GENERAL SESSION: Multicultural Lending Success Stories
As we enter 2025, IMB leaders are looking for new ways to position themselves as the lender-of-choice for the fastest growing demographic markets. Join us as two innovative IMBs share their multicultural lending success stories and provide strategies and tips that have produced measurable results.
Speakers
Moderator
Entrepreneurial. Driven. Passionate. Marcia Griffin vibrantly radiates all of these qualities as the leader of and driving force behind HomeFree-USA – a HUD intermediary on the front lines of closing the racial wealth gap in America. As CEO, Marcia empowers low-to-moderate-income (LMI), middle-income, and households of color to achieve and sustain homeownership. Soon entering its 4th decade in operation, HomeFree-USA has grown substantially with an affiliate network spanning 21 states. Driven by Marcia’s leadership, the organization supports more than 35,000 households annually. Even more remarkable, though, is a 0% foreclosure rate among families who have participated in HomeFree- USA’s programs.
Speakers
Camilo Escalante serves as Rate’s Executive Director of Diverse Segments, leading the company as it expands its service and marketing in multicultural communities nationwide. Camilo is focused on ensuring that Rate’s loan officers are equipped to serve all borrowers, enhancing access to credit and improving the quality of the lending experience. He focuses on growing Rate's performance in all aspects of multicultural growth including marketing, recruiting, employee culture, loan production, customer experience and community engagement. Since 2020 in his role as an executive for the 2nd largest retail lender in the nation, Camilo has been the Co-Executive sponsor of two key initiatives that have helped the company improve its performance in multicultural communities. The first is the award winning and industry leading Language Access Program, which improves access to credit for the LEP (Limited English Proficiency) community delivering the country’s only “end to end” mortgage experience in Spanish. Since the roll out of the program in 2020 the company has surpassed 15K applications for customers using this innovate Spanish language technology. The second key initiative to improve diversity was rolled out in 2023 and it’s the company’s Community Engagement and Diverse Recruiting strategy, which aims to lead Independent Mortgage Bankers in effective community engagement that will improve loan production and recruitment in underserved communities across the country. Additionally, as of 2024 Camilo is leading the company’s first go to market national strategy to improve brand awareness for Black and Latino communities. Camilo was nominated as the 2024 Chair of the NAHREP Corporate Board of Governors where he works with industry leaders to advance homeownership.
Amanda is the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer at Atlantic Bay. She has oversight of the organization’s regulatory, compliance, legal, and people engagement functions. Prior to joining Atlantic Bay, Amanda served as the Chief Operating and Risk Officer of Old Dominion National Bank. She has an extensive background in community financial institutions, having held a wide range of leadership, risk, and compliance roles. Amanda began her career as a Regulator with the Massachusetts Division of Banks. She is a graduate of Hartwick College in New York. She is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and a Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA).
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