MPA SPECIAL REPORT
ELITE WOMEN CARA COSTA VP and wholesale underwriting manger Franklin American Mortgage Company
Cara Costa returned to Franklin American Mortgage Company in 2014 as VP and wholesale underwriting manager after spending nearly three years with Churchill Mortgage Corp. Prior to her stint at Churchill, Costa was Franklin American’s first national wholesale underwriting manager, building and shaping the direction of the department.
LESLIE SMITH Managing director Silver Hill Funding
Embracing change and not being afraid to take chances led Leslie Smith to help launch Silver Hill Funding, a subsidiary of Bayview Loan Servicing, where she oversees sales and operations for the small-balance commercial lending division. Smith’s resultsoriented leadership has been instrumental in driving productivity and growth within the Bayview organization for nearly a decade. Her key contributions include building a banker education program, managing the top 50 correspondent relationships and leading expansion into international markets. She has also overseen project management, vendor management and process engineering groups within Bayview Loan Servicing. One of her proudest accomplishments to date has been her role in Bayview’s international expansion: “Going over to two markets, one in Germany and one in Spain, and being able to take a product, adjust it and see how it works in these markets, and solving a problem that is universal,” she says.
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SANDY GARCIA
LAUREN GARREN
VP of production, Eastern region
VP of production and sales
American Bancshares Mortgage
Freddie Mac
Sandy Garcia has held various positions in the mortgage industry, from sales to operations, in her 20+-year career. As vice president of production for American Bancshares’ Eastern region, Garcia is responsible for forming branches and recruiting throughout the region. Prior to joining American Bancshares, Garcia oversaw operations and production at Sierra Pacific Mortgage, where she was the Southwest regional manager. She currently is president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida and serves on several industry boards.
As Freddie Mac’s vice president of production and sales, Lauren Garren provides strategic and tactical support to the production, sales, and affordable housing production and investment departments. Garren has more than 15 years of experience in a unique blend of areas, including financial, technical, process engineering and project management. Before being appointed to her current position, Garren served in various roles at Freddie Mac, including financial manager, finance director, enterprise risk senior director and chief of staff to the CEO.
AMANDA NILES Senior mortgage originator Finance of America Mortgage
For Amanda Niles, being a mortgage professional means more than financing homes; it’s about cultivating relationships based on trust and expertise. Her goal is to provide highly competitive interest rates and fees combined with amazing service and communication throughout the transaction so that each client is compelled to refer friends and family. Her specialties include conventional financing, investment properties, condominium projects, FHA, VA, USDA, 203K, rehab, new construction and home equity lines of credit. The National Association of Mortgage Professionals has twice named her one of the top 40 most influential mortgage professionals under 40.