The next installment of the Five Star Institute Webinar Series, set for Tuesday, April 8 at 1:00 p.m. Central, the Five Star Institute, in partnership with Selene Finance, will present “The State of Mortgage Servicing 2025.”
The Five Star Institute Webinar Series aims to broaden the horizons of the mortgage industry, serving as a source for complimentary insights and education about critical industry topics led by subject-matter experts and company sponsors.
For the second consecutive year, MortgagePoint and Selene Finance partner on an exclusive “state of the industry” webinar featuring insights from high-level mortgage servicing executives. From economic headwinds to policy and regulatory shifts in Washington, jump into Q2 of 2025 with an examination of where the industry stands and where the industry is headed in the months to come.
Founded in 2007 to provide creative loan-resolution strategies, Selene Finance provides loan servicing, diligence, and title solutions. Selene’s flexible portfolio management approach was designed to meet the needs of consumers, clients, and all stakeholders.
Featuring a Panel of Experts
David Wharton, Editor-in-Chief at the Five Star Institute, will serve as Moderator of the panel. Wharton has 20 years’ experience in journalism, and an extensive and diversified portfolio of freelance material, with published contributions in both online and print media publications. He has been with Five Star since 2017, initially serving as an Online Editor. Wharton previously worked at Thomson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information firm, focusing on producing media content related to tax and accounting principles and government rules and regulations for accounting professionals. Wharton is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, where he received his B.A. in English and minored in Journalism.
Industry experts sharing their insight during “The State of Mortgage Servicing 2025” webinar will include Gagan Sharma, Founder and CEO of BSI Financial Services; Roger Stotts, EVP and Chief Servicing Officer with New American Funding; and John Vella, Head of Industry/Agency Relations with Selene Finance.
Sharma acquired BSI Financial Services from a bank in 2006. Before BSI, Sharma founded a global outsourcing company serving the financial services and technology industries. He raised institutional equity financing and increased the company’s labor force to more than 1,200 people before selling it. Before that, Sharma was a consultant with Deloitte, advising clients on matters of strategy and operations in the financial services and high-tech industries. Sharma has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Stotts has served the mortgage banking industry for 35 years. He joined New American Funding in 2014 to start the company’s Servicing Division. As Chief Servicing Officer, Roger has managed the growth from 20,000 loans serviced in 2015, to more than 270,000 loans today. As New American Funding tracks toward 300,000 loans serviced, Roger will utilize his background in both servicing and originations, increased use of technology, talent acquisition and development to manage that growth. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a master’s degree in Finance from the University of North Texas.
As CRO at Selene Finance, Vella is responsible for driving revenue generation through ongoing leadership of sales, marketing, client management, and product innovation. Vella brings more than 20 years’ experience leading organizations and delivering exceptional results across multiple industries. Prior to joining Selene, Vella served as Chief Revenue Officer of Altisource. Before that, he served as COO of Equator LLC. Vella began his financial services career with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Freddie Mac. He later served as Chief Sales Officer for H&R Block’s mortgage company, CEO of Household International’s Automotive Business, President and CEO of Bear Stearns EMC Mortgage Company, and as EVP for Special Servicing of GMAC/RESCAP. He holds a Bachelor of Science in English from Springfield College.
For more information or to register for the “The State of Mortgage Servicing 2025” webinar, click here.
