lance Margolin is Partner Emeritus and Director of Eviction and REO Services at The Margolin & Weinreb Law Group, LLP. He has been representing the mortgage default industry for over 30 years and concentrates his practice in: foreclosures (residential and commercial), REO’s, evictions and title litigation. The firm represents many national lenders/servicers as well as hedge funds and individual investors. A 1983 graduate of the University of Bridgeport School of Law (now known as Quinnipiac School of Law), Mr. Margolin was admitted to practice law in NY in 1984. Mr. Margolin has been at the forefront of the default servicing industry. Having handled countless REO evictions and closings, Mr. Margolin is frequently called upon to fix the unfixable and to solve the unsolvable. He has been a speaker at many lender and servicer conferences, and he has hosted and has been featured on many webinars and trade events as well and countless industry-related functions.
David Merkur, Esq.
Partner
Greenspoon Marder
200 East Broward Boulevard, Suite 1800
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301
(954) 491-1120
david.merkur@gmlaw.com
David Merkur serves as the Financial Services practice group’s Managing Attorney at Greenspoon Marder. He is dedicated to lender representation in all aspects of default litigation. David oversees day to day operations of the multistate department consisting of over 15 attorneys and over 100 staff.
Mr. Merkur has extensive experience representing mortgage loan servicers, investors, governmental insurers and originators in all aspects of litigation including title litigation, eviction and settlement initiatives. He works with private loan investors to complete full service due diligence in advance of non-performing loan pool purchases. Compliance with federal collections acts and state fair lending practices are essential to his clients and he advises on implementing process and procedures to ensure compliance.
Mr. Merkur also manages the firm’s Business Compliance practice group, which provides ancillary legal support and due diligence initiatives for some of the Firm’s largest clients.
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
Bar Admissions
Florida
Education
J.D., Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, 2008
B.A., Political Science, University of Florida, 2005
Practice Areas
Financial Services
Professional and Community Involvement
Ted Lucas Foundation, Board Member
January Taylor, Esq.
Managing Partner
McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC
3550 Engineering Drive, Suite 260
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
470.289.1305
jtaylor@mtglaw.com
January Taylor is a managing partner and co-founder of McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC. She has over 20 years of real estate and creditors rights experience and has spent her career providing foreclosure, bankruptcy, REO, litigation, compliance, strategic planning and litigation services to banks, credit unions investors and servicers. She has written numerous articles and has been asked to speak at continuing legal education seminars, national conference and seminar panels, and webinars. Ms. Taylor also serves on the Board of Directors for Pink Peaches, Inc. a non-profit charity focused on supporting breast cancer patients, encouraging early detection, and providing research funding. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Salisbury University and her J.D. from Regent University School of Law. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar, Georgia Bar, South Carolina Bar, the ALFN, MBA, NACTT and the Legal League 100. Before joining McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC, Ms. Taylor was a Managing Partner at Brock & Scott, PLLC and prior to that she was a Managing Partner at Johnson & Freedman, LLC. Ms. Taylor lives in Atlanta, GA where she enjoys spending time with her family and 3 dogs.
Regina M. Slowey, Esq.
Managing Attorney - Litigation, Title, Evictions, REO, Collections
Orlans PC
1650 W. Big Beaver Rd.
Troy, MI 48084
248 502 3070
rslowey@orlans.com
Regina Slowey has over 20 years of litigation experience, specifically devoted to business and real estate litigation involving the mortgage lending and servicing industries. Yet her not so secret passion is title – having also been involved in the title industry for over 15 years, working with realtors, agents, and underwriters, and being one of the few who enjoys both the transactional and litigation side of title. She began as a title attorney in the litigation practice at Orlans PC in 2013, and discovered she had found a firm that shares her core values of respect, collaboration, and innovation. Regina is licensed in Michigan and California, and manages the REO, title, collection, eviction and litigation areas of practice throughout the ten jurisdictions of Orlans PC. She loves to share her expertise at training seminars, conferences, and continuing legal education courses on real property law and related topics. She is also a proud graduate of the University of Michigan, (where she earned an undergraduate degree in Classical Civilization that her father still questions) and her JD (which her father also questioned but accepted a tad more gracefully).
Steven Higgins-Prelle
Vice President
SlateRock Asset Management LLC
3033 South Parker Road, Suite 440
Aurora, CO 80014
720-476-7995
shiggins@owslp.com
Steven comes in with a full-circle of experience within the Mortgage and Servicing industry. Starting out over 15 years in mortgage origination, he moved on to Foreclosure, Bankruptcy and Litigation on the Attorney services side. His next steps moved on to Servicing running the Title and Litigation department as well as Trial and Mediation attendances. Following his time on the servicing side, he now oversees mortgage servicing for a private investor portfolio of over 10,000 loans. He has previously been a moderator and panelist with the ALFN Answers Conference as well as a 2018 Recipient of the ALFN JPEG Picture the Future award.
