Mortgage companies are in a pitched battle for talent. From top-performing loan officers to sales, operations and fulfillment professionals, attracting and retaining the best of the best is increasingly difficult.

That’s why HousingWire created our engage.talent summit — a one-day conference in Dallas on Feb. 6 packed full of insights from experts on finding and keeping the staff that can make or break your business.

We’ve developed an agenda that tackles the most pressing issues facing origination and recruiting leaders, branch managers and other talent acquisition professionals. Check out some of the powerhouse sessions we have lined up:

The Impact of Company Culture on Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

Talent leaders from mortgage lenders with winning company cultures will reveal which technology investments, employee benefits, on-site attractions and charitable initiatives have made the biggest impact on their recruitment and retention, and which ones they could have skipped.

Recruiting and Retaining Top Originators

Joel Epstein, host of The bigJOEL Show podcast and a top producer himself before becoming a sales coach for the country’s biggest companies, will moderate this elite panel. These production superstars will discuss how their current lenders are empowering them to succeed and what factors make a difference in choosing to stay or move companies.

Hiring Digital Talent in a Competitive Market

When it comes to recruiting digital talent, mortgage companies are up against some of the biggest and most successful tech companies in the world. Find out how to position your company to compete effectively against these giants, even in tech hubs like the Bay Area, Denver and Austin. Our expert panelists will discuss what’s been most effective in winning tech talent and the priorities these potential employees value most.

Developing a Strategy for Sustained Growth

For sustainable growth, companies need strategies that will identify the emerging leaders within their organizations and build out the talent bench strength that sustains their organizations through industry and economic changes. A.R. Smith, a 30-year veteran of the mortgage industry who has built successful leadership teams from start-up to growth companies, will walk us through the strategies she uses to develop bench strength for future growth and performance.

An open discussion: What Lenders Need Recruiters to Understand

Originators often struggle to get what they need from recruiters — both internal and external — and end up with candidates that aren’t the right fit. We’re hosting this frank discussion to help both parties communicate more effectively so originators can fill difficult roles. Brian Covey, vice president of regional production at loanDepot, and Steven Barker, regional director at Movement Mortgage, will share how they manage these relationships, especially with recruiters who may not be familiar with the mortgage process.

LO Comp Workshop

LO Comp is an incredibly important part of your business to get right, so we’re here to help with experts who can shed light on what’s trending right now and how to handle a quickly changing market.

Attracting Top Operations/Fulfillment Talent

While there is much discussion around recruiting loan officers and other producers, hiring and retaining excellent operations and fulfillment professionals has never been more important to your bottom line. This session will dissect what’s most important to recruit these roles and how choosing well here will set up your business for long-term success. 

The Battle for Talent

What does it take to hire the best of the best? What tactics and strategies should you be using to see real results? We asked some of the industry’s finest to share war stories that will inspire you to keep going, try something different and ultimately — experience the rush of landing the big one.

The engage.talent summit will also feature the opportunity to network and review talent solutions. Don’t miss this chance to discover the talent insights that will make an immediate impact on your talent acquisition.