Speakers | Learn From Mortgage Industry Experts

As Founder, President and CEO of CMG Financial, Christopher M. George has spent three decades cultivating an organization capable of sustaining and thriving through cyclical market fluctuations. He accomplished this through responsible risk management while identifying and capitalizing on key emerging markets.

Christopher prioritizes regulatory compliance and champions industry and consumer advocacy through direct participation at the local, state and federal levels. In 2012, he established the CMG Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor to support non-profit organizations at both the community and national levels. To date, the CMG Foundation has provided valued funding for the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s MBA Opens Doors Foundation™, Homes for Our Troops and the Cancer Support Community SF Bay Area programs, as well as benefitting a host of other local organizations.

In addition to his role at CMG Financial, Christopher is a past Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), a member of the MBA’s Board of Directors, past Chairman for California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA), a member of the CMBA’s Board of Directors and has served on many advisory boards and task forces within the industry.

Tim Shelley is the Head of Correspondent Lending at Fifth Third Bank, where he oversees the sales, operations and third-party management of the Correspondent Mortgage channel. Tim joined Fifth Third in 2024, bringing extensive experience from his previous roles at Huntington National Bank and TCF Bank. At these institutions, he led finance teams as CFO of the Home Lending and Regional Banking business lines, driving strategic growth and financial performance. Tim is passionate about continuous learning and professional development. He holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and has earned the Accredited Mortgage Professional designation from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Residing in Blaine, Minnesota, with his wife and two children, Tim enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends. He is looking forward to escaping the Minnesota winter weather during his visit to Florida.

Gil Lopez, SVP and National Sales Director for AmeriHome’s Central region, will be covering AmeriHome’s 2025 product rollouts including their non-agency suite of products as well as eNotes. AmeriHome is the largest bank owned correspondent lender and, throughout 2025, they are focusing on driving margin and volume while utilizing the beneficial synergies of their parent company, Western Alliance Bank.

Gil Lopez joined AmeriHome’s Correspondent Sales team in 2014 and is responsible for business growth and development and effective client relationship management in the 20 central states which comprise the Central Sales Region. He has over 25 years of mortgage industry expertise in sales leadership, business development, capital markets and structured finance in various leadership roles with companies such as Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, New Century, PMI and Bank One.

Jessica Lapresi has more than 15 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Her career began in 2009 when she was hired as a Mortgage-Backed Securities Trader at Multi-Bank Securities, Inc. There, she learned a great deal about the secondary market and securitization. Since then, she switched over to the warehousing side of the industry and began working with Ameris Bank as a National Account Executive, with the responsibility of fostering and developing new warehouse lending relationships. She has now been with Ameris Bank for more than 9 years and manages over $650MM in credit lines ranging from $3MM to $150MM.

Britt Bachelder serves as the leader of the home lending sales team at Curinos, a prominent financial services analytics and consulting firm. In her role, Britt is dedicated to providing innovative solutions and strategic advice that empower clients to improve margins, expand market share, fortify their risk management, and achieve operational goals. She holds a degree from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. With over five years at Curinos and a total of 15 years in the mortgage industry, Britt combines extensive experience with a passion for client success. Outside of her professional commitments, she enjoys quality time with her husband and golden retriever, as well as spending time at the beach, out on the boat and traveling.

Shelly Griffin is Deephaven Mortgage’s SVP of Correspondent Sales. Shelly’s energy and drive, combined with her deep experience in the mortgage business, have earned her the respect and appreciation of colleagues and customers alike. As Senior Vice President of Client Development, her profound knowledge of loan processing and underwriting translates into confident, long-term client relationships. Shelly also has a passion for training and team building that makes her a terrific mentor to our next generation of professionals. Shelly first joined Deephaven in 2014 and has helped innumerable mortgage professionals successfully roll out non-agency products for their organizations.

Tom Davis is Deephaven Mortgage’s Chief Sales Officer. In this role, he manages Deephaven’s wholesale and correspondent sales teams and all marketing initiatives. As an extensively trained mortgage-industry professional, Tom brings 20+ years of experience helping lending partners with their Non-Agency/Non-QM and Agency needs. Prior to joining Deephaven, Tom served as Executive Vice President, Head of TPO Production, at First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation. Over the course of his career, he has worked at Bank of America, First NLC (FBR Capital Markets), JPMorgan Chase, and Finance of America Mortgage. He holds a Bachelor of Finance and Business Administration degree from Florida Atlantic University.

Matt Rohl is the National Correspondent Sales Manager at Homebridge Correspondent. Homebridge is providing a Private Label Digital HELOC today as well as offering Fannie/Freddie, FHA and Non-QM products starting in the 1st quarter of 2025. Prior to Homebridge, Matt was with Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. (DKMC) based in Downers Grove, IL, as SVP of CRA Development and Emerging Markets until they were acquired by New American Funding in early 2024.

DKMC was subject to a 2021 CPFB audit for Redlining that was referred to DOJ. He was hired at DKMC to prepare with internal and external council for the case and put the necessary programs in place to increase the company’s lending services in low-to-moderate income and majority-minority areas. Prior to DKMC, Matt had been in the mortgage industry for over 30 years. For more than two decades, he served at the mortgage insurance provider Radian, eventually becoming Divisional Vice President there. Matt resided in Chicago for 25 years and is currently based in Pompano Beach, FL.

Learn how CompassEdge plays an integral role in helping lenders maximize profitability as part of Optimal Blue’s end-to-end capital markets platform. This session will showcase how AI-powered functionality reduces manual processes and fosters greater transparency, and attendees will see what’s ahead for CompassEdge in 2025 and beyond.

Brad Eskridge is a seasoned capital markets solution specialist. He joined Optimal Blue in June 2023 and has since been instrumental in supporting the sales organization as the subject matter expert for hedging software and services. Brad leads strategy conversations and software demonstrations with prospective customers, showcasing his expertise and commitment to the role.

Before joining Optimal Blue, Brad held several significant roles in various companies. He served as VP, SVP, director and managing director at MIAC Analytics. Prior to that, he was the secondary marketing manager at Dover Mortgage Company, VP of secondary marketing at New Day Financial and director of secondary marketing at USA Home Loans. He also held positions at Aegis Mortgage Corporation as VP, pricing manager, and at Coastal Mortgage Services as senior secondary marketing analyst.

Brad holds a BSBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, further solidifying his credentials in the field. His extensive experience and educational background make him a valuable asset in the realm of capital market solutions.

Since 2017 William has been a part of the mortgage industry’s leading MSR and Whole Loan advisory firm, Phoenix Capital. As Vice President of Trading at Phoenix Capital, William advises his clients on their comprehensive MSR and Whole Loan strategies through all market environments. As a transaction executive, William guides clients through the complete bulk and flow transactions lifecycle and all supportive services. In addition, William’s responsibilities include strategic MSR and Whole Loan analytics, such as valuations, MSR pricing grids, and retain vs. release best execution.

Along with a full schedule of client and conference travel this year, William will be busy with several long-distance bike racing events and spending time with his two young children and his wife.