Damian Searles
Manager
Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing
75 Beattie Place, Suite 800
Greenville, SC 29601
864.312.4909
damian.searles@shellpointmtg.com
Damian Searles, native of Greenwood, SC currently resides in Greenville, SC. Damian has a background in both the finance and business industries where he is paving the way for emerging leaders, ideas, and business strategies. Damian received his Associate's Degree in 2010 with a focus on Business Management and Administration. He recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in Project Management. In his current career, he is the manager of a team of foreclosure specialists. Understanding that this wasn’t a “fun” position, he decided to take on the task anyway, because leaders don’t always do what is fun, they do what is necessary. Damian’s leadership style is one of poise, compassion, integrity, critical thinking, process improvement, and growth. No matter what the circumstance, he lives by the motto, “Excellence is the only way”. With his foundation in banking, business, management, finance, and leadership, his disciplines give him the knowledge and experience required to make the necessary changes for growth and development for himself and other leaders around him. To continue expanding himself as well as his love for reaching, teaching, and impacting people, Damian is also a member of Toastmasters Intl. In his spare time, he likes traveling, cycling, flying his drone, and spending time with the people he loves the most. His future goals include becoming an Author. Damian will be releasing a devotional in 2022 for Leaders entitled No Vision, No Victory, Inspirational Journal for Leaders. With this devotional, Damian's mission is to make sure that every leader knows at least this one principle; Where there is no vision; the people will perish.
Keri P. Ebeck, Esq.
Partner
Bernstein-Burkley
707 Grant Street, Suite 2200 Gulf Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412.456.8112
kebeck@bernsteinlaw.com
Keri is a partner and co-manager in the Bankruptcy & Restructuring practice group of Bernstein-Burkley, P.C. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a Partner, she handles commercial, consumer, and real estate bankruptcy matters, as well as she is the co-manager of the bankruptcy group. Keri is certified by the American Board of Certification in consumer bankruptcy and is a member of the standards committee for the ABC. Keri is the past Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section, which is responsible for studying bankruptcy and commercial law and informing its members of proposed changes to related legislation. Keri is currently servicing as the Vice Chair of the Finance and Investment Committees for the Allegheny County Bar Association. Keri is also serving as the Vice-President of Membership for the Pennsylvania Creditors’ Bar Association.
A member of the American Legal & Financial Network (ALFN), Keri was awarded the 2017 JPEG: Picture the Future Award, which recognizes stand-out young professionals for their achievements and commitment to the mortgage servicing industry. She is a member of the ALFN’s Bankruptcy and Women in Legal Leadership Committees and is a member of Legal League 100.
Keri is also a member and the past finance committee chair of the Judith K. Fitzgerald Western Pennsylvania Bankruptcy American Inn of Court and a member of the Turnaround Management Association. She is licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania; the U.S. District Court of New Jersey; the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio; the U.S. District Courts of Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana; the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas; the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Keri has spoken on bankruptcy and collection topics nationally at the ALFN Answers annual conference as well as ALFN’s Bankruptcy conference since 2013. Keri also speaks, plans sessions and moderates regularly for the Allegheny County Bar Association, NBI and Pennsylvania Bar Institute on bankruptcy, collections and repossessions. Keri has also presented several on site client seminars as well as hosted webinars for clients, prospective clients and industry representatives on bankruptcy and collections. Keri was recently recognized in the 2021 edition of Pennsylvania Best Lawyers for Bankruptcy.
Keri is an active volunteer with Make-A-Wish Foundation, Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapter. Keri is also a board member of the Trojan Education Foundation.
Michael McCormick, Esq.
Senior Partner, Bankruptcy
McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC
1544 Old Alabama Rd
Roswell, GA 30076
(678) 281-3918 / Ext. 13918
Michael.McCormick@mccalla.com
Michael is a senior partner in the bankruptcy department at McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, where he assists in the bankruptcy representation for dozens of mortgage lenders and servicers nationwide. He has been with the firm since 2004.
Michael is a native of Toronto, Canada and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario. He graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1994 and is admitted to practice in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Michael is a frequent speaker and author on various topics related to bankruptcy, including the handling of escrow accounts during a bankruptcy proceeding, and the recent bankruptcy form changes. He has also appeared as an expert witness in several bankruptcy cases on behalf of mortgage servicers. Michael is a member of numerous local and national bankruptcy organizations, including the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (associate member). He is chair of the Loan Modification Subcommittee of the NACTT Mortgage Committee and was recently appointed to the Committee on Case Administration and the Estate of the ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy Law. He is also recognized by the American Board of Certification as a Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist.
John Crane, Esq.
Partner, Managing Attorney
Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC
10700 Abbotts Bridge Road, Suite 170
Duluth, GA 30097
972-757-1486
jtc@raslg.com
John Crane received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. Mr. Crane counsels national mortgage servicers on the myriad of federal and law impacting foreclosure, bankruptcy, loss mitigation, REO, eviction and other areas of the default servicing industry. His areas of concentration include bankruptcy law, creditor rights, foreclosure law, property law, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth-in-Lending, RESPA, mortgage regulatory compliance, banking regulations and FCRA. Mr. Crane has devoted much of his time to the consumer bankruptcy space and has played an active role in the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT) Mortgage Committee and currently serves as the Committee’s Co-Chairman. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Deputy General Counsel of Citi’s North American Operations where he provided legal support to the default servicing areas within Citi’s consumer businesses. Mr. Crane is licensed in Georgia & Texas.
Hilary Bonial, Esq.
Managing Director
Bonial & Associates, P.C.
