This week on the podcast, we welcome Kate Amor, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Products at Guaranteed Rate, to talk about leadership, trust, and building connection in an industry where relationships are everything.

Kate’s career started right out of college as a mortgage loan officer—a role that gave her firsthand experience in understanding the challenges borrowers face and the deep importance of earning trust at every step. Over time, she advanced into operations, risk, credit, and capital markets, eventually landing in product strategy and development. Today, she leads Guaranteed Rate’s loan product strategy nationwide, shaping the offerings that thousands of loan officers use to serve their clients every day.

But Kate’s story is about more than just products and processes—it’s about building trust that lasts. She shares how she uses authentic leadership, resilience, and energy as her professional “superpower” to inspire those around her and rally teams behind big initiatives. Her bright spark, as she calls it, creates momentum and helps transform obstacles into opportunities for growth and connection.

In this episode, we dive into:

• How trust and authenticity form the foundation of meaningful client and team relationships.

• The power of resilience and mindset in navigating change and evolving housing market cycles.

• Kate’s three pillars for women in mortgage: know yourself, find your tribe, and take inspired action.

• Why leadership isn’t about hierarchy—it’s about empowering others and leaving lasting impact.

• How Guaranteed Rate’s approach to innovation and enterprise products helps create a better experience for both borrowers and loan originators.

Kate also opens up about pivotal moments in her career, from early days of learning the business on the front lines to stepping into executive leadership. She talks about how to show up as your authentic self, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who lift you up, and why success is ultimately about empowering others to improve their lives, their communities, and the ecosystems we serve.

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to grow your career, lead with authenticity, and build relationships that stand the test of time, this episode is one you don’t want to miss.

• Mortgage Connect: Delivering customized solutions across the mortgage lifecycle with best-in-class service and innovative technology. Visit https://www.mortgageconnectlp.com

• Aidium: Helping mortgage professionals thrive with intuitive, modern CRM tools built to manage leads, nurture relationships, and close more deals. Visit https://www.thinkaidium.com

• Floify: A leading point-of-sale platform designed to streamline the mortgage process, from application to closing, making lending faster and easier for everyone. Visit https://www.floify.com

This week on the show, we’re diving into a conversation that connects leadership, capital markets, and representation in mortgage finance. Our guest, Deborah (Deb) Jones, Senior Vice President and Director of Mortgage Secondary and Capital Markets at Citizens, brings over 21 years of experience guiding clients and organizations through one of the most dynamic industries in financial services.

Deb’s career spans multiple housing and economic cycles, giving her unique insight into how mortgage markets shift with interest rates, housing inventory, and national economic trends. As the Head of the Mortgage Bankers Association Secondary and Capital Markets Committee, Deb has been a voice for balanced growth, informed policy, and inclusion in an industry that directly affects millions of homeowners.

In this episode, we cover:

• Where mortgage capital markets are headed in 2024 and beyond – including what rising and falling interest rates could mean for borrowers and lenders alike.

• How inventory shortages and affordability challenges are reshaping mortgage strategies and why underserved markets face unique pressures.

• Why representation matters in leadership and capital markets, and how diversity of thought and experience leads to stronger, more resilient organizations.

• Deb’s professional journey – from building a referral-based client business to leading at the executive level.

• Lessons learned from past market cycles and what today’s professionals can take from them.

Deb also shares why she believes 2024 will be a transition year for the industry and why we may see strategic refinancing for recent high-rate loan vintages. She explains how she and her peers view opportunities for borrowers, lenders, and investors as the market adjusts, and why 2025 might look like a “new normal” for purchase markets.

This conversation is not just about numbers and forecasts – it’s about people, opportunity, and inclusion in one of the most important sectors of the economy. Whether you’re a loan officer, capital markets professional, mortgage leader, or someone simply curious about what drives home financing in America, this episode gives you insights you can put to work right now.

About Our Sponsors

• Mortgage Connect: Delivering customized solutions across the mortgage lifecycle with best-in-class service and technology. Visit https://www.mortgageconnectlp.com

• Aidium: Helping mortgage professionals thrive with intuitive, modern CRM tools built to manage leads, nurture relationships, and close more deals. Visit https://www.thinkaidium.com

• Floify: A leading point-of-sale platform designed to streamline the mortgage process, from applicatio...

This week, we sit down with Andrew Panagos, President of GO Mortgage, for a no-fluff, high-insight conversation on what it really takes to lead a modern mortgage company in today’s shifting landscape. With a career that spans powerhouse brands like Fairway, PHH, Deutsche Bank, and H&R Block Mortgage, Andrew brings over two decades of cross-channel experience—retail, wholesale, direct-to-consumer—and a deep operational mindset grounded in systems, scale, and strategic precision.

As the head of GO Mortgage, Andrew is steering a lean, performance-focused machine. But what sets him apart isn’t just his resume—it’s his ability to zoom in on execution without losing sight of people and vision. From managing billion-dollar pipelines to shaping sales, fulfillment, and servicing workflows, Andrew has lived the grind and seen what separates the good from the great.

In this episode, we get into:

• ️ How Andrew built and scaled multi-billion-dollar lending operations without sacrificing speed or service.

• Why compliance isn’t just a checkbox—but a strategic lever for innovation and market trust.

• Leadership lessons learned from a career leading massive teams and navigating changing markets.

• Tech adoption in mortgage: where it works, where it fails, and how to keep it practical.

• Recruiting the next generation of mortgage talent and building a team that outperforms.

• The case for process, systems, and a “no heroics” culture in high-volume lending.

• What the future of the mortgage industry looks like through Andrew’s lens.

With his background as a Six Sigma Black Belt and Harvard Business School alum, Andrew offers a unique blend of performance engineering and leadership wisdom. Whether you're in the trenches of originations or making executive decisions about growth and tech stack, this episode gives you an inside look at what operational excellence looks like at the top.

About Andrew Panagos:
President of GO Mortgage. Former leadership roles at Fairway, PHH, NOIC, Deutsche Bank, Servion Group, and more. Specializes in building scalable mortgage platforms, managing $4B+ pipelines, and leading with precision and people-first execution.

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:

• Mortgage Connect: A national mortgage services provider offering end-to-end solutions with a focus on compliance, innovation, and customer service.

• Aidium: The all-in-one CRM built exclusively for mortgage professionals. Automate workflows, boost productivity, and close more loans—with less chaos.

• Floify: A leading point-of-sale platform that streamlines the loan process for LOs, borrowers, and real estate agents. From application to closing, it’s mortgage simplified.