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.
Stop Chasing Shiny Objects: Meghan Tidgewell on Technology, MISMO & Real Operational Change
Technology transformation in mortgage isn’t a big bang. It’s an ongoing process of figuring out how to work smarter, adapt to change, and improve the way you do business. And most lenders are doing it wrong.
In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Meghan Tidgewell, founder of T-Rex and one of the first six consultancies in the country to earn MISMO’s FRAME AI governance certification. Meghan has spent her career working between business and technology teams, and she brings a refreshingly practical perspective on digital evolution, MISMO standards, AI governance, and what mortgage operators actually need to do to modernize without losing their minds.
In this episode:
- Why technology transformation is not a one-time event and what a “digital evolution guide” actually does
- How to define the real problem before you ever talk to a vendor and why you need input from every level of the organization, not just leadership
- Why naming an implementation owner who’s already overloaded is one of the most common project killers in mortgage
- The human side of change management: “you’re gonna move my cheese” and how to bring front-end employees along instead of pushing them out
- MISMO standards explained in plain English: why shared vocabulary and data patterns reduce integration time and integration headaches
- MISMO Link: a new tool that makes finding the right data definition faster and easier than ever
- FRAME unpacked: the Framework for Responsible AI in the Mortgage Ecosystem, including the getting started guide, governance policy, system risk assessment, and AI inventory
- Why AI is predictive, not rules-based and why that’s a massive mindset shift for front-end mortgage employees
- The one practical first step every lender can take in the next 90 days: create an inventory of problems and pick one
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.
20 Oct 2026
Only 1 in 5 Trust Their Loan Officer — How First Home IQ Is Fixing That | Kristin Messerli | Connect
There are buyers in your market right now who qualify, have the savings, and have the income — but won’t pick up the phone. Not because they can’t buy. Because they’re afraid to.
In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Kristin Messerli, Executive Director of First Home IQ, for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we’ve had on the show — covering financial shame, the psychology of homeownership, the ROI of education, and what mortgage professionals can do right now to earn trust with the next generation of buyers before someone else does.
First Home IQ is a 501(c)3 nonprofit bringing research, education, and advocacy together to close the homeownership gap — and the data behind the mission is striking.
In this episode:
- Why over 80% of millennials and Gen Z surveyed reported some form of financial shame — regardless of income or savings habits
- Why only 1 in 5 next-gen buyers trust loan officers to help them make smart mortgage decisions
- The real ROI of education: how loan officers who invest in community education are expanding their pool of buyers, not just nurturing the ones who already called
- The First Home IQ ambassador model: what it means, how it works, and how professionals are growing their brand and business while giving back
- MBA Home Base: a new MBA initiative giving loan officers a real voice in advocacy, coaching, weekly market insights, CE credit, and more
- Why Dave Savage is leading monthly coaching calls for Home Base members
- Financial Fitness Week: November 9th — and why getting involved is one of the easiest first steps
- What Kristin would tell every lender right now: stop waiting for buyers to come to you and start showing up where they already are
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.
12 Oct 2026
The Perfect Storm for Non-QM: Why the Time Is Now | Lisa Schreiber, eResi Mortgage | Connect
Non-QM is having a moment. Agency production is down, non-agency is up, and the calls are coming in — not going out.
In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Lisa Schreiber, who leads client strategy at eResi Mortgage and brings nearly four decades of mortgage banking experience to the conversation. Lisa makes the case that the market conditions driving non-QM growth right now aren’t a blip — they’re structural. And the lenders who build their product suite now will be the ones ready when rates eventually move.
In this episode:
- Why 35% of homeowners generate 30% of their income from a side hustle — and what that means for product strategy
- Why Optimal Blue data is showing agency production down while non-QM and non-agency production climbs
- Ability to repay is not optional: how bank statement, DSCR, and alternative income programs all include built-in credit guardrails
- Why DSCR loans typically come in at 70% LTV — and what that means for risk profile
- The equity product opportunity: HELOCs, closed-end seconds, and tapping into equity without touching a first-lien rate
- How OCR, income analysis tools, and built-in QC layers are changing the economics of non-QM origination
- Lisa’s seller experience rebuild at eResi: from Encompass Investor Connect to Guideline Guru to eligibility engines
- Why a major insurance firm acquiring one of the non-QM OGs is a massive vote of confidence for the asset class
- Why these products are not rate sensitive — and why that matters right now
- What lenders should be doing before 2027 to be ready when volume returns
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.
Who has been a guest on CONNECT by California MBA
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Amy Moses
Caren Castle
Mitch Kider
Tom Davis
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100
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79
Social presence
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YouTube
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Engagement
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