The people running this place.
LHFS has been founder-led, independently operated, and headquartered in Concord, California since 1988. The executive team behind Brad Waite collectively brings over 200 years of combined mortgage industry experience across origination, servicing, capital markets, technology, compliance, and affordable housing.
The founder is still leading.
Brad Waite founded LHFS in 1988 and still runs the company day-to-day. Same vision, same Concord, California headquarters, same direct-to-borrower model— for 38 years and counting.
Brad Waite.
Brad has driven Land Home Financial Services’ remarkable growth, transforming it into a nationwide leader in mortgage lending. Inspired by the growing need for manufactured home financing, his vision expanded to encompass diverse residential mortgage solutions. Brad oversees strategic planning, providing valuable insights and adapting to industry changes.
Committed to community impact, Brad ensures LHFS supports local initiatives through sponsorships and donations. Personally, he has dedicated 12 years to serving on the board of directors for community improvement efforts.
Outside the office, Brad contributes his expertise to various committees and task forces. He also cherishes time in the mountains with his family, from navigating the slopes of Squaw Valley with his two children to enjoying outdoor adventures. Brad’s passion, whether in business or personal endeavors, reflects his dedication to fostering growth, connection, and excellence.
Eleven leaders. One mission.
The executive team running retail, operations, servicing, technology, compliance, affordable housing, B2B, and insurance. None are ceremonial — each owns a clearly-scoped function and is reachable through standard channels.
Tony Wicke
Over two decades in Banking and Financial Services. Spearheads the day-to-day operations of LHFS’s retail platform. Unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional client experiences.
Brenda Usher
Driving force behind the company’s growth since 1997. Led nationwide licensing and GSE approval initiatives, building LHFS’s mortgage banking infrastructure. Served on the board of a nationally chartered bank.
Lionel Urban
30+ years of mortgage banking experience. Highly regarded expert in loan origination, mortgage operations, secondary marketing and compliance. Founder of PCLender, one of the industry’s top-5 LOS providers.
Teji Singh
30+ years in sales, servicing operations, credit risk, and investor relations. Seven years with KPMG Peat Marwick, plus roles at FHLMC and the FDIC. MBA with honors in Finance and Accounting from UC Irvine. Black Belt Six Sigma certified.
Jeremy Webb
Seasoned professional in the manufactured housing industry with extensive sales and finance experience. B.S. Operations Management (minor: CS), University of Alabama; MBA in Finance, University of North Alabama. Drives growth and impactful solutions in the manufactured housing landscape.
Paula Reeves
President and co-founder of CIS Financial Services, Inc.; over three decades in mortgage banking with a steadfast commitment to affordable housing. Served on the Financial Services Board of Governors for the Manufactured Housing Institute in Washington, DC. Contributed to the FHA Title reform committee.
Chris Wittrig
SVP & CIO at LHFS since June 2013. Instrumental in transforming business strategies into efficient, profitable processes. Strong background in creating innovative solutions for complex challenges. Expertise in crisis management, problem-solving, and negotiation.
Mark Sheridan
17+ years at LHFS. Drives exceptional results, fostering strong client relationships, and ensuring satisfaction at every stage of the lending process. Deep understanding of the mortgage industry and a customer-first approach.
Deborah Robertson
Consumer financial services law expert with 20+ years in mortgage lending, manufactured housing, and motor vehicle finance. Previously Managing Counsel at Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and Partner at McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC. Advisory Council member, American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators.
Flat, by design.
LHFS runs three reporting layers maximum from founder to front-line. The structure forces decisions closer to the borrower and keeps the company faster than its bank-owned competitors.
How we run the business.
Four governance practices that distinguish how LHFS operates internally. These aren’t aspirational slogans— they’re operating mechanisms with specific cadences and owners.
Open book
Quarterly financial summaries are shared with every employee. P&L, originations, retention, complaint metrics. The team running the file should see how the file is doing.
Complaint review
Every borrower complaint reviewed by the executive team within 72 hours. Pattern complaints trigger immediate process changes. Brad personally reads every escalation that reaches the C-suite.
Cross-team standups
Operations, underwriting, and LOs hold weekly cross-team standups. The structure forces information flow that’s usually trapped in functional silos at larger lenders. Files move faster when teams talk weekly.
Credit discipline
Monthly portfolio-quality review at the executive level. No volume target ever overrides credit standards. A culture maintained through 38 years and three industry cycles.
Key chapters, chronologically.
Significant moments in the company’s history — founding, federal approvals, expansion, technology partnerships, and the evolution into a master servicer for state Housing Finance Authorities.
Established
Founded with the goal of offering underserved markets affordable housing, ensuring clients get the strategic lending that fits their needs.
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
Land Home Financial became a Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FHLMC) Seller/Servicer.
Acquired a Sub-Servicing Unit
Expanded servicing capabilities through strategic acquisition of a sub-servicing operation.
