Lodestar's Lending Leaders

This week it's "What Grinds My Gears," the monthly segment where Jim and Alayna vent their frustration on a topic of their choosing. This month, Jim wants to talk about the common assertion, "Renting is throwing your money away." With the current administration eager to prevent us from being "a nation of renters," the issue of renting is due for a conversation.

How can LOs differentiate themselves in the current market? For this month's Mortgage Industry Vibe Check, Jim and Alayna discuss how lenders can find their niche. Also, some thoughts on conference season, and how lenders and vendors can find harmony in shared goals.

We're ending January 2026 with the LodeStar update segment—except this month has something special... LodeStar is unveiling a new feature powered by AI which has already saved our clients tons of money. Listen to the episode to find out more!

This week on the Full Disclosure Podcast, it's time for "What Grinds My Gears," when Jim and Alayna vent their frustrations. Up for discussion: New Years Resolutions, why they fail, and whether snow is a good thing or a bad thing.

This week we're back to Jim's book club, our regular segment on the Full Disclosure Podcast where we get to hear what Jim is reading lately and how it's affected business at LodeStar and SettleWise.

It's officially 2026, and Jim and Alayna are kicking off a new year of the Full Disclosure podcast with a brand-new mortgage industry vibe check.

For the final Full Disclosure episode of 2025, Jim and Alayna are taking a moment to reflect on the past year and look ahead to changes in 2026.

Tired of hearing about how AI is going to change your job? We sure are... That's exactly why the way we think about AI in relation to our work needs to be reshuffled. This week, Jim is eager to share one of his latest reads, which helps us reframe how we think about AI.

Here's one last mortgage industry vibe check before the holidays. With just three and a half short weeks before break, Jim and Alayna give their take on the state of the mortgage industry.

This is a special episode of Jim's Book Club on the Full Disclosure Podcast. Lodestar's very own Alayna Gardner recently published an essay in a book, Rethink Everything You Know About Networking.

Five Thursdays in October?! One of them right next to Halloween?!? We couldn't miss the opportunity to release a special edition Halloween episode of Full Disclosure with Jim and Alayna. Enjoy!

Jim is at it again... for our monthly segment on the Full Disclosure Podcast, "What Grinds My Gears," Jim has a quiz for Alayna. Should it pumpkin??

It's time for Jim's Book Club! Every month Jim, shares what he's been reading lately. This week, it's all about sales... except actually interesting...

How are things at LodeStar and SettleWise? Good, actually. Jim and Alayna sit down to talk about things are going as we anticipate fall conference season and other new, exciting changes.

Welcome back to Full Disclosure! Jim and Alayna sit down to discuss the state of the market over the past month, the effects of the rate cut, and how mortgage lenders are strategizing for changes ahead.

Here it is, gang! The very first full episode cut of the Full Disclosure Podcast. Here's Jim and Alayna's full conversation for September 2025, where they cover the Encompass SDK sunset delay, LodeStar's recent Inc. 5000 win, and the virtues of pumpkin spice.

How are things at LodeStar, you ask? Really, really good, actually. For this week's episode of Full Disclosure, Jim and Alayna give an update on all things LodeStar.

It's time for "What Grinds My Gears"... Alayna insists that people with dietary restrictions who attend mortgage conferences deserve to eat, too. Meanwhile, Jim shares his true thoughts on pumpkin spice...

Welcome to the fully rebranded LodeStar podcast, Full Disclosure. Join Jim Paolino and Alayna Gardner, AMP, on this new chapter of the LodeStar podcast.

For the final installment of the LodeStar Lending Leaders Summer Session, Jim and Alayna do a quick recap of summer industry conferences.

Continuing with LodeStar's 2025 Summer Session, we're getting an update from Jim and Alayna about what's new at LodeStar.

The Summer Session is all about trying things, right? So, in that spirit, we're asking Jim what he's been reading lately.

For this week's installment of the Lending Leaders Summer Session, Jim and Alayna open up about what's been grinding their gears lately—from LinkedIn posts about vacation to overuse of AI in content creation. Tune in!

Continuing with our Summer Session, Jim and Alayna sit down to give you the rundown on regulation.

Welcome back to the Lending Leaders Podcast! For this year's Summer Session, we're trying something a little different. Tune in to find out what Jim and Alayna have in store!

Per Lending Leaders tradition, Jim Paolino and Alayna Gardner sit down with LodeStar CTO David Spektor to take stock of growth and look ahead at the future.

