GENERAL SESSION: Fireside Chat with the CFPB

Co-Chairman, IMB Executive Council; Chief Executive Officer, Flat Branch Mortgage, Inc.

Karen Kreutziger is the Chief Executive Officer of Flat Branch Mortgage, Inc. She joined the company in 2011, starting as an underwriter, but very quickly demonstrated a drive that allowed her to successfully master every piece of the mortgage business. From selling direct to agencies like Freddie and Fannie to creating programs for new products such as the HUD 184 and portfolio loans, Kreutziger has taken the lead to improving Flat Branch Home Loans’ competitive edge while maintaining the best client experience. Under her management, the company has grown and she has led initiatives to improve process efficiencies and leadership training. She is the Co-Chair of MBA’s IMB Executive Council.

Co-Chair, IMB Executive Council; Chief Executive Officer, Success Mortgage Partners, Inc.

Owen Lee is the 2025 MBA Vice Chair and Chief Executive Officer at Success Mortgage Partners, Inc., (SMP). He co-founded the company with his father, Vincent, in 2002. Under his leadership, SMP has closed billions of dollars of mortgage loans yearly since 2016, is licensed in 42 states, and has more than 600 employees. Lee is also a Managing Member of Title Partners, LLC, a full-service title insurance and escrow services agency. An active leader in the mortgage and financial services sectors, Lee serves on MBA’s Board of Directors, is Co-Chair of its Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council, and is currently the 2023-2024 Chairman of MORPAC, MBA’s political action committee, where he has been a successful political fundraiser, helping to advance the association’s top legislative priorities.

2024 MBA Chairman; President, Union Home Mortgage

Mark Jones is the 2024 MBA Chairman and President of Union Home Mortgage. Mark co-founded Amerifirst Home Mortgage in 1983, a company he grew from an individual location in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to over 80 full-service locations and 900 personnel nationwide. In January 2023, Amerifirst merged with Union Home Mortgage to form a top 40 national mortgage lender, where Mark now serves as President. Prior to the merger, Amerifirst was the No. 1 USDA lender and the No. 3 FHA lender in Michigan, and the No. 13 FHA lender in Florida. Amerifirst was also a Ginnie Mae issuer and serviced in-house a $6 billion loan portfolio. Amerifirst ranked as a Best and Brightest Company to Work for in the Nation for five consecutive years (2016-2020) and was named one of the top 50 Best Mortgage Companies to Work For in 2021. In 2016 Mark received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Michigan and Northwest Ohio. In addition to his service as MBA’s Chairman-Elect, Mark currently serves as Chairman of MBA’s DEI Advisory Committee. He previously served as co-chair of MBA’s Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council. Mark also serves as a board member and Public Policy Committee Chair at Southwest Michigan First and serves as Chair of Southwest Michigan First PAC.

Assistant Director of Mortgage Markets, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

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.