CONNECT by California MBA

Welcome to California MBA's podcast, Connect, our all-new podcast featuring one-on-one interviews with some of the top movers-and-shakers in the mortgage industry.California MBA serves to represent the residential and commercial real estate finance industry before all governing bodies. The California MBA encourages and promotes sound business practices and honesty in marketing, origination, lending and servicing of mortgage loans through our educational and networking opportunities.

CONNECT by California MBA is a business podcast hosted by The California MBA, with 262 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The California MBA hosts CONNECT by California MBA, a business show with 262 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  UAD 3.6, AI & the Future of Property Valuation | Kenon Chen, Clear Capital | Connect Podcast

  Aug 16, 202631 min

  Appraisal modernization. UAD 3.6. Property data as infrastructure. These aren't back-office compliance topics — they're the next competitive battleground in mortgage. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Kenon Chen, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Growth at Clear Capital, for one of the most forward-looking conversations on collateral, data, and AI we've had on the show. Kenon has spent more than two decades at the intersection of strategy, product, and valuation — and he's here to talk about what's changing, what it means, and why lenders who aren't moving right now will be in survival mode when November hits. In this episode: - What appraisal modernization actually means right now — beyond the buzzword - UAD 3.6 explained: why moving from a doc-based to a data-based approach is the fulfillment of the digital mortgage promise - The November 2 deadline — what lenders need to be doing operationally, technologically, and with their people - Why the lenders jumping in early are gaining competitive advantage — and why the ones waiting will be stuck checking boxes - How Clear Capital is already live on UAD 3.6 with hundreds of reports — using computer vision and AI to deliver quality earlier and reduce round trips - Why property data is the glue that stitches together disconnected systems across origination, servicing, home equity, and capital markets - What happens when a borrower sees a different home value in their servicing portal than when they apply for a HELOC — and what that costs a lender in brand trust - Why silence is still an answer: if you're not giving consumers accurate property analytics, they'll get them somewhere else - Where AI is headed in valuation over the next 12-18 months — and why appraisal needs to be part of the top-of-funnel strategy, not an afterthought Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  The Human Side of Disaster Servicing: Forbearance, Rebuilding & What Must Come Next | Connect

  Aug 10, 202622 min

  When a natural disaster destroys a home, the mortgage servicer is one of the first calls a homeowner makes. What happens in those first days and weeks can determine whether a family rebuilds — or falls through the cracks. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Ron Malik, Senior Vice President of Default Servicing at Dovenmuehle Mortgage, one of the nation's most experienced mortgage subservicers. Dovenmuehle has been an instrumental partner in California MBA's wildfire recovery and rebuilding work — bringing the operational expertise that turns strong policy ideas into solutions that actually work for homeowners. This is the conversation behind the work. In this episode: - What a servicer's disaster response actually looks like from day one — proactiveness, task force deployment, and identifying impacted borrowers immediately - How Dovenmuehle balances speed, empathy, efficiency, and investor requirements all at once during a disaster - What forbearance really is — and why it has to be clearly explained to every homeowner before they sign - Where the rebuild process breaks down: insurance proceeds, draw schedules, inspections, liens, and the gap between what insurance pays and what rebuilding actually costs - Why the $100 million California Disaster Rebuilding Fund matters — and why that solve isn't always available - How Dovenmuehle's participation shaped real legislative outcomes — helping California MBA move to neutral or supportive on key forbearance bills - Why no one can do this work alone — and what true servicer and trade association collaboration looks like in practice - What success looks like for wildfire families and participating servicers one year from now Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  50 Million Millennials Haven't Bought a Home Yet — Here's Why That Matters | Nora Guerra | Connect

