Built For The Moment ft. LaTasha Waddy | S05E04

Some leaders are prepared for the role before the title arrives.

In this episode of The MikedUp Show, Michael Kelleher and Michael Zau sit down with LaTasha Waddy, President of NFM Lending, for a conversation about leadership, timing, responsibility, and what it takes to guide a major mortgage organization through a changing market.

LaTasha brings more than two decades of experience across legal affairs, corporate finance, contract management, regulatory compliance, and executive leadership. Before becoming President of NFM Lending, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, overseeing legal, compliance, and regulatory matters across the NFM Family of Lenders.

That background matters.

In a mortgage market where growth, risk, compliance, culture, and customer trust all collide at once, LaTasha brings a leadership style built on clarity, preparation, and accountability. She understands the pressure of the current moment because she has spent her career helping companies make better decisions when the stakes are high.

This episode is about what it means to be built for the moment.

Not just when the market is easy.

Not just when volume is high.

But when leadership requires discipline, patience, purpose, and the ability to bring people with you.

LaTasha shares how her legal and corporate finance background shaped the way she leads today, how strong governance can support growth instead of slowing it down, and why responsible innovation matters in mortgage banking. She also discusses the importance of building teams that understand both the business and the people behind the business.

A major part of the conversation centers on impact.

LaTasha has been a key voice in advancing NFM Lending’s mission to create more responsible and accessible paths to homeownership. Her work helped support the launch of NFM’s Special Purpose Credit initiative, designed to help remove barriers to homeownership and expand opportunities for generational wealth in underserved communities.

Her leadership was recently recognized by HousingWire, naming her one of the 2025 Women of Influence. But this conversation goes beyond recognition. It focuses on the work behind the award, the responsibility that comes with leadership, and the importance of using influence to create real change.

LaTasha also brings a personal passion for financial literacy. As the author of a children’s book series focused on normalizing conversations about money, she believes financial education should start early and should feel accessible to every family.

This episode is for mortgage leaders, loan officers, executives, operations teams, compliance professionals, and anyone thinking seriously about the future of housing.

Because the next chapter of mortgage will require leaders who understand more than production.

It will require leaders who understand people, risk, responsibility, community, and long term impact.

LaTasha Waddy is one of those leaders.

Watch and listen to the full episode of The MikedUp Show.

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Truework
Truework helps mortgage teams verify income and employment faster. It reduces the back and forth that slows files down and gives lenders a cleaner way to move borrowers through the process.
https://www.truework.com/

FundingShield
FundingShield helps protect mortgage closings from wire fraud, payoff fraud, and transaction risk. It gives lenders real time checks before money moves.
https://www.fundingshield.com/

Addy AI
Addy AI helps mortgage teams handle repetitive work, respond faster, and keep borrower communication moving. It gives teams practical AI tools built around real lending tasks.
https://addy.com/

TRUE
TRUE helps mortgage companies use AI to clean up loan files, reduce manual work, and improve speed across operations. It is built for lenders that need better execution without adding more complexity.
https://true.ai/

Covered Insurance
Covered Insurance helps make insurance easier for borrowers, lenders, and real estate partners. It supports the home buying process by helping customers compare options and secure coverage with less friction.
https://itscovered.com/

Friday Harbor
Friday Harbor brings AI into mortgage origination and underwriting, helping lenders create cleaner, more complete loan files earlier in the process. Its platform supports pre-underwriting, underwriting workflows, quality control, and loan production so teams can move faster with fewer surprises.
https://fridayharbor.ai/

AskBob AI
AskBob AI turns company knowledge, guidelines, overlays, policies, and internal documents into instant answers for mortgage teams. It helps lenders reduce repeat questions, speed up decisions, and give teams trusted answers inside the workflows they already use.
https://www.askbobai.com/