14841 Dallas Parkway, Suite 425
Dallas, TX 75254
972.643.6607
Hilary.Bonial@BonialPC.com
HILARY B. BONIAL is the Managing Director of Bonial & Associates, P. C. a default services law firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Born in Nacthitoches and raised in Central Louisiana, Hilary joined Brice Legal Group in 1999. The law firm which now bears her name has been a leader in representing creditors for almost 30 years. Hilary often speaks about her love of Bankruptcy Law throughout the nation and is a regular at industry events. In her spare time, she is a boating and BBQ enthusiast. Member of the Louisiana State Bar 1996, Texas State Bar 2006, Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification and the Louisiana Board of Specialization.
Tiffany M. Cornejo, Esq.
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee
Chapter 13 Standing Trustee - New Mexico
625 Silver Ave. SW, Suite 350
Albuquerque, NM 87102
505-243-1335
trustee@ch13nm.com
Tiffany received her Bachelor of Science in Journalism (B.S.J.) degree at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas in 2002 and then remained there to obtain her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2005. Tiffany was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship Award and Bremeyer Scholarship Award. During law school Tiffany was a voting member of the Admission’s Committee for the 2005-2006 incoming class.
While in law school Tiffany worked as a law clerk for Cloon Legal Services (Baldwin, Kansas), a bankruptcy firm practicing solely in consumer bankruptcy law. From there Tiffany was asked by one of the Partners to aid in the start-up of his own firm; Tiffany accepted and continued her work as a law clerk for The Law Office of Garret & Coons (Lawrence, Kansas) practicing primarily consumer bankruptcy law.
After graduating law school Tiffany worked as an Associate for Shapiro & Mock (Overland Park, Kansas) representing mortgage companies in the areas of foreclosures, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, commercial litigation, collections, replevins, evictions, and landlord–tenant law, all in both Kansas and Missouri.
From there, Tiffany moved to Saint Louis, Missouri to accept her current position as Senior Staff Attorney for Russell C. Simon, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee in the Southern District of Illinois where she not only represents the Trustee and trust, but supervises 4 paralegals, 2 mortgage administrators and a legal clerk. Tiffany was in this position for nine years.
On December 1, 2017, Tiffany was appointed as the Chapter 13 Trustee in New Mexico. Tiffany is also the Chapter 12 Trustee (case by case) for New Mexico, and a Board Member of ACT12.
Tiffany is admitted to practice in the Federal District Courts of Kansas, Western Missouri and Southern District of Illinois, and in the states of Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Diane Rosenberg, Esq.
Managing Partner
Rosenberg & Associates, LLC
4340 East-West Highway, Suite 600
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-907-8000
diane@rosenberg-assoc.com
Born in Washington, DC, Diane holds a Bachelors of Science from the College of Business Management at the University of Maryland (1987) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond T. C. Williams School of Law (1991). Diane is an AV Preeminent rated attorney with Martindale Hubbell and practices in the areas of foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, real estate and litigation. She serves as a panelist at numerous default industry events and regularly provides educational training sessions. Diane is admitted to appear before all federal and state courts in the jurisdictions of Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Diane is a member of the Maryland State, Virginia State and District of Columbia Bars, and the Bankruptcy Bar Association of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia and serves on the USFN Membership and Education Committees.
Katherine Owens
Client Relations and Operations Manager
Rose L. Brand & Associates, P.C.
7430 Washington Street NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
(505) 833-3036
katherine.owens@RoseLBrand.com
Katherine Owens is the Client Relations and Operations Manager for Rose L. Brand & Associates, P.C. (RLBA), a women-owned and minority-owned firm. Since joining RLBA in 2001, she has strived to set new standards in excellence by focusing on efficiency, accuracy, customer service, and innovation in technology.
This passion led her to the role of Compliance Manager before transitioning to her current duties in Operations overseeing firm performance and client relations. Katherine works in lockstep with the Firm President, Executive Committee, and IT Department on policy and procedure creation and implementation. Through her knowledge of regulatory and legal requirements and controls she ensures client expectations and timelines are met through oversight of the firm’s vendor management program, compliance and due diligence program, GSE reporting and timeline management, and client scorecard management and reporting.
A firm believer that knowledge is a priceless gift, Katherine empowers those around her to succeed in an ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape by providing in-house and remote training sessions throughout the U.S. on national and state-specific topics in the mortgage default banking industry. Her focuses include helping clients develop, implement and maintain standardized procedures, notebooks and templates, as well as process improvement techniques for the servicing community.
As an industry veteran, Katherine has weathered the Great Recession, COVID-19 pandemic, and an economy teetering on the brink of recession without losing stride. A focus on flexibility, resource knowledge, technology, and mitigation of controllable issues caused by unforeseen economic shifts has been key in overcoming these roadblocks in uncertain times.
Katherine holds an FSA Master Certification in Diversity and Inclusion, Mortgage Industry Regulatory Compliance, Distressed Asset Disposition, and Legal Practice. She is also proud to be a member of the ALFN Inclusion Diversity Equity & Awareness (IDEA) Committee promoting inclusion and diversity initiatives within the legal and servicing communities.
Caren Castle, Esq.