  Aug 3, 202634 min

  Affordability. Access. Inventory. These words get thrown around constantly — but what do they actually mean for the families sitting in a financial literacy event in Atlanta wondering if they'll ever own a home? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Nora Guerra, Senior Vice President of Community Lending Solutions at Guild Mortgage, for one of the most inspiring and grounded conversations on affordable homeownership we've had on the show. Nora has spent her career — including time at Freddie Mac — focused on one mission: getting real information to real people so they can make one of the most important financial decisions of their lives. She's hosting over 50 financial literacy events across the country this year alone. This is what boots-on-the-ground advocacy looks like. In this episode: - Why the biggest myth holding buyers back is the belief they need 20% down — and how to dispel it - The power of comparing a PITI with MI payment to a rent payment — and the aha moments that follow - Why 19 years of renting could have been 19 years toward a paid-off mortgage - How HUD counselors are one of the most underutilized resources in the housing ecosystem — and how Nora deploys them at every event - Freddie Mac's free, multilingual Credit Smart financial literacy curriculum — and how to access it - Guild's Workforce Housing initiative: 22 teacher union partnerships and 11 programs that can help teachers live in the communities they serve - The Homium shared equity program: a 40% shared equity second with no monthly payment, already transforming Detroit - How Nora is inviting local politicians — from city council members to U.S. Senators — to her events and showing them the data firsthand - Why responsible access to credit and expanded access to credit are not opposing ideas - The generational opportunity: 50 million millennials who haven't bought yet, and Gen Z just entering the workforce Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  Stop Whiteboardng and Start Building: How Lenders Actually Adopt AI | Varant Herculian, JazzX AI

  Jul 27, 202624 min

  Every lender is being pitched AI right now. But how many are actually implementing it successfully — and what separates the ones that do from the ones that don't? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Varant Herculian of JazzX AI for a candid, execution-focused conversation on what it actually takes to move from an exciting AI demonstration to real-world adoption inside a mortgage operation. Varant brings nearly three decades of mortgage industry experience — from originating loans to leading digital strategy and operational transformation — and now he's helping lenders reimagine their entire operating model with AI. This is not a product pitch. It's a masterclass in change management. In this episode: - Why the Frankenstein ecosystem of stacked point solutions is the core problem AI needs to solve — and what an intelligence layer actually means in practice - The difference between a point solution and a true end-to-end AI platform: connected decisions, shared context, and no rip-and-replace of existing systems - Why real adoption starts with business outcomes, not technology — and why the North Star metrics matter more than the implementation plan - The agile production launch philosophy: why five loans in a real production environment teaches you more than five months in a conference room - How to build a champion network, capture testimonials, and cascade adoption at scale - The two workflow scenarios every lender falls into — and how JazzX solves for both - Tunable autonomy: how lenders can start in recommendation-only mode and gradually increase AI autonomy as trust and evidence grow - How to establish baseline metrics from day one so ROI can be proven — not assumed - Why lenders are more open to upfront implementation costs than you'd think — if you can prove the value first Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

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  CONNECT by California MBA

  FICO® 10T Is Here — What Every Mortgage Lender Needs to Know | Devin Norales, FICO | Connect

  Jul 12, 202628 min

  Credit scoring is one of the most consequential — and least understood — topics in mortgage right now. And it's moving fast. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Devin Norales, Head of Mortgage and Capital Markets at FICO, for a deep-dive conversation on credit score modernization, FICO 10T, and what it means for lenders, originators, capital markets professionals, and the borrowers they serve. FICO is used by 90% of top US lenders and remains the standard for consumer credit risk. And now — with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac releasing more than a decade of loan-level FICO 10T data — the industry is finally positioned to take the next step toward adopting the most predictive credit scoring model ever built. In this episode: - What FICO 10T actually is — and what the "T" stands for (trended data) - Why 10T is a video, not a photo — and what that means for how lenders see borrower credit behavior - How 24 months of trended history changes the picture for borrowers who manage credit well but look risky at a single point in time - The rental data question: only 3.5 million of 77 million renters have data furnished to credit bureaus — and what FICO is doing about it - Improved treatment of authorized users, medical collections under $500, and what's new vs. classic FICO - FICO 10T for Free: the program already running with 70+ lenders that lets them receive 10T alongside their classic score at no extra cost - Why the VA space and non-QM are the first places lenders can start using 10T right now - How 10T can sharpen MSR pricing grids and improve secondary market execution - Why both scoring models should be implemented at the same time — and what chaos looks like if they aren't - What policymakers need to understand about credit modernization before layering on new regulation Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage industry. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the mortgage industry forward.

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