This year’s edition of the Five Star Conference 2024, set for September 24-26 at the OMNI Hotel in Dallas, is growing closer by the day, and the list of guest speakers and educational offerings continues to grow.
A new addition to this year’s Five Star Conference, the NPL Forum will tackle topics ranging from non-performing loans (NPLs), foreclosures, bankruptcy, and the buying and selling of distressed assets. Attendees of the NPL Forum will hear from a diverse array of speakers, ranging from servicing executives to economists, as they discuss the current headwinds and best practices within the non-performing assets arena.
The NPL Forum, presented by Lead Sponsor Alitsource and set for Thursday, September 26 from 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Central, was developed for those dealing with distressed assets, and will dissect the current landscape of the market.
Taking Stock in Your Assets
The NPL Forum is highlighted by three informative breakout sessions, each led by a panel of experts on the frontlines of the bankruptcy, REO, and distressed assets space, including:
I. Non-Performing Loans: Best Strategies & Practices
During this session, a panel of experts will engage in a broad discussion on the current state of the NPL landscape, with topics ranging from resolution strategies, compliance and regulatory considerations, collaboration among stakeholders, and foreclosure best practices.
Speakers on this panel will include Michael Merritt, SVP, Customer Care & Mortgage Default for BOK Financial; Clayton Gordon, Director, Default Mediation and Litigation for Carrington Mortgage Services LLC; Shawn Miller, SVP, Business Development for Xome; Cheryl Marchant, SVP of Default for Freedom Mortgage Corporation; Allen Price, SVP, Head of Sales for BSI Financial Services; and Shubha Shivapurkar, Senior Director of Loss Mitigation for Freddie Mac.
II. Economic Update: Housing Market Outlook
With a presidential election only a few months away and the industry facing many questions and challenges regardless of who occupies the White House in 2025, we have assembled a panel of expert economists to share a forecast of what they anticipate for the remainder of 2024, and for the year to come.
The Five Star Conference is pleased to welcome Daren Blomquist, VP of Market Economics for Auction.com; and Molly Boesel, Principal Economist for CoreLogic as speakers for this discussion.
III. Navigating Bankruptcy
Both commercial and individual bankruptcies continued to rise year-over-year throughout the first half of 2024. This session will bring together subject-matter experts, including Alicia Byrd, Senior Manager of Bankruptcy Operations and Default Servicing Oversight for Flagstar Bank; Jeffrey Fraser, Partner with Albertelli Law; and Bill Bymel, CEO & Chief Investment Officer with First Lien Capital to discuss bankruptcy trends and challenges that all those working within this sector of the industry should have on their radar.
Getting to Know the Experts
The Five Star Institute has invited a number of the top minds in the field to share their insight and expertise with attendees of the NPL Forum, including:
- Blomquist, who, as VP of Market Economics at Auction.com, analyzes and forecasts complex macro- and microeconomic data trends within the marketplace and industry to provide value to both buyers and sellers using the Auction.com platform. Blomquist’s reports and analysis have been cited by thousands of media outlets, including major news networks and leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA TODAY. In addition, he has been quoted in hundreds of publications and has appeared on many national network broadcasts, including CBS, ABC, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, and Bloomberg.
- Boesel, who holds the position of Principal Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist at CoreLogic responsible for analyzing and forecasting housing and mortgage market trends, including the single-family rental market. She has nearly 30 years of experience and expertise in mortgage market analysis, model development, and risk analysis in the housing finance industry. Boesel is a frequent speaker at leading industry events and contributor to several industry publications. Her original research blogs for the CoreLogic Insights blog are frequently picked up in national and trade publications and are leveraged as news pieces. Last year, Boesel and her colleagues won an award for their published work on pandemic-related housing preferences, home prices, rent and inflation.
- Bymel, a real estate investor and broker for more than 20 years, who serves as CEO of First Lien Capital LP, a privately owned distressed mortgage investment platform he founded in 2021 which owns over 700 residential mortgages and REOs in more than 30 states valued at greater than $100 million. With experience in all asset classes of real estate, asset management, portfolio servicing oversight, and mortgage finance, First Lien Capital is shifting paradigms in the industry by establishing new relationships between investors and borrowers through the creation of win-win resolutions to sub-performing, non-performing mortgages on residential and commercial real estate.
- Byrd, who has more than 13 years in the bankruptcy industry, and has recently joined Flagstar Bank as their Bankruptcy Operations Manager, expanding on her 20 years of experience in operational management. Beginning as a certified paralegal, she has used the knowledge gained in each position to build the skills necessary to succeed. With additional experience in Commercial Banking, Byrd has experience in large scale, international level volume, while maintaining small-scale attention to detail. She is passionate about management and ways to improve management practices in the current professional climate; speaking and training on the topic as often as possible.
- Fraser, a Partner over Albertelli Law’s national Bankruptcy Department where he works closely with each state’s managing attorneys as it relates to training, legal strategy, and all facets of the firm’s bankruptcy practice. Fraser is an active participant in the Southern District of Florida’s bankruptcy bar and was the 2019/2020 Chair of the Local Rule Committee and an inaugural member the district’s Lawyer Advisory Committee (LAC), serving as the committee’s Chair in 2020 and 2021. He was also born in Jamaica and is a past President of the Jamaican-American Bar Association. Fraser has achieved the highest rating in both legal and ethical ability by Martindale-Hubbell, and prides himself on practicing with humility, integrity, and appreciation.