Senior Mortgage Servicing Attorney
The Wolf Firm
1851 East 1st Street, Suite 100
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(949) 371-8364
caren.castle@wolffirm.com
Caren Jacobs Castle is a Senior Mortgage Servicing Attorney at The Wolf Firm, A Law Corporation. Ms. Castle has over 30 years of experience in the mortgage servicing industry and many honors. She is a past president of USFN and was the organization’s first female president. She also served as the first Chairperson of the Board of The Legal League 100. Ms. Castle was recognized by Housing Wire in 2011 as an influential woman in the housing industry, was honored by FiveStar in 2011 for outstanding leadership and service to the housing industry, and received the USFN member of the year award in 2012. She has participated on numerous high level committees including committees within the US Department of the Treasury and the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. While practicing in Colorado, Ms. Castle served on the legislative committees of both the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association. Ms. Castle has also been recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyer in real estate. Ms. Castle speaks extensively throughout the country on mortgage servicing related issues and has been a featured speaker at numerous national MBA Servicing Conferences, USFN and Legal League 100 events.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
• Default Practice: Extensive experience in mortgage default related representation including foreclosure, compliance, title resolution, loss mitigation and REO.
• Bankruptcies: Experienced in representation of mortgage lenders in all chapters of bankruptcy.
• Evictions: Knowledge of post-foreclosure evictions.
EDUCATION
• Occidental College, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Cum Laude - 1977
• Southwestern University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude - 1980
Peter Lublin, Esq.
Senior Partner
Rubin Lublin, LLC / Rubin Lublin TN, PLLC
3145 Avalon Ridge Place, Suite 100
Peachtree Corners, GA 30071
770-246-3333
plublin@rlselaw.com
Peter Lublin is the senior partner of the firm. His primary areas of practice include business litigation, construction and banking litigation, real estate related litigation, contract disputes, lender liability defense, financial institution litigation and title insurance claims litigation.
Mr. Lublin frequently speaks nationally and locally on real estate related topics, including mortgage fraud and regulatory compliance. Mr. Lublin maintains an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell. This peer rating is the most prestigious in the legal profession and indicates he has achieved the highest levels of professional excellence and integrity.
Practice Areas
- Real estate foreclosure
- Litigation (Federal and State)
- Court appointed Special Master for purposes of adjudication of litigated title issues
- Banking regulatory compliance and litigation involving T.I.L.A, F.C.R.A, R.E.S.P.A., and F.D.C.P.A issues
- Commercial Leasing
- Collections
- Bankruptcy (representing lenders)
Education
- J.D., Emory University (1989)
- B.A., Duke University (1986)
Admissions
- Licensed In: Georgia, Virginia, Washington D.C., Tennessee, Mississippi
- Admitted to Practice Before: United States District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia; United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit; United States Supreme Court; Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi; United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Ari Miller, Esq.
Managing Partner
Miller, George & Suggs, PLLC
2200 W. Commercial Blvd., Suite 103
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33309
786-268-9954
amiller@mgs-legal.com
Ari Miller, Esq. is Managing Partner at Miller, George & Suggs, PLLC. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2005 and is also a member of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Ari graduated with honors from the University of Florida in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He graduated cum laude from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law in December of 2004. While in law school, Ari was a member of Florida Blue Key and Vice Chancellor of the Honor Court. He has practice experience in the areas of Landlord-Tenant, Real Estate, Homeowner and Condo Association Law, Consumer Fraud, Civil Rights, Employment Discrimination, Disability Law and General Civil Litigation.
Rachel Lorenzo
Senior Manager- Default Oversight
Fannie Mae
1700 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19170
(215) 575-1435
rachel_m_lorenzo@fanniemae.com
Rachel Lorenzo joined Fannie Mae in January 2010. She has held many roles within the Servicing Organization and presently oversees the management of Fannie Mae’s firm managers. She is responsible for ensuring Fannie Mae is proactively working with the Mortgage Default Counsel to improve performance, reduce processing timelines and escalate potential risks for Fannie Mae. Rachel has over 20+ years’ experience in mortgage servicing and default asset management. Her team’s goals are to improve foreclosure and bankruptcy outcomes, partner with Single Family Servicing Management and internal stakeholders to ensure foreclosure and bankruptcy processes operate efficiently. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science from Rider University in New Jersey. She’s an avid health nut always looking for different ways to exercise and enjoys her beach days with a book!
Adam Gross, Esq.
Founding Partner
Gross Polowy, LLC
900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 201
Westbury, NY 11590
716 204 1780
agross@grosspolowy.com
Adam Gross is a founding partner of Gross Polowy, LLC, a boutique firm that specializes in residential mortgage servicing, servicer initiated home retention efforts, foreclosure and all related issues. Mr. Gross’ practice focuses on consulting mortgage servicers on compliance with New York mortgage servicing regulations and foreclosure procedures, solutions for expired statute of limitation and timeline reduction strategies. He also oversees the firm’s compliance with the legal and procedural requirements for New York and federal court foreclosures and serves as senior advisor to the firm’s compliance committee.
Graduated from Clark University in 1988 and Case Western University School of Law in 1991. Mr. Gross is a regular speaker on New York foreclosures to mortgage servicers and at mortgage servicing conferences nationwide. His community involvement includes serving as Commack Youth League lacrosse coach and Suffolk County Police Athletic League football coach.
Jacqueline F. McNally, Esq.
Managing Attorney - Foreclosure
Padgett Law Group
6267 Old Water Oak Road, Suite 203
Tallahassee, Florida 32312
(850) 422-2520 Ext. 7161
jackie.mcnally@padgettlawgroup.com
Jackie specializes in judicial foreclosure and title clearance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She has been involved in the default servicing industry for more than a decade.
