Chrissi
Callaghan
Rhea,
co-founder
of


Mortgage
Investors
Group
and
member
of
the


Mortgage
Bankers
Association
(MBA)
board
of
directors,

died
on
Nov.
8,
at
the
age
of
73. 

“Chrissi
was
a
pioneer
in
the
industry,
co-founding
MIG
in
the
late
1980s
and
leading
the
company
until
just
a
few
months
ago,”
MBA
president
and
CEO

Bob
Broeksmit
said
in
a
statement. 

Rhea
co-founded
Knoxville-based
MIG
in
1989.
But
in
addition
to
her
position
as
president
and
CEO
at
the
company,
she
held
various
roles
for
the
MBA,
including
current
board
member
and
chair
of
the
MBA
residential
board
of
governors
in
2023.
She
was
also
an
engaged
member
of
the
IMB
executive
council.

One
of
her
contributions
to
the
industry
was
being
a
“driving
force”
behind
MBA’s
efforts
to
ban
abusive

mortgage
trigger
leads,
Broeksmit
said. 

Rhea
was
a


HousingWire
Woman
of
Influence
in
2021.
When
COVID-19
hit,
she
swiftly
implemented
a
work-from-home
program
for
over
300
employees
across
multiple
states. 

“My
heart
is
heavy
for
her
family
and
her
colleagues.
She
was
just
a
tremendous
leader
for
the
industry,
and
someone
we’re
going
to
greatly
miss
as
both
an
industry
leader
and
an
advocate
for
the
MBA,”
said
Gene
Lugat,
executive
vice
president
of


PrimeLending
and
Rhea’s
successor
as
residential
boards
of
governors
chair
in
2024.

“We
first
crossed
paths
in
a
peer
group
meeting
around
2015.
She
was
one
of
the
few
women
in
the
room,”
added
Kate
deKay,
CEO
of

Eustis
Mortgage.
“She
was
a
true
force–a
leader
who
had
the
utmost
respect,
yet
was
unpretentious,
warm
and
wonderfully
real.” 

Rhea’s
son,
Kevin
Rhea,
who
worked
with
her
at
MIG
for
over
two
decades,
said
she
was
a
“force
in
mortgage
banking.” 

“Starting
Mortgage
Investors
Group
with
a
handful
of
people
in
1989,
she
built
it
into
one
of
the
Southeast’s
leading
mortgage
lenders,
all
while
championing
fair
lending
and
affordable
housing.”

As
of
Friday,
per
the

Nationwide
Multistate
Licensing
System
(NMLS),
the
mortgage
lender
had
150
sponsored
loan
officers
and
43
active
branch
locations.
According
to
tech
platform

Modex,
the
lender
has
originated
about
$940
million
in
loans
over
the
last
12
months. 

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