The third and final day of the 2025 Five Star Conference & Expo, held at the Omni Dallas Hotel, featured yet another array of educational offerings, networking opportunities, and the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of businesswomen whose contributions have impacted the housing and mortgage servicing industries at the Women in Housing Leadership Awards Luncheon to conclude this year’s event.
Wednesday morning began with Legal League presenting “Default Insights–A Collaborative Classroom Series,” a series of courses designed for servicers, REO agents, attorneys, and investors offering practical guidance on critical issues in default servicing.
Kicking things off was the “Receivership Offensive Tactics” session, presented by Reneau Longoria of Doonan Graves & Longoria and January Taylor of McMichael Taylor & Gray. Receiverships, when used alongside foreclosure, provide powerful tools to preserve assets, shorten timelines, and accelerate recoveries. Both Longoria and Taylor detailed how receiverships can increase leverage, help resolve cases, and in some instances, move properties to sale faster than the foreclosure process alone.
Up next, the duo of Caren Castle of The Mortgage Law Firm and Clayton Gordon of Carrington presented the “CWCOT in Practice” session. While HUD’s recent clarification of CWCOT (Claims Without Conveyance of Title) bidding requirements may appear subtle, the impact is anything but. When fair market value exceeds total debt, servicers must now open at the higher amount—creating new challenges around cash advances, surplus handling, and third-party bidding. Both Castle and Gordon shared real-world examples in exploring the evolution of CWCOT, explaining its history, and its implications on today’s foreclosure environment.
During the “Bankruptcy Roadblocks & Alternative Strategies,” featured speaker Steven Eisenberg of Stern & Eisenberg, explained how bankruptcy doesn’t have to derail recovery. Eisenberg shared practical strategies for creditors facing tactical filings, explaining ways on how to minimize delays, and discovering paths to keeping cases and recoveries on track even when litigation and bankruptcy intersect.
This was followed by the team of Curtis Wilson of McCalla Raymer Leibert Peirce LLP and a returning Clayton Gordon of Carrington presenting the “Advocacy in Trial & Appeal” session. “Advocacy in Trial & Appeal” walked attendees through trial preparation, record-building, and appellate strategy, sharing practical tips and real-world insights to help anticipate any challenges faced along the way to help deliver the strongest possible outcome for your clients.
The final presentation of the Default Insights–A Collaborative Classroom Series, “From Default to Eviction: Key Decision Points,” was presented by Carl Emmons of Bell Carrington Price & Gregg. Emmons explored trial preparation, record-building, and appellate strategy, sharing practical tips and real-world insights to help attendees tackle any challenges encountered along the way.
Wednesday morning also offered the FORCE Connect session, an event exclusive to Five Star FORCE members and invited asset managers. A membership division of Five Star Institute, the Federation of REO Certified Experts (FORCE) network is comprised of pre-screened, certified, and seasoned REO agents and brokers who consistently set the standard for excellence. FORCE Connect served as an exclusive networking opportunity where FORCE members could schedule meetings with asset managers to discuss the state of the industry and network in an intimate atmosphere.
At the REO Asset Management Summit, presented by Xome, real estate professionals had the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities in today’s low REO environment. The event included discussions about the current landscape of REO properties, as experts in the REO space shared strategies on how to create more value and revenue by optimizing REO asset management, including effective handling of assignments, repairs, and closing processes.
As advances in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) change the face of the industry, Five Star’s three-hour MTech Forum explored the dynamic intersection of mortgage and technology, spotlighting the tools, trends, and transformations reshaping the industry.
Getting things underway at the MTech Forum was Scott Brinkley, CEO of a360inc, who outlined the agenda for the morning and delivered a state of the industry update to those in attendance.
Brinkley introduced the first of three panels, “From Automation to Intelligence: Unlocking the Power of AI,” to get things underway. A panel featuring Gagan Sharma, President & CEO of BSI Financial Services; Jacob Andra, CEO with Talbot West; Steve Holden, SVP-Single-Family Analytics & Modeling with Fannie Mae; Alex Verget, VP Business Services with Aspen Grove; and Renuka Kambli, Senior Partner Consulting-Lending and Payments with Cognizant explained how AI and machine learning (ML) are being applied across the mortgage lifecycle, from underwriting and fraud detection to borrower communication and portfolio management. The event was a lively discussion where real-world use cases were explained, along with regulatory considerations, and the risks and rewards of AI adoption in a highly regulated environment.
As mortgage companies digitize more of their operations, the risks to data security and consumer trust grow exponentially. The second panel of the Forum, “Digital Gatekeepers: Defending Data in the Mortgage Space,” assembled cybersecurity experts, legal advisors, and tech leaders exploring the evolving threat landscape, from ransomware and phishing to vendor vulnerabilities and AI-driven attacks. Panelists Ryan Bourgeois, Partner with Barrett Daffin Frappier Turner and Engel LLP; Michael Keaton, SVP, Technical Business Development with Onity Group; David Parrish, CIO with Better Home and Finance Holding Company; and Jacob Andra, CEO with Talbot West shared their best practices for risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, incident response, and tip o how to build a cyber-resilient servicing and lending infrastructure.
And as emerging technologies and solutions are redefining how mortgage lenders and servicers must operate, the final MTech Forum panel, “Disrupt or Be Disrupted: Embracing the Tech Revolution,” highlighted cutting-edge innovations, from blockchain and digital closings, to advanced analytics and customer experience platforms, that are driving efficiency, transparency, and competitive advantage. Subject-matter experts, including James Curl, CIO with Xome; Michael Keaton, SVP, Technical Business Development with Onity Group; Rodney Cadwell, CEO with Quandis Inc.; Jacinta Lucey, VP of Business Services with Aspen Grove; Kate Mossop, VP Portfolio PO for Servicing Products with Freddie Mac; and Keith Soura, VP of Engineering with Better Mortgage shared their success stories and discussed the challenges and advantages of implementing new technologies across the mortgage space.
Closing out the day and the 2025 installment of the Five Star Conference & Expo was the Women in Housing Leadership Awards Luncheon, a celebration of the tremendous achievements of businesswomen whose contributions continue to impact the housing and mortgage servicing industries.
Many thanks to the award winners, finalists, and runners-up for continuing to blaze their path in the industry to create a better future for all in the mortgage finance and servicing space.
Plans are already underway for the 2026 Five Star Conference & Expo. Stay tuned to MortgagePoint.com as details are finalized and speakers added to the agenda for yet another informative event.
