A women-only mortgage conference held in Austin, Texas saw female members of the industry discuss shared experiences and best practices – and how to push business forward
Women are blazing a trail in the US mortgage industry and continually striving to narrow the equality gap to their male counterparts. But much work still lies ahead – and the message of an inaugural women-only conference in Austin, Texas was that approaching the challenge with a spirit of sisterhood and sharing common experiences and best practices is essential.
The NOTORIOUS Women in Mortgage conference, held from October 13-16 at Hotel Ella, was the brainchild of Heritage mortgage originator Paige Hernandez (pictured below), who told Mortgage Professional America the networking and educational event arose from a desire to build a mortgage event that put women front and center.
Its aim was to bring together women in the mortgage industry – whether seasoned pros or relative newcomers – to discuss and share strategies for bringing business to the next level and flourishing both individually and as a community. The idea was spurred in part by a desire to encourage women to control their own destinies: “If you’re not being invited onto the stage, you need to build your own stage,” Hernandez said.
There’s sometimes a tendency for male colleagues to figuratively walk through the door and then let it slam shut behind them, she added, rather than extending opportunities to women. “So how do we take these things that we’re building and pass opportunity back and forth to each other? That’s part of the reason for this.”
‘The industry is changing’
Sponsored by a host of leading mortgage industry names including Equity Prime Mortgage (EPM), PennyMac TPO and the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME), the event offered a space for women to connect and learn through networking, educational sessions and keynote presentations. For Kristin O’Neil (pictured below), senior loan officer at Open Door Lending, the community aspect was among the most rewarding.
“This industry can be very isolating, so I think you have to have people that you can trust, lean on, and ask questions to without feeling like it’s a silly question. That’s honestly one of the most important things,” she told MPA.
“I’ve been in mortgages for 14 years and up until the last couple of years, the majority of friends that I had in the mortgage industry were all men. So I think the industry is changing. I think there’s a lot of new blood coming in and a lot of that new talent that’s coming into the industry is female.”
After a tough period for home sales, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has forecasted that the housing market will stabilize in the coming years, with a projected increase in home sales for 2025 and 2026 as mortgage rates level out.https://t.co/E4v8YeHLpw
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) November 11, 2024
Jais Eliz of Triple Crown Transactions, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of women coming together to discuss tangible real-life scenarios and challenges – “bringing awareness to it, but [also answering] how we get out of this, how we move past this, how we learn from others who’ve been here.”
‘We’re not owed a seat at the table unless we earn it’
While it may seem reasonable to focus on a sales-heavy approach to business, Kristin Cormier (pictured below), a third-party loan processor who attended the event, also underlined the value of a more comprehensive educational focus. “I opened my own processing company in 2020 and before that, I was in the banking industry as a head of the loan operations department,” she said.
“So the mortgage world has been completely different than my banking experience. I walked in to the conference, wasn’t sure what I was going to expect – but there was a wide array of content that really spoke to every level of the business instead of just sales, sales, sales. I really appreciated that about it.”
Christine Beckwith (pictured below), chief executive officer of the 20/20 Vision For Success, was among the keynote speakers at the event. She described her message as one that urges women to strive for individual greatest opportunities and drive from a place of results, rather than merely demanding equality. “We’re not owed a seat at the table unless we earn it,” she said.
“But if we earn it, let’s fight to stay there. Let’s not allow ourselves to be overlooked. Let’s not allow ourselves to be minimized. Let’s be seen for what we’re bringing.”
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