She graduated from Dickinson College in 2002 and Penn State Dickinson School of Law in 2005. She has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of GSE rules and guidelines as well as FDCPA and CFPB requirements. Her major areas of practice include Creditors’ Rights, Bankruptcy, Eviction and Litigation.
Jackie is an active participant in the default industry and its associated organizations. She is regularly featured in trade publications, industry conference panels, webinars, and often leads direct client training events on foreclosure trends and issues specific to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, where her practice is primarily centered.
LICENSED IN PENNSYLVANIA, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GEORGIA
2002 EARNED B.A.
DICKINSON COLLEGE
2005 EARNED J.D.
PENN STATE DICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW
Chris Iaria, Esq.
Managing Attorney – Illinois
Diaz, Anselmo & Associates, P.A.
1771 W Diehl Rd., Ste. 120
Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 453-6829
ciaria@dallegal.com
Christopher S. Iaria joined Diaz Anselmo & Associates in March 2012. He is licensed to practice law in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the State of Illinois, and in the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois. Focusing on civil litigation, his practice is concentrated in the areas of mortgage foreclosure, title insurance litigation, real estate law, and mechanics lien litigation. He is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara (2004) and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School (2009). Mr. Iaria is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Dupage County Bar Association.
Education
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School (J.D., 2009)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. 2004)
- Illinois State Bar
- Michigan State Bar
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- USFN
- Legal League 100
- Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association
- Selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2016-2019)
- Selected Chair of the Real Estate Law & Practice Committee for the DuPage County Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- DuPage County Bar Association
- THE 11TH CIRCUIT’S McNEAL RULING DIRECTLY CHALLENGES THE SUPREME COURT’S HOLDING IN DEWSNUP – DESPITE CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY, Legal League 100 Quarterly (Q4 2012)
- Liability Without a Legal Interest – The 1010 Lakeshore Debacle, Legal League 100 Quarterly (Q2 2015)
Joseph A. Camillo, Jr., Esq.
Managing Partner
Brock & Scott, PLLC
1080 Main Street, Ste 200
Pawtucket, RI 02860
401-217-8701 x2403
Joseph.Camillo@brockandscott.com
Mr. Camillo is Managing Partner of our New England Foreclosure/Default Servicing/Litigation Practice Groups. He has over 26 years of experience in the areas of Banking, Creditors’ Rights, Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Real Estate, Litigation, Regulatory Compliance and Condominium Law. He also has extensive experience in representing public sector/quasi-governmental agencies such as Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency; Rhode Island Housing; Maine State Housing, Fannie Mae; Freddie Mac; HUD, USDA and the Veterans Association. Mr. Camillo lectures extensively throughout the country on topics such as foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, condominium law and litigation.
Practice Area
Litigation & Defense, Real Estate Default, Special Assets Resolution, Title Curative
Admitted to Practice
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- US District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- New Hampshire Supreme Court
- US District Court for the District of New Hampshire
- US District Court for the District of Vermont
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Education
- 1994 Massachusetts School of Law, Juris Doctor
- 1988 Oxford University, Somerville College, Visiting Student
- 1989 St. Bonaventure University, B.A.
Alicia Wood
VP, Servicing
Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions
980 Hammond Drive
Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30328
Alicia.Wood@angeloakms.com
214-666-7832
Ms. Wood is currently VP over Servicing at Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions where she directs interim servicing and servicing oversight activities. She joined the Angel Oak management team in March 2019 after 2 years at HomeBridge and 9 years at Residential Credit Solutions, holding senior management positions over the Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, REO and Loan Administration departments, including acquisitions, escrow, special loans and correspondence. Prior to RCS, she spent 6 years at Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc., most recently as the Vice President of Foreclosure and Bankruptcy. She joined Saxon as the AVP over Loss Mitigation in 2001 and was promoted to Vice President of the group in late 2002 prior to managing the foreclosure, bankruptcy and REO departments in late 2005. Ms. Wood worked at Conseco Finance / Greentree Servicing for 5 years with 2 of these as a Collections Manager before she joined Saxon.
Yusuf Haidermota, Esq.
Shareholder
Kass Shuler, P.A.
1505 N. Florida Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33602
813-229-0900 ext. 1472
yhaidermota@kasslaw.com
Yusuf Haidermota is a Shareholder at Kass Shuler, P.A. where he is a member of the Firm’s Litigation Group focusing his practice on Creditor Rights, Real Estate, and Fair Debt Litigation. Yusuf is an experienced litigator, and his practice extends statewide in both state and federal courts, including the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. Yusuf has successfully handled lawsuits involving breach of contract, real estate issues, commercial collections, foreclosures, and other business issues. Yusuf also defends servicers and investors being sued under state and federal fair debt laws. He is a frequent speaker on the Florida Consumer Collection Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act and Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Yusuf joined Kass Shuler, P.A. in 2011. Prior to joining the firm, Yusuf was an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit.
Blake A. Strautins, Esq.
Managing Partner of Litigation
Kluever Law Group
225 W Washington St, Suite 1550
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 981-7388
bstrautins@klueverlawgroup.com
Blake A. Strautins is a co-owner and managing partner of Kluever Law Group, where he heads the firm’s litigation department. Blake has been practicing in the field of complex litigation since he began his legal career in 2007, with the last 8 years devoted to creditors rights and mortgage foreclosure litigation throughout the state of Illinois. His significant experience includes litigating cases concerning the FDCPA, TILA, and complex mortgage foreclosure litigation issues. Over the last few years, he personally handled and won several appeals that created new law for the Illinois mortgage foreclosure plaintiffs’ bar.
