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M R EP O RT | 15 COVER STORY Anywhere. Anytime. MReport Digital Bringing Today's Lending Headlines into Focus, MReport Digital Puts Mortgage Banking News at Your Fingertips Experts you trust. People you know. News you want. MReport is putting essential mortgage market news at your fingertips with our new digital edition, now available online via your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Enjoy the magazine at your desk, and tap into MReport Digital's easily accessible platform anywhere, anytime. Committed to giving originators, servicers, and all lending professionals access to smarter perspectives, MReport believes it's time to think differently about the mortgage industry. Because the American Dream is evolving . . . are you? Subscribe to MReport and MReport Digital now! Call 800.856.8060 or connect with us online at themreport.com to take advantage of our special introductory offer! digital.themreport.com powered by THEFIVESTARINSTITUTE and are staying ahead, creatively innovating all the time to provide access to homeowner- ship in new ways. // Could you speak more about the benefits of keeping that servicing in-house as opposed to outsourcing it? MCGARRY // You can maintain and nurture your client relationships. We believe you should not just put people in homes but also work hard to keep them in those homes. Beyond servicing being an asset and a stream of cash flow, with our platform, it becomes an extension of our loan officer team. So when a new client comes into servicing, we're nurtur- ing the relationship. That's the essence of our business model. We're helping them every step of the way until that loan pays off and, hopefully, they'll turn to us for their next transaction. We get a lot of referrals from our current clients, whether it's a refinance, a second home, or a move-up buyer. That's where the difference is, I think—we view people we work with as "customers for life," a philosophy and mission we've pursued for decades. // Having served in multiple leader- ship roles over the years, what are the most important leadership qualities that have defined your career or been demonstrated by your mentors? MCGARRY // Building a culture where people are heard, where they trust each other and respect each other, is one of the key components to successful leadership. When you have a strong culture where people col- laborate well, then you can do anything. If you have a competitive nature, an entrepre- neurial spirit, and you work together to meet your goals, the possibilities are endless. It's fun to watch people grow in their jobs and learn and become good leaders themselves. It's very rewarding. // From the position of someone who's in leadership, how do you foster, nurture, and sustain that sort of culture? MCGARRY // One of my biggest challenges as a leader is ensuring that, as we grow, we don't become too bureaucratic, too structured. We want to keep the soul of a small company but have the resources of a large organization. Since I've led every division and area of the or- ganization, I've selected and helped to mentor, guide, and educate great leaders. I think I'm best at finding talent and then letting them de- velop and grow themselves, which multiplies throughout the organization. I'm very proud of all our leaders. We have a solution-oriented attitude, so when there is an issue, we don't focus on what went wrong. We look at what happened, analyze it, and move forward. We ask, how do we fix it? How do we make sure it doesn't happen again? We do that collaboratively, and we come up with great solutions together. // What does maintaining the "soul of a small company" mean to you? MCGARRY // That you respect each other. You listen. You stay as a team. For example, during the pandemic or any other crisis, that's when great companies rise to the challenge. If you band together, you come up with solu- tions. There's nothing you can't do together. I think we've experienced that over and over again during different market ups and downs. You surround yourself with competi- tive, confident people who are innovative and have that entrepreneurial spirit, and you can figure anything out. It's important to always believe in the people you work with, to trust and respect each other, and to have integrity. Then it all works out. // How do you manage the balance between building and expanding access to homeownership in a responsible way but also ensuring you can support your busi- ness' bottom line? MCGARRY // We're in communities and neighborhoods throughout the country, and we work to serve each well. Our loan of- ficers are experts in the field, and we have training programs and coaching so we can provide the tools necessary to increase home- ownership in our communities. We have Guild University to keep improving what we do. We have extensive training programs and many controls embedded within our system to make sure we don't miss things when we're processing and underwriting a loan. It's about looking at our client's goals, their financial position, and the underwriting. There are a lot of different factors that go into helping them have a better future and build wealth. But there will always be a certain number of people who run into hardship. They lose their job or an industry shuts down or moves, and that was their livelihood. We help them navigate through the loss mitigation, guiding them to the many pro- grams that the government has rolled out. If you do what's right, that builds a strong company and portfolio. // What are some of the most important takeaways Guild has learned from navigat- ing the pandemic? MCGARRY // I'm proud of the way we managed and navigated through the pan-