O TYM ODCINKU
In this episode of Unblocked, Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum sits down with Kristin Ankeny Bickenbach, EVP of Secondary Marketing at New American Funding, to break down the evolving landscape of mortgage lending and capital markets.
Drawing from her entry into the industry during the 2008 financial crisis to leading secondary marketing at one of the nation's top lenders, Kristin shares candid insights on modernizing core technology, leveraging blockchain, and the irreplaceable value of human connection in high-stakes financial decisions.
In this episode, we cover:
• Industry roots: Lessons learned from starting at in mortgage during the Great Financial Crisis, shifting to a member-centric credit union mindset, and building NAF's privately held, branch-backed model.
• Female leadership in lending: Navigating the male-dominated capital markets industry and using her uniqueness as an advantage.
• Mortgage tech and AI: Overhauling legacy tech infrastructure instead of adding surface-level UI wrappers, and empowering loan officers with hybrid AI tools.
• What on-chain loans unlock: Utilizing blockchain technology to eliminate secondary market friction, increase bond certainty, and optimize warehouse line velocity.
• Why the GFC can't happen again: Personal reflections on surviving the 2008 Great Financial Crisis and why modern credit underwriting standards prevent a repeat meltdown.
• Figure x NAF partnership: Unlocking 80% call center volume growth via Figure's HELOC and Figure Connect.
Chapters:
01:39 - Industry roots
05:17 - Female leadership in lending
08:51 - Mortgage tech and AI
18:06 - What on-chain loans unlock
22:54 - Why the GFC can't happen again
28:23 - Figure x NAF partnership
See how leading lenders partner with Figure to unlock growth in today's market: https://www.figure.com/partner-heloc/mortgage-lenders-brokers-and-servicers/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=Unblocked
