General Session: How Business Leaders Are Dealing With Extreme Uncertainty

2025 MBA Chair; President, Lennar Mortgage

Laura Escobar is a 35-year real estate finance industry veteran who has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking. Since 2018, she has been President of Lennar Mortgage, the mortgage lending subsidiary of Lennar Corporation, leading a team of more than 1,650 associates in 34 locations across 28 states. Escobar joined Lennar Mortgage in 2002 as Branch Manager; in 2004, she was promoted to Senior Vice President managing the Eastern Region; and in 2016, she became Executive Vice President, overseeing operations and production of the company's Builder Division. Escobar currently serves on several advisory boards and committees, including MBA’s 2022-2023 Board of Directors. She is also a member of the MORPAC Steering Committee; Fannie Mae AHAC; Freddie Mac Advisory Board; NAHREP; NAMMBA Visionary Ambassador; and United Way’s chapter – Women United. Passionate about “Paying It Forward,” Escobar is on the MBA Opens Doors Foundation’s Board of Directors and is very active in her local community in South Florida, showing support and volunteering through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. She is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time working with underprivileged women and minorities.

2022 MBA Chair; Senior Executive Vice President & Head of Financial Inclusion, Wells Fargo

Kristy Fercho is head of Financial Inclusion, leading Wells Fargo’s initiatives focused on educating, empowering and equipping customers, clients, employees and partners to better manage their finances, increase savings, acquire assets, and protect and grow wealth. Kristy serves on the Wells Fargo Operating Committee. Kristy joined Wells Fargo in 2020 as head of Wells Fargo Home Lending, one of the nation’s leading combined home lenders and servicers, managing a team of mortgage professionals in sales, operations, servicing, capital markets, portfolio management, and related business, risk management, and supporting functions. She joined the company from Flagstar Bank, where she served as president of the mortgage division since 2017. Prior to joining Flagstar, she spent 15 years with Fannie Mae, where she led strategy and business performance efforts focused on single-family customers in the western United States and also served in customer engagement and human resources (HR) roles. At the beginning of her career, Kristy served in a variety of sales, operations, and HR roles at Baxter International before moving to PepsiCo Inc., where she worked in a variety of HR roles and ultimately was director of worldwide corporate HR. Kristy is the 2022 Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association. She also leads the Affordable Housing working group for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency REACh initiative. She serves on the boards of the National Urban League, Opens Doors Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation. Her industry accolades include being selected for American Banker’s 2024 “Most Powerful Women to Watch” list. HousingWire named her a Women of Influence in the housing industry, MReport honored her as one of the Top Women in Housing, Diversity Journal listed her among its Women Worth Watching, and National Mortgage Professional Magazine named her to its list of Most Powerful Women. Kristy is a graduate of the University of Southern California and holds a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.

2023 MBA Chairman; President, Colliers Mortgage

Matt Rocco was the 2023 Chairman of the MBA and is President of Colliers Mortgage. Matt serves on the MBA Board and has served on MBA's Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG), Residential Board of Governors (RESBOG), and MBA Opens Doors Foundation Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Real Estate Roundtable. In his role at Colliers Mortgage, Matt works with the Colliers team to build its business across the country and expand upon Colliers comprehensive capital markets services and solutions. Prior to joining Colliers Mortgage, Matt was Chairman and CEO of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, a subsidiary of Truist Bank. Prior to joining Grandbridge in 1998, Matt was engaged in Invst. Banking.