It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Matt Watson, President of LegalFee Consultants, LLC and Jenny Lee, Senior Consultant for LegalFee Consultants, LLC.

Today’s episode is about a challenge many law firms face daily: the managing of their invoicing processes, hidden costs of inefficiencies in those processes, and how their companies seek to unlock revenue for firms through smarter billing practices.

Both Matt and Jenny have been in the mortgage servicing industry for more than 20 years and have worked in all aspects of the business, from loan production to law firms to servicers. Their experience in the industry has made them experts in the field of legal billing processes, and we are fortunate to be able to share their expertise with our listeners!

Welcome to What the M, Matt & Jenny!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Matt Reilly, Business Development Specialist at Stonecrest Financial, about the capital markets industry.

Matt received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture. He moved into the mortgage industry working with Empire Mortgage, Inc. Since 2009, he has been with Stonecrest Financial, where he works in an alternative investment group and asset management, focused on real estate lending and distressed acquisition funds. He is the head of the loan acquisition group and currently sources deals for their lending group.

Matt is well-versed in dealing with hard-to-manage assets, and has a proven track record of obtaining positive results for investors. He is the perfect guest to ask about secondary markets, how they work, and how assets are managed. He, Kent and Steve, also discuss how interest rates are affecting loan originations, and how smaller asset investors can be very creative in resolving non performing loans and issues relating to them.

Welcome to What the M, Matt!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

Episode Description:

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M!

In this special, Election-Day themed episode, Kent and Steve interview James “Jim” Lee, President and CEO of Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc. and Owner of the Bartlett Group.

Susquehanna Polling and Research (SP&R) is a nationally recognized survey, research, and polling firm headquartered in Pennsylvania. Founded in 2000, SP&R includes a team of research associates with more than 50 years of combined experience, including telephone agents, focus group recruiters and other consultants. SP&R specializes in a full range of research services for businesses and state agencies, national and state trade associations, hospitals and health systems, candidates for public office and media outlets. The firm conducts polling in more than thirty states.

SP&R’s publicly released polling has been quoted in numerous national platforms including FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, the Rush Limbaugh radio program, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and USA Today. SP&R was profiled by CBS’s Inside Edition on two separate episodes for its unmatched accuracy in the 2020 battleground polling. The nationally- acclaimed polling aggregator Real Clear Politics (www.realclearpolitics.com) rated SP&R the #1 most accurate polling firm in the nation for its accuracy in the 2020 presidential election in multiple states.

Jim’s extensive experience makes him the perfect guest for Kent and Steve to ask about the November 5, 2024 election, specifically how polling is trending in battleground states, what we learned about polling from the 2016 election, and much more. We are thrilled to have him on the show!

Welcome to What the M, Jim!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Gary Seitz, Chapter 7 Panel Trustee in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Gary graduated with his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1986. While obtaining his law degree, he studied at the Shanghai Law Research Institute in the Peoples Republic of China and the Betham House Faculty of Laws of the University of London. Gary then obtained his Master’s Degree in Admiralty and Maritime Law from Tulane University.

Gary has extensive experience in the handling of bankruptcy matters. In 1999, he was appointed by the United States Trustee (U.S. Department of Justice) to the Panel of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustees in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He has also served as Trustee in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases in New Jersey and Delaware. From 2006 to 2013, he chaired the Bankruptcy and Business Finance Practice Group in the Philadelphia and Wilmington offices of Rawle & Henderson LLP. In 2013, he established the Philadelphia office of Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC, where he remains today.

Gary’s decades of experience in the industry make him the perfect guest to discuss the role of Trustees in bankruptcy cases, legal issues the industry is currently facing, and much more. We are thrilled to welcome him to the show.

Welcome to What the M, Gary!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week is a very special episode. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kent’s law firm, McPhail Sanchez, What the M co-host Stephen Hladik interviewed Kent about his mentors, motivation, and milestones. Listen in to hear about the family, friends, teachers, and colleagues whose life lessons have inspired Kent and truly made a difference. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

It’s that time again… for a new SEASON of What the M!

