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COVER STORY: YOUNG GUNS
MARCO MERATI 29, branch manager and loan officer Village Mortgage
JJ MACK
MIKE NIELSEN
27, branch manager American Pacific Mortgage
34, vice president of mortgage lending Guaranteed Rate
JJ Mack broke into the mortgage industry about six years ago and has seen his star rise ever since. Although Mack is one of American Pacific’s top young originators, his real skills are his leadership and ability to attract fresh blood to the industry, according to Bobbie Jo Seva, regional production advocate for American Pacific. “JJ is bringing in the millennials to APM,” Seva says, “which is important because this industry has taken a lot of hits over the last few years and has not replenished itself.”
One of the top originators in the nation, Mike Nielsen is a member of Guaranteed Rate’s President’s Club for top producers. In 2014, he racked up $64 million in production volume – most of it in the purchase market.
IAN BRANNON 35, senior loan officer, NOVA Home Loans Ian Brannon learned the business as an assistant to two of the best loan officers in the nation, Jon and Paul Volpe. That training helped him hit the ground running when he became a senior loan officer. Last year, Brannon racked up more than $22.9 million in total volume.
MICHAEL McDERMOTT 31, senior loan officer NOVA Home Loans To Michael McDermott, the key to success is simple: Proactive communication and a real desire to offer solutions to potential homebuyers. That attitude helped McDermott rack up more than $19 million in volume last year. McDermott also recently launched a campaign to help veterans realize their homeownership dreams. “There’s something extra-special about being able to assist our active and retired military veterans with purchasing a home,” he says. “We are dedicated to becoming Arizona’s top VA lender.”
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Starting his career just five years ago as a loan originator, Marco Merati quickly became the youngest branch manager at Village Mortgage. “[Merati’s] ability to connect with his peers and prospective clients is one of the main reasons he was offered the branch manager position at Village Mortgage,” says marketing director Jennifer Brabson. “His ability to put his Realtors’ and borrowers’ needs first, his understanding of exceptional customer service and extensive knowledge of the mortgage process is why he has been so successful to date.”
ERIC KATZ 32, regional vice president, The Federal Savings Bank Already an $80 million-a-year originator, Eric Katz began running a $300 million-per-year office last year at age 32. In the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, Katz and his team closed more than $135 million and they’re on pace to close more than $500 million in 2015. “Eric is truly the only person that could have built this office from nothing to where it is now,” says Federal Savings Bank assistant sales manager Paul Franklin.
POUYAN BROUKHIM 34, founder and president, PB Financial Group Pouyan Broukhim founded PB Financial Group in 2006, funding transactions worth between $100,000 and $2 million. Today, the company is one of California’s top hard money lenders, and Broukhim was responsible for $35 million in volume last year alone.
www.mpamag.com
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6/02/2015 4:05:11 AM