DS News

24 The Exchange THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD: A CONVERSATION WITH NMSA'S INCOMING AND OUTGOING LEADERSHIP is year's Five Star Government Forum in Washington, D.C., featured the usual lineup of important conversations between mortgage servicing executives and government officials. It also featured a meeting of the National Mortgage Servicing Association, a nonpartisan organization driven by senior executive representation from the nation's leading mortgage servicing organizations, formed for the purpose of effecting progress and change on the key challenges that face the mortgage servicing industry. at gathering included the passing of the torch from outgoing NMSA Chair Wes Iseley, who led the group from 2019-2021, to Jocelyn Martin-Leano, who will serve as Chair through 2024. Both Iseley and Martin-Leano recently spoke with DS News about the challenges Iseley has faced in leading the group through the pandemic, where the group has marked successes during those years, and where Martin-Leano intends to focus the group in the months ahead. Wes G. Iseley, Senior Managing Director, Carrington Holding Company; 2019-2021 NMSA Chair You've served as chair of NMSA during a particularly unexpected and challenging period. Looking back at that, what are the accomplishments and achievements you're most proud of? In March 2020, we always had plans for everything, but we didn't have a plan for working from home. NMSA orchestrated calls with all the servicers, so we could share ideas about what was working and what we needed to do as a group. at sharing of ideas across all the servicers, bank and nonbank, helped our industry transform a centralized call center model to a decentralized one. It was extremely hard work, with everybody working day and night for about three weeks to pull that off. But we did pull it off as an industry. And I think we're better prepared to serve and help our customers with that having gone so smoothly. It could have been a disaster, and it wouldn't have worked if we weren't out there working together and sharing information. You served as NMSA Chair from 2019- 2021. What were your initial goals when you took on that role, and how do you feel you succeeded at working towards them? Number one, it's a tight-knit group, and I think we're the only group in the industry for servicers that pulls together top-level people from both bank and nonbanks. We pulled together information HUD was looking at when they were evaluating the Claims Without Conveyance of Title (CWCOT) and auction programs. We were able to pull data from 20 different people, put it in a similar program and deliver that to HUD so they could look at those results. Based on that, they implemented some very positive changes for HUD and the servicers, which helped out everybody. NMSA is a trusted source that works to look out for the industry, to pull data together, and provide information that can't be obtained anywhere else. We all see the common good in that. Together, we serve as a resource for feedback or for data, for both servicers and for all the government agencies. We're very willing to share that information to improve things for consumers out there and help generate better programs. at's why everybody shows up at these NMSA meetings every single time, because they know that we do good work. We're trying to help out the consumers. We're trying to help out the industry. e stronger we make the industry, the more people we will help. How does NMSA contribute to industry thought leadership? After a major hurricane hit Houston, we had an emergency meeting in Dallas with the top 30, 35 bank and nonbanks combined. We had FHFA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, HUD, FHA, and the VA, all in the same room, figuring out what needed to be done in that moment. What programs do we need? What are the issues? Everybody there had one common goal: We need to help these customers out. How can we do that, and what do we need to change? at's the power of NMSA, right there. When faced with major challenges, we can pull people together, from the servicers and from the agencies. And the agencies know that this is a great thing because they're going to hear all our thoughts. We're a great resource, and that's why I'm proud to be a part of this organization. As you step aside as NMSA Chair, what are the areas that you would like to see NMSA focusing on going forward? We're working on those right now. We just had a call with NMSA leadership the other day, focused on working groups that will tackle issues such as trying to meet with Ginnie Mae, with HUD, and with FHFA on pressing issues. Get to Know Industry Executives Beyond the Boardroom Wes G. Iseley Senior Managing Director, Carrington Holding Company; 2019-2021 NMSA Chair Jocelyn Martin-Leano President, Rushmore Loan Management Services; 2022-2024 NMSA Chair

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