- Gordon, who was admitted to practice in Florida in 2000 and has spent the majority of his career working in the real estate and consumer finance fields. He served in roles prosecuting and defending foreclosures, representing debtors in bankruptcy, managing residential and commercial real estate closings, writing title insurance, and taking on homeowners associations. Since 2013, he has served Carrington Mortgage Services as a corporate representative in foreclosure and corporate lawsuits. Gordon now manages all contested foreclosures, foreclosure settlements, the mediation team, and trial witness team. Additionally, he constantly revises and reengineers corporate processes to improve lawsuit timelines, reduce costs, and better serve investors.
- Marchant, who serves as SVP of Default Services at Freedom Mortgage, where she provides executive oversight and has the responsibility for developing and overseeing several default groups including Foreclosure Referral, Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, Contested Default and Mediation, Title Curative, Default Invoicing, Post Sale and Claims, Property Preservation, and REO. She has more than 30 years of extensive default servicing experience. Prior to joining Freedom Mortgage, Marchant served as SVP Default Servicing at Stonegate Mortgage Corporation, Bank of America, and Aurora Bank FSB. Additionally, she served in various servicing leadership roles at Irwin Mortgage, Indy Mac Bank, and Waterfield Mortgage.
- As SVP, Customer Care & Mortgage Default, Merritt oversees mortgage servicing contact centers and default servicing divisions at BOK Financial, encompassing Customer Service and Default Contact Centers, as well as managing the loss mitigation processing, foreclosure, bankruptcy, claims, post-sale, and loss analysis teams. He previously managed mortgage subservicers at Goldman Sachs, and played integral roles at Mr. Cooper Mortgage, primarily in customer care, loss mitigation, and first line of defense. Merritt holds an MLS in Risk Management from Texas A&M School of Law, an MBA from Texas Tech University, and a BA in Organizational Leadership from Arizona State University.
- As SVP of Business Development for Xome, Miller cultivates new and existing relationships in support of the company’s strategic growth initiatives. With more than 15 years of experience in multiple facets of real estate, Miller and his team are responsible for supporting the company’s growth initiatives and cultivating new and existing relationships across capital markets, financial institutions, servicers, and government agencies. Prior to joining Xome, Miller lead business development and corporate strategy for Hudson & Marshall, a national real estate disposition services and asset management provider for tier-one financial institutions, residential mortgage servicers, investors, and government-sponsored entities (GSEs). Hudson & Marshall was sold/acquired by Fidelity National Financial (FNF) in May 2017.
- Price is a mortgage industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the primary and secondary markets. At BSI, Allen focuses on loan subservicing, QC, and mortgage servicing rights (MSR) acquisitions. Prior to BSI, he oversaw sales and strategy as SVP at RoundPoint Financial Group. Allen’s background includes SVP at ServiceLink’s capital markets group and as SVP at Nationstar Mortgage, where he led Nationstar’s MSR and subservicing acquisitions. Earlier in his career, Allen was a senior risk executive for BBVA’s residential mortgage portfolio, and an SVP of Global Structured Finance and RMBS Trading at Bank of America. Prior to that, Allen was Senior Manager at Fannie Mae for nearly seven years.
- Shivapurkar, Senior Director of Loss Mitigation for Freddie Mac Single-Family servicing operations, is responsible for managing non-performing loans. She leads the teams that review and approve all exceptions related to modifications, foreclosure alternatives and foreclosure and bankruptcy processing; over-allowable legal and property preservation-related expenses; and appeals for compensatory fees and incentives. Her teams work closely with servicers to ensure that loans move through the foreclosure and bankruptcy processes expeditiously. Additionally, Shivapurkar drives and manages functionality for all default-related technology within Freddie Mac. Since joining Freddie Mac in 2010, Shivapurkar has set up many new functions, such as the Inventory Management function to oversee aging of workout settlements, as well as the QA function to ensure servicer compliance with our policies in servicing delinquent mortgages. Previously, she worked with Fannie Mae in various capacities.
Networking With Industry Leaders
The Five Star Conference prides itself on fostering an inclusive and community-centric environment where professionals from across the mortgage sector can connect, innovate, and prosper. By attending the NPL Forum, you’ll have the opportunity to network with thought leaders, service providers, and peers, opening doors to new partnerships and collaborations.
Advance Your Career
Participation in the NPL Forum at the Five Star Conference will enrich your knowledge base and enhance your professional profile. The insights gained from this event can be pivotal in driving your career forward, positioning you as a forward-thinking leader in property preservation.
Register Now
Don’t miss out on this exceptional opportunity to advance your expertise and network with industry pioneers. Secure your spot today by registering through the Five Star Conference Registration link.
For more details about the Mortgage Servicing Forum schedule and sessions, visit the Five Star Conference NPL Forum link.
Join us at the Five Star Conference 2024, where visionaries meet opportunities and shape the mortgage industry’s future together.