This one's all about keeping creativity alive, even and especially when the market is uncertain. LodeStar's Director of Revenue, Alayna Gardner, chats with Marketing Content Manager Tim Austen to discuss creativity, and how to invest in it—no matter what's happening in the industry.

Jim Paolino sits down for a hard-hitting and heartfelt conversation with Coby Hakalir, VP of Mortgage and Ancillary Services at T3 Sixty, to discuss the difference practicing gratitude can make.

This week's Lending Leaders is a special crossover event... On her other podcast, Thirsty Thursday, Alayna Gardner had the pleasure of interviewing NFM Lending's Managing Director Greg Sher. The conversation was just too good for us not to feature it here, as a special episode of Lending Leaders. Cheers!

Alayna Gardner interviews Nick Friedman, President of Homelight Homes, to talk about the relationship between profitability and growth in the mortgage industry, and how to help borrowers break barriers to homeownership.

It's all about scalability this week. Jim sits down with Optimal Blue's Director of Product Management, Kevin Foley, to discuss how tech vendors can deliver solutions at scale.

LodeStar's own Amanda Benincasa, a Philadelphia area realtor, sits down with Alayna Gardner to share her take on the home buying and mortgage processes.

How do you drive down loan origination costs? Jim and Alayna sit down to discuss LodeStar's new vision for 2025 and onward, and how lenders can push back against the rising costs of loan origination.

Jim takes an opportunity to visit longtime friend, Matthew VanFossen, CMB, CEO of Absolute Home Mortgage and The Big Point-of-Sale. They chat about regulation and what's ahead for 2025.

Alayna sits down with Space Coast Credit Union's Malik Wilkes, CMB, AMP, a passionate advocate for tech-forward loan origination, diversity in the mortgage community, and the value of continuing education.

Jim sits down with Todd Hougaard, CEO of BLITS, to discuss the evolution of tech in the mortgage and title spaces, and what's ahead for 2025.

LodeStar's resident Encompass Admin, Kelsey Wright, our Director of Customer Success, returns to the Lending Leaders Podcast to give an update on the EPC Changeover.

For this week's episode of Lending Leaders, Alayna interviews John Haring, head of compliance at Wilqo.

The Lending Leaders Podcast is back! Jim Paolino sits down with Fractional Chief Strategy Officer at Silk Title Co, Jeremy Potter. Jeremy has a wealth of experience in the legal, regulatory, and mortgage worlds, and his perspective is one you won't want to miss.

LodeStar's Alayna Gardner chats with Chris Gassel, Enterprise Account Executive at Polly, about how lenders can adopt new mortgage tech the RIGHT way.

Jim, Dave, and Alayna sit down together to bid farewell to 2024; a year of immense growth for both LodeStar and SettleWise.

For this week's episode of Lending Leaders Alayna chats with Dan Smokoska, Director of Sales and Growth at HousingWire.

Ever wonder how LodeStar monitors closing costs throughout the entire country? Here to explain just a little bit of what our commitment to accuracy demands is Ron Carvalho, LodeStar's own Director of Data Operations.

For this week's episode of the Lending Leaders Podcast, Alayna interviews Chris Mace, CEO & Founder at Mace Innovations. Together they discuss the unbeatable power of listening—in sales and life in general.

For this week's Lending Leaders episode, Jim talks with Mike Hajjar of American Financial Network, an experienced mortgage advisor and planning specialist. Mike shares his passion for integrity and empathy, and why they need to be baked in to any business model.

For this week's Lending Leaders, Jim Paolino discusses the power of actionable data with Ardley's Head of Product, Haley Rader.

Just before the LodeStar team hits the road and heads out to MBA Annual in Denver, CO, Alayna sits down with LodeStar's National Sales Representative, Michael Hughes, a Denver local, to talk about the conversations that matter most.

For this week's Lending Leaders, LodeStar's own Kelsey Wright discusses the upcoming changeover to Encompass® EPC.

We couldn't be more excited to welcome the lovely Liz Short back onto the podcast! Together, she and Alayna discuss how people in the mortgage space can adapt their strategy to evolve with the market.

So, Jim is buying a house (again). Here to talk about why, and what it's been like participating in the current market, is Jim himself. Alayna and Jim talk about a mortgage pro's take on the home buying process.

This week, Alayna sits down to talk with Wes Horbatuck, VP of Marketing at Dark Matter Technologies, to talk all things marketing for the mortgage industry.