CMB Joins UMortgage Platform

Community Mortgage Brokers is joining the mortgage platform UMortgage.  The Springfield, MO, brokerage will operate under the name UMortgage Springfield and act as a branch of the company. It will benefit from UMortgage’s platform in return, expanding its offerings across its Missouri and Colorado offices while providing faster access to more affordable mortgages. “We’re thrilled about the opportunities that we’ll be able to offer our clients with this partnership with UMortgage,” said Andrew Chavez, UMortgage Springfield Branch Manager.  “The UMortgage platform will empower us to offer more competitive rates, a wider range of loan products, and faster turn times to help give our clients more buying power and get into their homes quicker. These advantages not only make the homebuying…

OPINION: Who Is Suzanne Okun?

BY JARED WHITLEY To steal from Detroit rapper Eminem, “Will the real Suzanne Okun please stand up? Please stand up? Please stand up?” Because she’s strangely hard to find. According to a 2019 biography posted in the industry publication Scotsman Guide, Okun was “a successful executive with more than 25 years of success in the financial-marketing and mortgage industries … [with] a proven record of increasing volume while improving efficiencies and encouraging interaction.” But, interestingly, no photo of her appears with her biography, no relevant social media accounts were publicly available, and several phone numbers associated with her were either wrong or no longer in service. While going off the grid is unusual, what industry observers find even more odd…

MC Mortgage Group Joins UMortgage

Wilmington, NC-based MC Mortgage Group is joining mortgage platform UMortgage, the company announced. MC Mortgage serves homebuyers in North and South Carolina. The company was named MPA Top Employer and Lender and Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builder’s Association’s Lender of the Year in 2021. The company was founded in 2005 by President Patrick Stoy, a seasoned mortgage veteran with nearly 25 years of experience as a broker. He was named a UWM Top 1% Broker and a Top-100 Purchase LO with UWM in 2022. In 2021 he was named Mortgage Professional of the Year by the North Carolina Home Builders Association. “Being that I’ve been a true independent mortgage broker since 2005, this platform will allow me the opportunity to…

Todd Bitter Joins UMortgage As CSO

Todd Bitter has joined UMortgage as its Chief Sales Officer, the company announced. Bitter is one of the country’s top-producing purchase-focused LOs, having built his own business while acting as a champion for the broker channel.  He has been ranked the #1 purchase originator within the broker channel in Arizona and recognized by United Wholesale Mortgage as a top-10 broker nationally from 2015-2021. “The best place for a consumer to get a mortgage is with a local independent loan originator and the best place for a local independent loan originator to serve their customers is through the UMortgage platform,” Bitter said.  “I am passionate about helping loan originators get better, build better businesses, and become the best version of themselves.”…

Morning Roundup (2/28/2022)– UWM, Pending Home Sales

Good Morning! Today is Monday, February 28. Russia’s currency plummeted against the dollar due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies. More than 350 civilians have died since the invasion began. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a dispute over the E.P.A.’s power to limit greenhouse gases. The Mortgage Note Reports UWM Teams Up Again With Scandal-Plagued Casa: Despite his misogynistic attacks on the wife of a competitor, it appears Anthony Casa is once again in Mat Ishbia’s fold with his new UMortgage business. Pending Home Sales: Pending home sales continued a three-month streak of declines in January, with contract signings down 5.7% to 109.5 in January and 9.5% YOY. NAREB Exec Named: C. Renee Wilson has…

He’s Back! Anthony Casa To Share AIME Stage With Katie Sweeney At UWM-Sponsored Event 

11 months, 16 days.  That’s how long it took former Association of Independent Mortgage Experts boss Anthony Casa to get back into AIME’s good graces after resigning in the wake of his lewd and misogynistic video texts about the wife of a rival.  Casa, who took a leave of absence in July and officially stepped down in October, will participate in a panel discussion Friday at AIME’s annual Fuse conference – billed as the “largest nationwide gathering of independent mortgage professionals” – at the swanky Bellagio in Las Vegas. The panel will be moderated by Casa’s successor, AIME CEO Katie Sweeney. United Wholesale Mortgage – a longtime backer of AIME and Casa – is the title sponsor of the conference. …

Report: Anthony Casa Leaves AIME

Three months after igniting a scandal by sending lewd and misogynistic messages about a rival, Anthony Casa is officially stepping down from his role at the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts, HousingWire reported Thursday. Casa took a leave of absence from AIME after he falsely accused the wife of a Quicken executive of having sexual relations with United Wholesale Mortgage CEO Mat Ishbia. He is starting his own brokerage in Philadelphia, according to a statement he provided to HousingWire, which makes no mention of the scandal that drove him out of AIME. “After much consideration and heart-to-heart conversations with family and friends, I have decided to officially hand the reigns over to the extremely capable hands of Katie Sweeney and…

Checking In With Anthony Casa

If you thought Anthony Casa would dial things back in the wake of sending lewd video texts about a rival’s wife, well … he seems to be sending a different message. As seen in the picture above, Casa updated his Facebook cover photo with an old picture in front of a presentation slide that says “FUCK THESE GUYS. ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK.” His Facebook profile still identifies him as “Chairman @ Association of Independent Mortgage Experts” – even though he took a leave of absence after swift and severe backlash to his lewd texts and comments. Casa came under fire after The Mortgage Note and others shared videos he sent to Quicken executive Austin Niemiec falsely alleging his wife Theresa performed oral sex…

Is AIME Scrubbing Channels Of Critical Comments?

After Anthony Casa announced he was taking a leave of absence from the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts, the organization removed his bio from its website while also apparently scrubbing comments on its social media channels. Casa was the chairman and founder of AIME. He took a leave of absence last week after days of stories about lewd video text messages he sent to a Quicken Loans Vice President about the executive’s wife. In the days after the news broke, AIME started losing major sponsors – including two of three platinum level sponsors for 2020. Still, Casa did not resign and instead took a leave of absence, suggesting that he may return at some point in the future. Casa apparently…

Is AIME Keeping Door Open For Casa’s Return?

After Anthony Casa took a leave of absence from his leadership of the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts for sending lewd video texts, his (at least) temporary replacement vowed to keep the organization on track and seemed to keep the door open for Casa’s return. “In light of recent events, Anthony made the difficult decision to step away,” Katie Sweeney, executive vice president of strategy at AIME, wrote in Facebook post. “The industry and its current leaders have some hard work ahead to ensure women are treated with the same respect as our male counterparts. I trust that AIME and Anthony will play a role in that positive change. I intend to make sure of it.” Casa announced Thursday he is taking…