The 56th episode of What the M features Michael Merritt, Senior Vice President of Customer Care and Default Mortgage Servicing at BOK Financial.

A longtime friend of the show is back for his 3rd visit! Michael Merritt has returned to What the M. This time around, he is here to share his thoughts on the topic of the new HUD bidding guidelines and their impact on the industry. Michael is the Senior Vice President of Customer Care and Default Mortgage Servicing at BOK Financial. Michael attended Arizona State University, where he got his BA in Organizational Leadership (Go Sun Devils!) He then received his MBA from Texas Tech and his Master’s Degree in Legal Studies from Texas A&M. Michael worked at Nationstar Mortgage and Goldman Sachs prior to moving to BOK.

Welcome BACK to What the M, Michael!

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A huge thank you to our Season 4 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

The 55th episode of What the M features LeAllen Frost, Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel - Head of Litigation at Pennymac.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! Kent and Steve are excited to be joined by LeAllen Frost, Deputy General Counsel at Pennymac—a top lender and servicer that has helped more than five million homeowners achieve their aspirations of homeownership.

In this episode, Kent, Steve, and LeAllen take a closer look at the legal side of mortgage default servicing: how regulation is evolving, how borrowers are impacted, and what the future holds for compliance, risk management, and innovation within the industry. LeAllen shares insights from his extensive career, offering a unique perspective on the future of mortgage servicing. Tune in for an engaging discussion on the legal intricacies and innovations shaping the industry today!

With 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, LeAllen Frost is a seasoned and versatile litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel who handles class action litigation, regulatory investigations, and employee management. He is passionate about providing effective and efficient legal services to Pennymac, public speaking and legal education. LeAllen founded and organizes the Mortgage Servicing In-House Counsel Forum, a network of mortgage attorneys who host conferences and CLE events focused on legal issues related to mortgage and consumer finance. He is also a regular speaker at industry conferences, and teaches legal writing training to corporate departments and law firms.

Welcome to What the M, LeAllen!

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A huge thank you to our Season 4 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

The 54th episode of What the M features Rick Sharga, CEO and President of the CJ Patrick Company, and Daren Blomquist, Vice President of Market Economics at Auction.com.

It’s that time again… for a new SEASON of What the M!

Over the first three seasons of What the M, Kent and Steve have been fortunate enough to interview an incredible roster of talented professionals about their insights and predictions for the default servicing industry. To kick off Season 4, they have brought in two experts to talk about economic trends from the past year, analyze the labor market and unemployment rates, and explore the impact of federal policies on the housing market. The conversation also delves into consumer behavior, investor sentiment, and the challenges posed by rising homeownership costs. As they look ahead, the guests share their predictions for the mortgage market and offer advice for navigating the complexities of the economy.

Rick Sharga is one of the country’s most frequently-quoted sources on real estate, mortgage, and foreclosure trends. Rick is the CEO and President of the CJ Patrick Company, a company that specializes in market intelligence for companies in the real estate and mortgage industries. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and mortgage industries, previously serving in executive roles for Realty Trac, Carrington Mortgage Holdings, Ten-X, and Auction.com. He is also a founding member of the Five Star Institute’s National Mortgage Servicing Association.

Daren Blomquist is the Vice President of Market Economics at Auction.com. Daren is a former Senior Vice President of Communications at ATTOM Data Solutions, where he reported on housing trends, cash and investor purchases, housing risks, default trends, and more. These reports have been cited by thousands of media outlets nationwide, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA TODAY. Daren also served as Executive Editor of the Housing News Report, which was named best newsletter by the National Association of Real Estate Editors in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, Daren transitioned to Auction.com, where he focuses on analyzing and forecasting complex macro and micro-economic data trends within the real estate market and industry.

Welcome BACK to What the M, Rick and Daren!

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A huge thank you to our Season 4 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

Welcome to the season 3 finale of What the M!

This season, Kent and Steve have interviewed amazing, thoughtful, and brilliant guests. Each guest has been uniquely qualified to speak about different aspects of the default servicing industry, and has provided valuable information to What the M’s listeners. Each guest is unique, but they all have one thing in common: they all got to answer “The Last Question.”

At the end of each episode, Kent and Steve ask their guest: “If you could go back in time and talk with the 20-year-old version of yourself, what advice would you give that young man/woman?” The answers were so fascinating, funny, and unpredictable, that we decided there was no better way to close out the season than with a compilation of the collective wisdom of these responses!

We hope you enjoy this season finale of our second season of What the M as much as we did. Season 4 of What the M will air in September, so stay tuned!

If you are interested in appearing on What the M, or have an idea for an episode, you can contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The 52nd episode of What the M features Gina Gallutia, Executive Membership Director of the Five Star Institute, and David Mulkay, Director of Legal League. Gina and David are long-time friends of the podcast and stopped by to discuss the benefits of Five Star and Legal League, trends in the default servicing industry, and upcoming industry events. With their extensive experience in- and knowledge of- the default industry, Gina and David have seen it all and have extremely valuable insights to share. We are fortunate to have them as our guests today!

Welcome to What the M, Gina and David!

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A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

For the 51st episode of What the M, Kent and Steve have a "fireside chat" about the economy, current regulatory conditions… and whether you should use ChatGPT for your March Madness bracket! Listen on for up-to-the-moment updates about the default servicing industry.

Steve Hladik is a Partner at Hladik, Onorato, and Federman, LLP. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn State University (Let’s Go State!), before going on to Widener University for law school, where he graduated with honors. Upon graduation, Steve went to work for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, handling UDAP, FDCPA, RESPA, and TILA cases. Steve is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico, and Michigan.

Kent McPhail is the Founder and Senior Partner of McPhail Sanchez, LLC. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi (To the Top!) and his JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Upon graduation, Kent worked as in-house counsel with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi. After settling in Mobile, Alabama, Kent practiced with a private creditor law firm for three years. This led him to open his own default servicing firm in 1994, which has been thriving ever since. Kent is licensed to practice law in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Tennessee.

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A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

The 50th episode of “What the M” features Walter Mullen and Michael Keaton from Onity Group, Inc.

This episode focuses on the changes taking place on a state and federal level within the default servicing industry, the record-high credit debt and auto loan defaults that Americans currently face, and the use of technology within the industry. We are extremely fortunate to have Walt and Michael as our guests this week, as they have an enormous amount of experience with, and insight into, the current state of the default servicing industry.

Walt Mullen has over 25 years experience in the mortgage default and real estate related industries. He is the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Onity Group, and is a member of their executive leadership team. Michael Keaton has over 30 years experience in the financial and default servicing industry and is the Senior Vice President of Sub-Servicing Business Development at Onity Group.

Welcome to What the M, Walt and Michael!

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A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

The 49th episode of “What the M” features the return of Michael Merritt, Senior Vice President of Customer Care and Default Mortgage Servicing at BOK Financial.

This time around on "What the M," Michael is here to share his thoughts on the topic of AI in the servicing industry. Michael is the Senior Vice President of Customer Care and Default Mortgage Servicing at BOK Financial. Michael attended Arizona State University, where he got his BA in Organizational Leadership (Go Sun Devils!) He then received his MBA from Texas Tech and his Master’s Degree in Legal Studies from Texas A&M. Michael worked at Nationstar Mortgage and Goldman Sachs prior to moving to BOK.

Having been in the mortgage servicing industry for over two decades and being an early adopter of AI, Michael has valuable insight to share on the use and the future of GEN-AI within the industry.

Welcome BACK to What the M, Michael!

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A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.