Andrea Tromberg, Esq.
Managing Member
Tromberg Morris & Poulin, PLLC
1515 South Federal Hwy, Ste. 100
Boca Raton, FL 33432
561-338-4101
atromberg@tmppllc.com
Mrs. Tromberg has been practicing law since 1996. She has extensive experience in foreclosure law, creditor litigation, commercial litigation, appeals, trial, and management. She offers clients her comprehensive knowledge of the law and ability to maneuver difficult and complex legal matters. Andrea Tromberg has served for seven years on the Board of Directors for the American Legal and Financial Network (ALFN), and was the first elected Chairwoman. She has served on numerous committees and is a current member of the leadership committee for Women in Legal Leadership (WILL). Tromberg has been engaged as a speaker at various events including: ALFN, NCBA, Five Star and other groups to discuss hot topics in the industry such as statute of limitation, proposed bills in Congress, ethics, FDCPA claims and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). She has also been involved with multiple amicus briefs filed on critical issues that have been heard by the Florida Supreme Court.
Sally Garrison, Esq.
Managing Member
The Mortgage Law Firm, PLLC
421 NW 13th Street, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
405-246-0602
Sally.Garrison@mtglawfirm.com
Sally E. Garrison received a B.A. in Economics, Environmental Science, and Political Science, from Claremont McKenna College in 1995. She received her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma, College of Law, in 2000. During her studies at the University of Oklahoma (OU), she also attended the Oxford Summer Program at Queen’s College, focusing on the European Union and Intellectual Property. Before beginning her work in real estate litigation, Sally taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma, College of Law, in the areas of Intellectual Property, Copyright, Contracts, and Law in Cyberspace. She assisted in the research and editing of Copyright in a Global Information Economy, ISBN 0-7355-2430-0; Toward an International Fair Use Doctrine, Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 2000, Volume 39, No. 1; and Givers, Takers and Other Kinds of Users: A Fair Use Doctrine for Cyberspace, Florida Law Review, January 2001, Volume 53, No. 1. From 2001 to 2008, Sally worked as in-house counsel for OU, representing various departments and organizations including Student Affairs, OU Police Department, Sam Nobel Museum, Alumni Affairs, Development, Housing and Food Services, and the University Outreach, among numerous others. She is currently the managing member of The Mortgage Law Firm, PLLC, in Oklahoma, and is licensed in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Hawaii. Her work includes motion practice, non-jury and jury trial work, and appellate practice. She is also the Firm’s Client Relations and Marketing Liaison, working closely with clients to ensure excellent service and communication. In addition to firm work, she has consulted with local law firms to provide system efficiency and managerial advice. She is a graduate of the Stagen Leadership Academy Integral Leadership Program, and was awarded Black Belt recognition for her work in communication, influence, and motivation. She was a finalist for the Women in Housing 2019 Keystone Award for Cultural Leadership. She won the USFN’s Member of the Year Award in 2020, along with being named one of OKC’s Top Attorneys by 405 Magazine in the area of real estate. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the USFN.
Jeffrey D. Weisserman, Esq.
Managing Partner & General Counsel
Trott Law PC
31440 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 145
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 642-2515
jweisserman@trottlaw.com
Jeff Weisserman is General Counsel and a Managing Partner for Trott Law, PC and previously managed its litigation department. He is also a partner in the Colorado firm of Barrett Frappier and Weisserman, LLP. Prior to joining Trott Law in 2003, Jeff was a partner at Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss, P.C. in Detroit, where he specialized in representing mortgage lenders and other industry participants in litigation and other matters. Jeff graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 1984, and received his Juris Doctor with honors from Wayne State University in 1987. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association and the Mortgage Bankers Association of Michigan. He recently ended terms on the governing council of the Michigan Bar Association’s Real Property Section and as a member of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity Michigan Fund’s Board of Governors. Jeff is active in legislative affairs relating to the mortgage industry and has testified before various legislative committees regarding real property legislation. He is a frequent speaker on issues relating to litigation and the mortgage banking industry, has authored numerous materials on the industry, and was the 2004 recipient of the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association’s Outstanding Mortgage Lender of the Year.
Jim Timberlake, Esq.
President
Baer & Timberlake, P.C.
5901 N. Western Avenue, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-842-7722
jim@baer-timberlake.com
CEO, cycling aficionado, and lifelong learner, Jim believes the best way to improve is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Born in Fort Hood, Texas, and raised in Oklahoma, Jim earned his BBA in Finance at SMU in Dallas, then returned home to Oklahoma for law school. He can usually be found on a bike or researching some obscure topic. Traveling is a passion (usually with a bike in tow), with Colombia being his most recent adventure.
Erica Fujimoto
Director of Default Services & Management Consultant
Affinity Consulting Group
13700 Stevens Point Dr.
Frisco, TX 75033
727-202-3185
efujimoto@affinityconsulting.com
Erica is the primary project and client relations manager for all of Affinity’s default services projects. She handles process mapping with our clients and assists in program buildouts. She’s also involved in business development, strategic planning, and audits and compliance. Erica started in the mortgage banking industry in the late 90s working at a major mortgage servicer in foreclosure and bankruptcy, and then moved on to work at various law firms, first as a paralegal, and later as a managing paralegal. In 2007, Erica’s firm purchased the CaseAware® case management system, and she became the implementation project manager, program administrator, and trainer. She came to Affinity in 2010, where she has built a team of consultants catering to firms in the default industry.
