Sarah Wolak: You began consulting for MLB in March. How did that develop right into a place and possession of MLB?
Laura Brandao: Sam, the CEO and main shareholder of MLB, I labored for him in 2005 as a younger operations chief, and that was the place the place I realized wholesale. Like, earlier than that second, I had labored in retail, so I had solely identified retail.
That time frame was when there was quite a lot of subprime lending, and by 2007, when every thing began to crash, I received very nervous in regards to the quantity of subprime loans all people was doing. I imply, all of us have been very nervous about it.
So I reached out to an account government and requested if there was wherever that is perhaps secure, which is how I then grew to become worker No. 1 and the one who constructed wholesale at American Financial Resources (AFR). However I realized tips on how to do wholesale from Sam Lamparello.
After AFR, I went into consulting. Sooner or later, I used to be out in California for a consumer, and my mobile phone rang. It was Sam and he mentioned, ‘Laura, clearly, you’ve grown up rather a lot in 20 years. You actually realized quite a lot of stuff and did some good issues, and I see you’re consulting, how would you wish to have a dialog?’ We jumped on a name and he mentioned, ‘Pay attention, my coronary heart is in wholesale … and I’d love so that you can come and inform us tips on how to make issues higher, create methods and make it in order that we’re a well-oiled machine.’
So I joined. After just a few months, Sam was like, ‘Laura, possibly we should always flip this into one thing greater.’ And I mentioned, ‘To be trustworthy, I don’t wish to put the cart earlier than the horse. I would really like us to essentially be prepared. I actually need us to have a robust basis. I wish to have operations dialed in.’
I wished to have a CRM that makes use of AI and helps the account executives have the ability to work sensible as a substitute of exhausting. I wish to be certain I’ve received my marketing dialed in. I wish to be certain I’ve packages that differentiate us, that make us distinctive. So we labored towards that and made my place official on Jan. 5, 2026.
Wolak: I do know it is a jam-packed query, however how has your position shifted from marketing consultant and board adviser, as they referred to as you, to what you’re doing now? What are your duties?
Brandao: It’s utterly totally different — and it’s a distinct perspective. If you’re a marketing consultant, you’re it from an outdoor view. When you find yourself the president of an organization, or no matter place you maintain, you might have an inside view.
One of many first issues I did on Monday was to ship a message to your entire firm. I mentioned, ‘Guys, I wish to let you know that I imagine within the highest stage of communication transparency, and I’ll overcommunicate with all of you, to the truth that each morning, you’re going to stroll into an e mail from me.’ That e mail goes to incorporate the place we’re, what number of loans we received in yesterday, what number of households we helped and, after all, our aim to hit by Dec. 31, 2026.
I additionally mentioned my emails could have a mirrored image. We mirror on yesterday. When crew members do one thing, we have to share that with your entire firm. I created this factor referred to as ‘outstanding awards’ in order that every single day, we are able to nominate folks internally.
A number of the issues which have modified now that I’m president is that I’ve set ground rules: cameras on always, efficient conferences, and if you happen to don’t come ready to the assembly, you’re requested to go away. Time is cash. Time is efficacious. Time have to be environment friendly and efficient. These are the principles we’re all going to play by.
Wolak: Contemplating that you simply’ve set excessive objectives to perform in 2026, what methods are you and the corporate utilizing to draw high expertise and keep top producers who will perform the mission of MLB?
Brandao: I’ve had the pleasure of being on this trade for a very long time. Once I constructed my first wholesale lender, I didn’t know something. I used to be form of flying by the seat of my pants and making an attempt to determine tips on how to put fires out.
That’s not the way in which issues are anymore. And I’ve realized very a lot that who you do enterprise with is rather more useful than the way you do enterprise. I do know the kind of people who match into our ‘Making Lives Higher’ mission. And I can let you know that there are lots of people within the trade that match and there are additionally lots of people that don’t match.
For me, it is extremely necessary to me to ensure that it’s not the resume, it’s not essentially the expertise stage, however somewhat it’s your perspective, your coronary heart and main with a servant mindset. I can train you tips on how to course of a mortgage or underwrite a mortgage, however I can’t train you that feeling of desirous to serve our purchasers, our brokers and our correspondent lenders, and understanding their households.
I imagine in elevating always. Everybody’s totally different. If I rent you as an account supervisor, I’ll say to you, ‘The place do you wish to go now?’ Should you inform me that you simply wish to be a VA underwriter, since you’re a veteran, I’m going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to get a street map of what that you must get to the subsequent stage.’ Should you’re a salesperson, I would like you to far exceed any earnings stage that you’ve got ever reached. Let’s go greater.
Wolak: You mentioned that you simply wished to get a greater CRM and higher know-how for mortgage officers earlier than you joined the MLB crew. What are these inventive methods and applied sciences that you simply’re utilizing to affect progress within the wholesale channel and for the betterment of your crew?
Brandao: CRM was undoubtedly No. 1 on my listing, as a result of as quickly as I arrived, the crew informed me they didn’t have a CRM. So I reached out on LinkedIn to one among my former dealer purchasers who began his personal firm, constructing a CRM. I requested if he may assist me to construct one thing within the wholesale area.
In six months, he had constructed a CRM from scratch. Not solely did they customise the CRM particularly for the wholesale area, however in addition they created a customized dealer approval portal. The second factor I did for the underwriting aspect was to associate with an organization for tech to run each single new file by way of AI in order that the underwriter has it after it’s already been reviewed.
Along with that, one of many struggles that we had at one level was condo reviews. They have been very cumbersome; the system simply didn’t move proper and it was actually uneven. We discovered a beautiful associate that has a lovely AI system that, once more, sped issues up, made it environment friendly and cost-effective, and now we’ve a pleasant, streamlined course of move.
We rolled out, I feel, 5 or 6 new merchandise. A few of them are unique merchandise due to my contacts within the trade, and different issues have been simply stuff that we expanded on. For instance, VA renovation lending. MLB didn’t do VA renovation earlier than, however now we do.
Wolak: What are you enthusiastic about most for this position and the 12 months forward?
Brandao: I’ve been doing wholesale for lots of years. I’ve watched many, many cycles of wholesale — from subprime crashes and brokers just about being gone, after which the rise of the broker.
I feel wholesale lending is turning into an entire new rising sector in 2026 and past. I completely imagine it’s a fantastic area to be in. I feel the brokers are so resilient they usually know what they’re doing. They perceive the worth of partnership. They perceive the worth of getting choices, independence and the power to make the perfect decisions for the households that they’re serving and the companions that they’re working with.
