BREAKOUT SESSION: Navigating Regulatory Uncertainty and Liquidity Pressures with Clean, Connected Data

Director, Product Management, ICE Mortgage Technology

Conrad Ficca is an accomplished business executive with over two decades of experience in the mortgage technology and financial services industry. He currently serves as the Director of Product and is responsible for Loan Data Products, a product line in ICE’s Mortgage Technology Division, a leading provider of mortgage technology and loan data, analytics and market insights. Data products covered include the McDash™ mortgage performance database, ICE Origination Data, and the eMBS agency MBS database. Throughout his career, Ficca has demonstrated a deep understanding of the mortgage market and a commitment to delivering innovative solutions that help clients achieve their business goals. He has a proven track record of driving revenue growth and profitability, while also building strong relationships with customers and partners. Ficca has more than 25 years of experience in mortgage technology. Prior to joining ICE Mortgage Technology, 19 years ago, Ficca spent 6 years learning the mortgage business at Home American Mortgage (MDC Holdings) and Stonecreek Funding. Ficca is also a respected thought leader in the industry, speaking at industry conferences and events. He is known for his ability to aggregate and normalize complex datasets to produce actionable insights and has a passion for helping clients succeed. Ficca holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University with a concentration in Economics and Statistics.

Deputy Director, Policy and Technology, Loan Guaranty Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Mr. R. Colin Deaso was named Deputy Director for Policy and Technology in April 2026. In this role, Mr. Deaso is responsible for all aspects of the development of policy for VA guaranteed home loans nationwide to include loan origination, loan servicing, VA appraisals, Native American Direct Loans and Specially Adapted Housing grants for Veterans, property management, as well as training for internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, Mr. Deaso provides executive oversight for the sustainment and modernization of the data and technology infrastructure supporting the VA Home Loan Program. Before assuming his current duties, Mr. Deaso was the Assistant Director of Business and Data Solutions where he was responsible for administering the sustainment and modernization of data and technology assets on behalf of the VA Home Loan Benefit Program. He provided leadership for a technology budget exceeding $100M/year and 400+ VA staff and Contractors. In this role, he successfully deployed several modernized systems to support The Administrations objectives that have automated manual processing and created enhanced operational and analytic capabilities. Prior to this role, Mr. Deaso also served as the Chief of Loan Policy responsible for directing rule making, national policies, procedures and transformation efforts for the VA Home Loan Guaranty and VA Direct Lending programs. Prior to joining VA, and between 1998 and 2009, Mr. Deaso worked for Fannie Mae in various senior consultant roles including technology development, relationship management, contract acquisitions, process engineering, program management, external consulting and business development. Mr. Deaso holds degrees from George Washington University and George Mason University, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Fellow Program, The Partnership for Public Service Excellence in Government Program and maintains several professional certifications.

Managing Director and Head of Residential Mortgage Modeling, Global Markets, Bank of America

Chun Lin is a Managing Director and Head of Residential Mortgage Modeling in Global Markets at Bank of America. He oversees mortgage prepayment and credit modeling, quantitative research, and trading desk strategies across Agency MBS, Agency CRT, and Non‑Agency RMBS. Prior to joining Bank of America, Chun held securitized products research and modeling roles at Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, and JPMorgan. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Peking University and his PhD from Yale University.

Founder & CEO, MegaStar Financial Corp

Anita Padilla-Fitzgerald is the Founder and CEO of MegaStar Financial, Take Three Technologies (Take3Tech), and Megastar Holdings. She operates at the intersection of mortgage lending and technology, building and scaling companies by challenging legacy thinking and replacing fragmented systems with unified, data-driven platforms. An Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Colorado Business Hall of Fame Award recipient, Anita is known for telling hard truths, pushing underwriting intelligence earlier in the loan lifecycle, and designing systems that reduce cost to produce without sacrificing certainty, compliance, or borrower experience. She’s a straight-shooting industry voice, a tech obsessive.