Erica’s superpower is organization. She keeps a lot of balls in the air at one time, and rarely lets one drop. Erica is happiest when she’s helping people, and her favorite part of her job is being able to help her clients and her team every day.
Erica lives outside of Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Yoshi, of 20+ years and their two sons, Genki and Kazuki. She can usually be found watching soccer, baseball, tennis, and helping at her sons’ schools with PTA and other events. She enjoys reading, playing tennis, taking dance lessons, and shopping. She speaks fluent Japanese, and if she could spend the rest of her life doing anything, it would be traveling around the US and the world, meeting new people, and enjoying the culture of other countries.
Neeraj Mendiratta
Principal/Founder/CEO
KnovaOne, and ARMGuard Solutions
9154 Delemar Ct.
Wellington, FL 33414
804-971-7462
nmendiratta@knovaone.com
Neeraj has extensive experience in managing multiple businesses. He is a serial entrepreneur with multiple startups that are serving Collections and Default industry with more than 20 years of experience. He has excellent knowledge of the industry and regulatory environment, and strong relationships with the industry players.
He established Mendiratta Consulting Company (KnovaOne) in 2012 with the aim of helping players in the Collections and Mortgage industry to improve their processes and performance, provide visibility into their operations, and provide support for mundane and repetitive tasks. As part of his consulting, he also setup a back office in Pune, India. The consulting is supported by an IT company (ARMGuard Solutions).
Before starting his own businesses, Neeraj was head of Default for Ocwen. Neeraj briefly served as the head of Attorney Network at NCO Financial. Prior to this, he donned several hats at Capital One managing analytics, first-party and third-party agencies, and the legal collections network.
Neeraj is a member of several professional organizations in Collections and Default industry, and actively participates in NCBA, RMAi, ALFN, USFN, MBA, FiveStar and CLLA.
To learn more about KnovaOne and ARMGuard, and how they can be a cost-effective solution for your business model, please connect with Neeraj.
Dana Federspiel
SVP, Servicing Product Strategy
Black Knight
601 Riverside Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32204
904-527-4408
dana.federspiel@bkfs.com
Dana Federspiel is currently the Managing Director within the Black Knight Enterprise Product Strategy group responsible for identification, development and delivery of enterprise opportunities with new and existing products.
Dana possesses 10+ years with Black Knight and its predecessor companies, including conducting client business reviews to provide recommendations, potential cost savings and risk analysis based on the usage of current technology, compliance and best practices for mortgage servicing to assist in the sales and assessment process. Additionally, Dana has conducted numerous training courses, assisted with requirements gathering and project plans for implementation of Black Knight products and process change execution strategies specializing in default products and processing.
Dana has over 20+ years of mortgage servicing experience in various roles related to processing, default management and reverse mortgages.
Gretchen Borer
National Account Manager
NetDirector
12363 Hampton Park Blvd
Tampa, FL 33624
813.736.0115
gretchen@netdirector.biz
Gretchen Borer oversees all mortgage banking sales at NetDirector since 2013. NetDirector is a cutting edge integration service that connects all servicing platforms, attorney/trustees, and critical trading partners in the default industry. Gretchen has worked in various technology arenas such as healthcare, mainframe sales, and as a LAR for Microsoft Licensing. Born in Colorado and a graduate of USC, she thrives on providing customers with an understanding of how technology can improve their overall business. Living in 8 cities and adoring travel, she is a foodie, wine & cheese lover, and appreciates a stellar beach sunset. She is inspired by her faith and two loving daughters that also reside in Florida.
Brandon Speaks
Vice President of Consulting
Provana
901 Warrenville Rd
Lisle, IL 60532
516.978.3674
brandon.speaks@provana.com
Brandon Speaks is the Vice President of Consulting for Provana where he leads the development and implementation of all platforms and services for the legal vertical. He focuses on working with firms to find ideal solutions to the challenges they face. Prior to joining Provana, he spent 10 years managing operations and IT for a collections law firm.
Scott Brinkley
Chief Executive Officer
a360inc
1755 Telstar Drive, Suite 301
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
214-471-8992
scott.brinkley@a360inc.com
Scott Brinkley is the CEO of a360inc, a leader in technology and outsourcing solutions for the legal and financial services industry. Leveraging his entrepreneurial background and industry experience, his leadership is instrumental in identifying acquisition targets, diversifying a360inc’s investments and providing strategic vision for the company. Scott has served in various executive leadership roles with organizations such as CoreLogic and First American where he honed his business, leadership, and executive management skills driving innovation and transformation. With over 25 years of industry experience across mortgage servicing, legal operations, and information technology, Scott is a sought-after speaker, contributor, and thought leader. Visit https://www.a360inc.com/people.html to contact Scott and learn more about a360inc.
Mark McArdle
Assistant Director, Mortgage Markets
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
1700 G St. NW
Washington, DC 20552
202-435-9705
Mark.McArdle@cfpb.gov
Mark McArdle is the Assistant Director, Mortgage Markets at the Bureau. In this role he leads a team that works closely with industry and other stakeholders to help inform the Bureau and the
public on current and future trends in the mortgage origination and servicing markets.
