MBA Recognizes 62 New Certified Mortgage Banker Graduates
DENVER–MBA Education, the award-winning education division of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recognized 62 individuals who earned the Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB®) designation at a ceremony held today at MBA’s 2024 Annual Convention & Expo. Earning one’s CMB is the highest professional honor within the real estate finance industry.
The 62 CMBs who received their designations have demonstrated a commitment to professional success and will be joining an elite group of industry professionals.
“It is my honor to congratulate this year’s class of CMB graduates for their commitment to professional growth and excellence in the mortgage industry,” said Laura Escobar, 2025 MBA Chair and President of Lennar Mortgage. “Earning a CMB designation is an incredible badge of honor, and each graduate deserves to be celebrated for their accomplishment. I wish them the best of success as they continue their journey as an accomplished industry leader.”
CMB candidates must acquire 150 points earned through a combination of professional experience, secondary education, continuing education through MBA- and industry-sponsored events, MBA Education courses, as well as participation in events and activities at the local, state, and/or national MBA level. After accumulating the required points and passing a comprehensive written exam, candidates must demonstrate industry knowledge by passing an oral exam conducted by a panel of CMBs.
Candidates have the option of choosing between the traditional Residential CMB enrollment path or the Executive CMB enrollment path. Both enrollment options result in the same CMB designation, but the Executive CMB enrollment is designed for senior executive-level professionals within current MBA member companies. This enrollment option allows candidates to substitute their extensive real-world industry knowledge and experience for many of the educational point requirements of the CMB program.
In order to be eligible for the CMB designation, candidates must be currently employed in the industry, work for an MBA member company, or be a member of a recognized state or local MBA. All candidates pursuing the Executive CMB are required to have a minimum of 10 years of senior executive-level experience in real estate finance and currently hold a senior executive-level position at a current MBA member company.
MBA Education awarded the following industry professionals with the CMB designation from November 2023 to October 2024:
Residential CMB Designees
- Chris Avery, CMB, VP: First Horizon Bank
- Christopher Banks, CMB, AMP: Mr. Cooper
- Meghan Barnes, CMB, AMP: Mortgage Investors Group
- Paul Barreto, CMB, PMP: Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Anthony Brazell, CMB, AMP: Black Knight
- Teresa Cheryl Bruton, CMB: Plains Commerce Bank/Windsor Mortgage
- Michelle Burke, CMB, AMP: Westerra Credit Union
- Natalie Couch, CMB, AMP: Essent Guaranty, Inc.
- Cate Dalton, CMB, AMP: Accenture, LLP
- Katie Doolittle-Moye, CMB, AMP: Mr. Cooper
- Mimi Eaton, CMB: Arch MI
- Yolanda Estrada, CMB, AMP: Centier Bank
- Andrew Ford, CMB: State Savings Bank of Michigan
- Chris Gin, CMB, AMP: The National Bank of Indianapolis
- Rob Gruenewald, CMB: Freedom Mortgage Corporation
- Chris Harrar, CMB, AMP: Enact Mortgage Insurance
- Matthew Hensley, CMB, AMP: Arch MI
- Dawn Hooper, CMB, AMP: Evertree
- Adam Isbell, CMB, AMP: National Mortgage Insurance Corp.
- Diane Jenkins, CMB: Asurity
- Melissa Kozicki, CMB, CMCP: Mortgage Cadence
- Chuck Kramer, CMB: Pulte Mortgage LLC
- Constanza Krause, CMB, CMCP, CRU: Space Coast Credit Union
- Michael Laramie, CMB: Enact
- Julie Lind, CMB, AMP: Washington State Employees Credit Union
- Melissa Lineberry, CMB: PenFed Credit Union
- Tina Lynch, CMB, AMP: First National Bank Alaska
- Denya Macaluso, CMB: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
- Kenneth MacDonald, CMB, AMP: Academy Mortgage Corp.
- Thomas (Tom) Malloy, CMB, AMP: Arch Mortgage Insurance Company
- Andrew Marsh, CMB, AMP: MegaStar Financial Corp.
- Michael Masceri, CMB: Essent Guaranty
- Karen Mastro, CMB, AMP: Mr. Cooper
- Elizabeth Mix, CMB: Western Alliance Bank
- Fran Mordi, CMB, AMP: Mortgage Bankers Association
- James Mouser, CMB, AMP: Capital Center LLC
- Ali Nassirian, CMB, AMP: Travis Credit Union
- Shyla Newton, CMB, AMP: Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
- Juan Ordaz, CMB, AMP: Colonial Savings
- Gezelle Osea, CMB, AMP: Freddie Mac
- Ashley Puckett, CMB, AMP: Vellum Mortgage
- Jerra Ryan, CMB, CMCP: Firstline Compliance, LLC
- Susan Shaffer, CMB, AMP: National Mortgage Insurance Corp.
- Brittnay Sills, CMB: Toll Brothers Mortgage Company
- Misti Snow, CMB: GRITT, LLC
- Sonia Sonner, CMB, AMP: Arch MI
- Tolly Spence, CMB: Mr. Cooper
- Jeannine Sprague, CMB, AMP: Essent Guaranty, Inc
- Sasha Stair, CMB: Snapdocs
- Danielle Swerczek, CMB, AMP: MGIC
- Heather Tennell, CMB, AMP: Essent Guaranty, Inc.
- Skyler Todd, CMB, AMP: Essent Guaranty, Inc.
- Tony Turner, CMB, SVP: Gulf Bank
- Suchitra Varma, CMB: Flagstar Bank
- Lourdes Verlage, CMB, AMP, CRU, CMCP: USAA Federal Savings Bank
- Paul Viguerie, CMB, AMP: Altisource
- Jeffrey Vilk, CMB, AMP: Fulton Mortgage Company
- Robert Villalon, CMB, AMP: National Mortgage Insurance Corp.
- Steven vonBerg, CMB: Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliff, LLP
- Stacey Wayman, CMB: National Mortgage Insurance Corp.
- Natalie Weaver, CMB, AMP: Colorado Housing & Finance Authority
- Joe Zeibert, CMB, AMP: FICO
