New URLA Resources

Darien Oien

Darien Oien serves as the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at FGMC. She has twenty years of legal mortgage experience. She has served in a number of senior leadership roles including General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Associate General Counsel. She also acted as EVP of Operations at one point during her tenure and possesses a deep understanding of the mortgage process and workflow. Mrs. Oien has worked for many of the largest players in the mortgage space including Stearns, Loan Depot and Caliber, just to name a few. She is highly regarded in the industry and with comprehensive experience in the joint marketing and joint venture business structures, as well as expertise in Retail Lending.

Suzy Lindblom

Suzy Lindblom is known for her ability to develop process efficiencies and identify areas for potential cost savings while keeping customer service levels and loan quality high. She is also known for her ability to connect with employees and mentor them into leadership roles.

An award-winning leader and industry expert in operations, managing risk, loss mitigation, underwriting, project management, post-closing, and compliance, Lindblom brings a balanced approach in everything from underwriting to post-closing.

Before joining FGMC, Lindblom helped grow some of the best-known brands in the mortgage industry, including Kind Lending and Planet Home Lending, where she was Chief Operating Officer managing Fulfillment, Retail Sales, Marketing, IT, HR, and other departments. At Stearns Lending, where she was Managing Director, National Fulfillment and Operations, she led a multi-billion dollar multi-channel business. During her four decades in the business, she has also worked at MetLife Bank, Bank of America, CitiMortgage, GMAC Mortgage Corp. and Countrywide Home Loans.

Recognized by the mortgage industry for her efforts and accomplishments, Lindblom serves on the Board of Directors of NEXT and is a MISMO Senior Advisor. She has also won numerous awards including HousingWire’s Vanguard for 2020, Progress in Lending 2019 Most Powerful Women in FinTech, HousingWire’s 2019 and 2015 Women of Influence, and MPA’s 2017 Elite Women. Additionally, she was named to the National Diversity Council’s Southern California 2016 Most Powerful & Influential Women list.

Laura C. LaRaia

• 2020 DS News Top 25 Women in Law
• 2020 Housingwire Woman of Influence
• 2020 Laurie A. Maggiano Legacy Keystone Finalist The Five Star Institute Award
• 2020 General Counsel Leadership Through Crisis: Banking Industry Award
• 2020 NEXT Powerhouse Award
• 2020 Top 100 in Finance

Laura is a dedicated and passionate mortgage professional who has been in the industry for over 20 years. With experience working both in various lender’s legal departments and in a law firm, she has extensive legal, compliance, governance, and risk management knowledge. She has led mortgage companies through the installation of TRID, MLO Compensation changes, Ability to Repay and Qualified Mortgage changes, as well as many other legal and compliance initiatives in the mortgage banking industry for both independent mortgage lenders and banks. Laura graduated from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Future Leaders program in 2008 and its School of Mortgage Banking I. She is a member of the MBA Legal Issues & Regulatory Compliance Committee, member of the MBA State and legislative regulations committee, co-chair of ComplianceEase’s User Advisory Board, a frequent speaker at the MBA’s Regulatory Compliance conference, and an advocate through the Mortgage Action Alliance. Laura obtained her law degree from Loyola School of Law in New Orleans, her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and is a Texas licensed attorney.

Dwayne Smith

Dwayne is an innovative administrative professional with over 20 years of financial leadership experience. He executes strategic planning across four FGMC departments: Enterprise Services, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources and Training Creating high-performing strategies for managing talent, increasing profitability, and contributing to corporate vision is what Dwayne does best. He is a proud Aggie with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources Management from Texas A&M University.

Vishnu Karra

With over 25 years of experience building and supporting mortgage technology platforms, Vishnu Karra currently serves as First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation’s Chief Information Officer. His deep knowledge and passion for improving the digital mortgage experience has made him an expert innovator in his field. He has held a number of leadership positions in mortgage banking and has a proven record of executing on large and complex technology initiatives. Working at Stearns Lending for over 7 years, Vishnu served as Executive Vice President of Production Systems and accomplished creating digital mortgage platforms and overseeing the transition of legacy systems to more scalable and fault-tolerant technologies. Prior to his role at Stearns, Vishnu also held senior leadership positions in Technology at Bank of America Home Loans and Countrywide Mortgage where he managed teams of onshore and offshore resources of 200+ employees and met the unique technology needs of each of the origination channels he managed.

Jane Gershman

• 2019 and 2020 Keystone Award Nominee
• 2018 Elite Women MPA award

Jane is a dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry. She oversees FGMC’s Servicing, Oversight, and Project Management departments. She is highly skilled at building strategic teams and increasing revenue. Jane is a master of finding creative solutions with attention to all regulatory, investor and agency guidelines in order to meet company goals. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Communication from California Lutheran University.

Aaron Samples

• 2019 Vanguard award
• Top 100 in Real Estate

Aaron is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience and expertise across all phases of mortgage lending and servicing. His leadership at FGMC has been transformative in terms of innovation, company culture and profitability; specifically, with the development of a proprietary Non-QM product line Maverick Solutions and the re-launch of FGMC’s Wholesale Division. Prior to his current role, Aaron served in various executive roles in correspondent, retail, consumer direct and wholesale lending channels where his responsibilities included the acquisitions of mortgage servicing rights, corporate M&A, and management of residential loan portfolio subservicing. Aaron is a finance graduate of The University of North Texas, an active member of the MBA, and is recognized industry-wide as a leader in the MSR space.