Before CFPB, McArdle was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In this role, he led the office that managed the Troubled Asset
Relief Program (TARP), including its remaining investment and homeownership preservation programs, and advised the Department on access to credit issues. He also held previous roles at
Treasury including Chief Homeownership Preservation Officer and Director of the Hardest Hit Fund. McArdle has played a key role in policy development for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), and oversaw the creation of the Hardest Hit Fund, which provided funding to state housing finance agencies (HFAs) for foreclosure prevention efforts.
McArdle has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin, and has spent twenty years working on issues related to housing, mortgage lending
and homeownership in nonprofits and government in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.
Todd Barton, Esq.
Deputy General Counsel
Fannie Mae
5600 Granite Parkway
Plano, TX 75024
(972) 773-7659
Todd_Barton@fanniemae.com
Todd Barton is Fannie Mae’s Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. Barton is responsible for overseeing legal support for counterparty issues, foreclosures, bankruptcies, real estate owned, and Fannie Mae’s mortgage default counsel program. He also provides support on Texas Home Equity Loans. Before joining Fannie Mae in 2003, Barton was a Partner with the Dallas law firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman, and Blumenthal, LLP. His 14-year practice with the firm included complex commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters.
Toniqua Green
VP, Corporate Social Responsibility
Mr. Cooper
8950 Cypress Waters Blvd.
Coppell, TX 75019
469.549.3303
toniqua.green@mrcooper.com
Toniqua Green started her career at Mr. Cooper over 15 years ago in the company’s call center and worked her way up, advocating for herself and mentoring others along the way. After only three years working in the call center, she earned the position of Foreclosures Manager, where she went from specialist to team lead to manager and, eventually, Vice President. Toniqua built her dream career through a mix of hard work and persistence, and today, Toniqua serves as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, where she oversees state and community relations, the company’s Environmental Social Governance efforts and our Diversity Equity & Inclusion initiatives. In her role, she partners with housing advocates, state housing agencies and federal housing associations to provide mortgage assistance to homeowners in need, managing outreach efforts, government sponsored initiatives, strategic planning of foreclosure prevention and new homeowner efforts in low-to-moderate income markets and underserved communities.
Rick Sharga
Executive Vice President Market Intelligence
ATTOM
505 Technology Drive, Suite 100
Irvine, CA 92618
949.322.4583
rick.sharga@attomdata.com
Rick is the Executive Vice President of Market Intelligence for ATTOM, a market-leading provider of real estate and property data, including tax, mortgage, deed, foreclosure, natural hazard, environmental risk, and neighborhood data.
One of the country’s most frequently-quoted sources on real estate, mortgage and foreclosure trends, Rick has appeared on CNBC, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, ABC News, FOX, Bloomberg and NPR. Rick is a founding member of the Five Star National Mortgage Servicing Association, on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Default Professionals, and was twice named to the Inman News Inman 100, an annual list of the most influential real estate leaders.
Rick has over 20 years’ experience in the real estate and mortgage industries, including roles as the Executive Vice President at RealtyTrac, as an EVP for Carrington Mortgage Holdings, and Chief Marketing Officer of the company’s Vylla business unit, and as the Chief Marketing Officer of Ten-X and Auction.com, the leading online real estate marketplace.
Michael Fratantoni, PhD
Chief Economist, Senior Vice President, Research and Industry Technology
Mortgage Bankers Association
1919 M St., NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
202-557-2935
MFratantoni@mba.org
Michael Fratantoni is MBA's Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Industry Technology. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing MBA's industry surveys and benchmarking studies, economic and mortgage originations forecasts, industry technology efforts, and policy development research for both single-family and commercial/multifamily markets. Additionally, Fratantoni is a member of the Board of Directors of MISMO and the membership committee of MERS.
Prior to joining MBA, Fratantoni worked in risk management and senior economist roles at Washington Mutual and Fannie Mae. He received a Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in economics from The College of William and Mary, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Washington, and Johns Hopkins, George Washington, and Georgetown Universities.
Daren Blomquist
Vice President of Market Economics
Auction.com
1 Venture, Suite 300
Irvine, CA 92618
949-502-8310
DBlomquist@auction.com
Daren Blomquist is vice president of market economics at Auction.com. In this role, Blomquist analyzes and forecasts complex macro and microeconomic data trends within the marketplace and industry to provide value to both buyers and sellers using the Auction.com platform.
Daren’s reports and analysis have been cited by thousands of media outlets — including all the major news networks and leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA TODAY. Daren has been quoted in hundreds of publications and has appeared on many national network broadcasts, including CBS, ABC, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business and Bloomberg.
Leonard Kiefer, PhD
Macro Housing Econ Senior Director & Deputy Chief Economist
Economic and Housing Research
Freddie Mac
8200 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22102-3110
703 903 3830
leonard_kiefer@freddiemac.com
Leonard (Len) Kiefer is an economist who helps people understand what’s going on in the economy, housing, mortgage markets. Len joined Freddie Mac in 2009, and has served as Deputy Chief Economist since December 2012. Len is responsible for primary and secondary mortgage market analysis and research, macroeconomic analysis and forecasting.
Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Len was an assistant professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he conducted research on macroeconomics and monetary policy. He has also taught economics at The Ohio State University and finance at George Mason University.
Kiefer holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Kentucky, and a PhD from The Ohio State University. Len is a member of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) and the National Association for Business Economics (NABE).
Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four homebuyers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. www.FreddieMac.com.