GENERAL SESSION: Working Lunch with Top Tips to Go

Karen Kreutziger Powell

Chief Executive Officer, Flat Branch Mortgage, Inc.

Karen Kreutziger Powell 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.

Garth Graham

Senior Partner, STRATMOR Group

At STRATMOR, Graham manages the company’s mergers and acquisitions activities, providing strategies for some of the largest Independent and Bank-owned mortgage lenders. He also leads the marketing strategy and execution practice, which focuses on lead generation and lead management methods and practices primarily for the consumer direct and retail mortgage origination channels. Garth has more than 30 years of experience in mortgage banking, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to successful startups, including management of two of the most successful e-commerce platforms. As an executive with ABN-AMRO, Garth was part of the executive group and author of the five-year strategic plan that led to the successful $9 billion sale of the mortgage company to Citigroup in March of 2007 which closed before the market downturn. At ABN, Garth managed the mortgage.com retail mortgage and Interfirst wholesale channel ecommerce platforms. Administering an over $5 million annual marketing budget, he was responsible for retention and cross sell activities for more than 2 million customers. He launched marketing campaigns in support of mortgage.com consumer portal, generating over 650,000 web site visitors per month, resulting in $22B in originations and $280 million in operating profit over a four-year period. He successfully delivered direct response rates of more than four percent, with a 250 percent return on marketing investment. Garth was a founder and key member of the executive management team at mortgage.com and led the company through its dramatic expansion in the late 90s and successful IPO in 2000, before its ultimate sale to ABN AMRO. Mortgage.com originated the first mortgage through the Internet in 1997 and was the original platform for the Quicken and Microsoft mortgage initiatives.

Brett Ludden

Managing Director, Sterling Point Advisors

Brett is the co-head of Financial Services at Sterling Point Advisors, an M and A advisory and financial consulting firm serving lower middle market businesses in financial services, industrials and manufacturing, healthcare, and technology. The Financial Services team supports banks, Fintechs, credit unions, insurance companies, and non-depository mortgage lenders. During his 27 years in financial services, Brett has worked across the spectrum: leading M and A transaction-related analytics and Reps and Warranties strategies, overseeing teams at one of the largest banks in the United States, forming and growing a nationwide mortgage lender/servicer/securitizer, and consulting for Fortune 500 financial institutions. Brett has an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in Engineering.

Michael D. McAuley

Principal, Garrett, McAuley & Co.

Michael D. McAuley is a Principal of Garrett, McAuley & Co., a banking and mortgage banking consulting firm that “helps lenders increase revenues, control costs and better manage risk.” Mike has more than twenty years of commercial banking experience in financing mortgage bankers, homebuilders, and related firms, most recently at JP Morgan Chase. Mike is an acknowledged expert in the field of mortgage banking and warehouse lending, and he consults with mortgage bankers, banks, credit unions, and regulators. He focuses on assisting mortgage bankers with improving their strategies, finances, compliance, secondary marketing, and operations. He has also helped commercial banks establish, assess, and improve their mortgage warehouse lending operations. Mike is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; a past chairman of the RMA Warehouse Lenders Roundtable; member of the Warehouse Lending Subcommittee at the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association; and a Graduate with Distinction, Willis Bryant Award finalist, and Lecturer at the School of Mortgage Banking.

Seth D. Sprague, CMB

Director, Consulting Services, Richey May

With extensive experience in mortgage banking and mortgage servicing, Seth Sprague leads the Mortgage Banking Consulting Services practice at Richey May. A sought-after speaker, he often speaks on liquidity and the overall challenges in the mortgage industry. Sprague joined Richey May from the STRATMOR Group where he was a principal. Prior to joining STRATMOR, he was EVP of Trading and Analytics at Phoenix Capital. Sprague also served as SVP, Servicing Asset Manager at SunTrust Mortgage for more than 10 years, where he developed and led their servicing rights valuation team. His career also includes accounting, analytics and auditing roles at Bank of America, KPMG LLP, and United Financial Inc. Seth holds the designation of Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) from the MBA.