DSNews delivers stories, ideas, links, companies, people, events, and videos impacting the mortgage default servicing industry.
Issue link: http://digital.dsnews.com/i/1540559
MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 30 October 2025 F E A T U R E S T O R Y mative change, his answer is simple: technology that connects us. Coon shares that, to him, "the overwhelming, biggest change to our industry" and "the toughest thing we've ever faced" was the COVID-19 pandemic. He points to how technologies like Teams and Zoom proved to be game-changers in allowing the industry to pivot, adapt, and keep up while facing unprecedented chal- lenges. "We stood up immediately, every company, [and] developed those technol- ogies and took phone calls and everything else, that would've been impossible." Facing Setbacks A career spanning decades is bound to have its share of difficult mo- ments. For Coon, one of the hardest came in his mid-50s, when he lost a job for the first time. "I was bitterly disap- pointed. … I had to get over the negativi- ty. … My wife reminded me that this was just a job, and that [I still had] value. I refocused my priorities. I got energized, elevated my faith, and ultimately, it was a great thing, because it put me right back in this business." Even amid setbacks such as the job loss, Coon leaned on the lessons he had carried with him since his youth. "I remember my dad saying, 'Patrick, it's not how many times they kick you. It's your hang time.'" Advice for the Next Generation W hen asked what guidance he would give to those just starting in the mortgage industry, Coon empha- sizes openness, humility, and connec- tion. "Welcome change, knowing that it's not necessarily in your control. … Just be confident. … But the balance of that (and you got to make sure it's almost like a jeweler's scale), is [to] be humble." He also stresses the importance of valuing relationships. "Each of us has a story. … If you're gonna grow in this career, listen to the stories. Empathize [with] what's going on. Connect with as many people as you can." Coon demonstrated that casual sense of care and character even in the after- math of the interview, when he insisted on helping the interviewer carry a box of effects out to his car—a box the report- er could have carried easily. For Coon, that wasn't the point. He offered to help because that's just how he's wired. "I'm not special," says Coon with a smile. "But I am especially blessed. And if people remember me, I would hope that they would remember me as part of being a team that made a difference."