RISK MANAGEMENT & QA TRACK: Navigating Market Shifts with Data as Your Compass

Laird Nossuli

Chief Executive Officer, iEmergent

Laird Nossuli is the CEO of iEmergent, a leading provider of analytics, and strategic advisory services for the housing industry. She leads the company’s product and growth strategies, with a special focus on innovative solutions that empower lenders to improve their lending with diverse and under-served borrowers. Her professional experience in mortgage strategy, analytics, and community development along with advanced degrees in social work, make Laird uniquely positioned to help iEmergent’s clients better serve their communities, while also increasing their market share. Laird contributes to many industry publications and frequently speaks on topics of mortgage market opportunity, affordable housing, and diverse lending.

Nikki Bialka

Sr. CRA Program Development Manager, Fifth Third Bank

Nikki Bialka has been a dynamic professional in the banking and mortgage industry since 2009. At Fifth Third Bank, she leads community lending initiatives focused on affordable housing solutions, including removing systemic barriers and increasing equitable lending opportunities for underserved communities. Nikki's extensive experience includes production, operations, project management, optimization, change management, and customer journey enhancement. She excels in streamlining operations and leveraging data to drive go-to-market strategies, significantly improving efficiency and productivity. In this leadership role, Nikki tackles systemic barriers such as preventing discriminatory lending practices, creating equitable lending opportunities, supporting down payment and closing cost assistance programs, and expanding access to financial services for historically marginalized groups through initiatives like Project REACh. She has spearheaded programs like Special Purpose Credit Programs, helping over 700 families achieve homeownership since 2023. Under her leadership, Fifth Third Bank won the 2024 MBA DEI Award, met the CRA Outstanding Rating, and delivered on the Empowering Black Futures Neighborhood Improvement Initiative.

Josh Goldberg

Director, Summit Consulting, LLC

Goldberg leads Summit’s Mortgage Finance, Model Governance, and Data Science practice, bringing over 20 years of experience in financial services, internal audit, and risk management. He has built and led teams focused on financial reporting, process governance, and quantitative oversight. Prior to joining Summit, Josh held senior roles at Freddie Mac and JPMorgan Chase, advising executive leadership on credit risk appetite, model governance, and regulatory strategy. In 2009, he helped create the model risk management framework for Freddie Mac Internal Audit, which was later adopted firmwide and recognized as a leading practice aligned with SR 11-7. Known for solving complex, cross-functional problems, Josh combines technical depth with strategic insight to support clients navigating regulatory and operational challenges in mortgage finance and beyond.

Michael Hollerich

Managing Director, BRG

Michael Hollerich is a managing director in BRG’s Financial Institution Advisory practice based in Dallas. He is a seasoned executive with over thirty years of domestic and international experience in financial services and consulting. He brings a wealth of expertise in areas such as regulatory affairs, corporate governance, anti-money laundering, fraud detection, mergers and acquisitions, and banking-as-a-service (BaaS). He has a strong understanding of small, medium, and large institutions across various markets and throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Before joining BRG, Mr. Hollerich operated a private consulting firm, Hollerich Consulting, LLC, which he founded in 2018. He has worked in advisory and executive roles with large international banking organizations and small- to mid-sized regional banks, non-depositories, and fintechs. He served as chief compliance officer for two publicly traded financial services firms (one a top ten US mortgage servicer) with locations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the US Virgin Islands. Throughout his career, Mr. Hollerich has spearheaded initiatives that have resolved some of the largest regulatory actions taken against the financial services industry, resulting in the avoidance of potential billion-dollar fines while implementing effective remediation and oversight programs. He has also played leadership roles in large-scale M&A and was instrumental to the merger of two large, non-depository mortgage servicers, establishing regulatory relationships and corporate governance strategies that facilitated transaction approvals from over thirty state and federal banking commissioners.