In the first 2 seasons of What the M, Kent and Steve were fortunate enough to interview an incredible roster of talented professionals about their insights and predictions for the default servicing industry. To kick off season 3, they have brought in two experts to talk about economics and housing trends: are home prices starting to decline? What are the current trends at foreclosure bidding sales? And the biggest question of all- how will the November 2024 election affect these trends?

Rick Sharga is one of the country’s most frequently-quoted sources on real estate, mortgage, and foreclosure trends. Rick is the CEO and President of the CJ Patrick Company, a company that specializes in market intelligence for companies in the real estate and mortgage industries. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and mortgage industries, previously serving in executive roles for Realty Trac, Carrington Mortgage Holdings, Ten-X, and Auction.com. He is also a founding member of the Five Star Institute’s National Mortgage Servicing Association.

Daren Blomquist is the Vice President of Market Economics at Auction.com. Daren is a former Senior Vice President of Communications at ATTOM Data Solutions, where he reported on housing trends, cash and investor purchases, housing risks, default trends, and more. These reports have been cited by thousands of media outlets nationwide, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA TODAY. Daren also served as Executive Editor of the Housing News Report, which was named best newsletter by the National Association of Real Estate Editors in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, Daren transitioned to Auction.com, where he focuses on analyzing and forecasting complex macro and micro-economic data trends within the real estate market and industry.

Welcome BACK to What the M, Rick and Daren!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Black Dome Services. Black Dome Services is a next-generation property services provider, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to the unique needs of their clients. From property inspections, preservation, maintenance, renovations and various other interior and exterior property related services, you have a trusted leader dedicated to delivering exceptional results and maximizing the value of your properties. For more information, please visit their website at www.blackdomeservices.com or email Vic Draper at Victor.Draper@blackdomeservices.com.

Welcome to the season 2 finale of What the M!

This season, Kent and Steve have interviewed amazing, thoughtful, and brilliant guests. Each guest has been uniquely qualified to speak about different aspects of the default servicing industry, and has provided valuable information to What the M’s listeners. Each guest is unique, but they all have one thing in common: they all got to answer “The Last Question.”

At the end of each episode, Kent and Steve ask their guest: “If you could go back in time and talk with the 20-year-old version of yourself, what advice would you give that young man/woman?” The answers were so fascinating, funny, and unpredictable, that we decided there was no better way to close out the season than with a compilation of the collective wisdom of these responses!

We hope you enjoy this season finale of our second season of What the M as much as we did. Season 3 of What the M will air in September, so stay tuned!

If you are interested in appearing on What the M, or have an idea for an episode, you can contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

If you enjoy listening to What the M, please rate, review and subscribe, wherever you listen to podcasts!

It’s that time again… for a new episode of What the M! This week, Kent and Steve interview Jodi Gaines, Chief Executive Officer at Claims Recovery Financial Services (CRFS).

Jodi began her career as an insurance claims clerk at Anchor Mortgage Services in 1989, where she became enamored with the mortgage servicing industry. In 2002, she created CRFS- a company which has since grown to over 600 employees- at her kitchen table. In 2019, Jodi left CRFS to work on other initiatives, including joining the New York MBA and working her way through the ranks of the Executive Board up to President. She has since returned to her role at CRFS as Owner and CEO. CRFS is a vendor and service provider to servicers, sub-servicers, and investors within the mortgage industry. Among other services, CRFS partners with clients to help them recover funds they are owed from HUD from any property that has gone through loss mitigation or foreclosure.

Jodi’s 35-year history in the mortgage servicing industry makes her uniquely suited to explain the evolution of the claims process, from technology to the latest loss mitigation developments, and we are fortunate to have her on the show!

Welcome to What the M, Jodi!

***************************************************

A huge thank you to our Season 2 sponsor, Guardian Asset Management -

Guardian Asset Management is THE one-stop shop for lenders, servicers, hedge funds, residential and commercial property investors, and government entities that need a full suite of property management solutions under one roof.