GNMA Approved Issuer
Became a GNMA approved issuer, FHA Direct Lender, unsupervised HUD approved Lender, and VA non-supervised automatic lender.
Launched Reverse Mortgage Division (GEM)
Golden Equity Mortgage launched. Ranked 32nd nationally in overall volume by Scotsman Guide in 2013, and 52nd nationally by Mortgage Executive Magazine in 2014.
Land Home Financial Grows
Grew into a vast, diverse corporation with 4 divisions and 55 branches operating in 11 states across the country.
Licensed in all 50 states
Joined an exclusive group of nationwide residential non-bank mortgage lenders licensed in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
Introduced House2Home
Launched House2Home, an exclusive suite of down payment assistance and educational programs. First closing through collaboration with MERS CORP Holding, Inc. and Fannie Mae.
Sagent 10-year servicing deal
Partnered with Sagent to enhance servicing operations, enabling a bank-on-your-phone experience for homeowners to manage their homeownership life cycle from any device.
Becomes Master Servicer
Became master servicer for 4 State Housing Finance Authorities (HFAs).
In-house MSR servicing — 8 HFAs
Started servicing Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSR) in-house. Now master services 8 housing authorities (TX, AL, FL, MD, etc.) and growing.
Still founder-led, still independent
Same founder Brad Waite. Same Concord, California headquarters. Same direct-to-borrower model. ~90% loan retention. ~50 LO partners across 50 states.
Three values that shape every decision.
We uphold communication, transparency, and integrity in every interaction. These core values ensure we build trust and provide honest, open service to our customers.
Lending that builds
We are committed to providing home loans that are tailored to our customers’ needs. Every loan supports individuals, families, and communities.
A beacon of trust
Integrity drives our decisions, shaping our culture, and defining our organization. We are dedicated to being a beacon of trust, accountability, and honesty.
Not a buzzword
Transparency is a guiding principle, not just a buzzword. We build lasting trust and deliver superior service.
Leadership questions, answered honestly.
Eight questions investors, regulators, partners, and the press ask about how LHFS is run. Real answers, not corporate-speak.
Privately held, founder-controlled. Brad Waite founded the company in 1988 and remains President. There is no PE ownership churn, no SPAC structure, no public reporting obligation.The structural choice is deliberate — it allows the company to optimize for long-term outcomes rather than quarterly reporting cycles.
Twelve. Founder Brad Waite plus eleven executive leaders across retail, operations, servicing, B2B (NavPros), affordable housing, technology, TPO, compliance, retail sales, and insurance. Average tenure is meaningfully above industry norms— several leaders have been with LHFS for 15-30 years.
Four operating divisions as of 2026:
(1) Retail Lending — direct-to-consumer mortgages led by Tony Wicke and Nick Morgan. (2) Servicing — in-house servicing of LHFS-originated loans and master servicing for 8 state HFAs, led by Teji Singh. (3) Affordable Housing — manufactured housing and underserved markets focus, led by Paula Reeves and Jeremy Webb. (4) NavPros / B2B— the financial institutions division providing white-label LOS technology and back-office services, led by Lionel Urban.
Plus the Insurance division (Land Home Financial Insurance Services) led by Tammy Bostick.
The executive team has been built deliberately to operate without single-point-of-failure dependency on the founder. Day-to-day operations run through the COO (Brenda Usher, with LHFS since 1997), EVP Retail (Tony Wicke), Chief Servicing Officer (Teji Singh), and division presidents.
Specific succession arrangements are confidential, but the company is structured to continue operating with continuity of principle and practice independent of founder presence on any given day.
LHFS has been approached by potential acquirers and capital partners multiple times over the years. The conversations are taken seriously, evaluated, and have not led to a transaction. The reason is straightforward: the company’s competitive advantage depends on its independence and operating model, and most potential transactions would compromise both.
Routine regulatory exams happen continuously at the state level across all 50 states plus DC, with periodic federal exam activity. Under Chief Compliance Officer Deborah Robertson (with 20+ years of consumer financial services law experience and previously Managing Counsel at Toyota Motor Credit), the company maintains an unusually clean exam-and-audit record.
Deborah also serves on the Advisory Council for the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators (AARMR).
Community lending is structurally core, not a CRA compliance exercise. LHFS is master servicer for eight state Housing Finance Agencies (including TX, AL, FL, MD, and others); affordable lending and DPA programs are administered at scale through that infrastructure.
Brad personally took the company into the HFA master-servicer business and remains active in those partner relationships. The dedicated Affordable Housing division, led by President Paula Reeves and COO Jeremy Webb, executes against this commitment day-to-day.
For borrower issues: your loan officer is the right first contact, with processors and the LO’s direct manager as escalation paths. For unresolved issues, executive escalation is available through the main contact line.
For partnerships, media, or industry inquiries: use the contact form below or call 800.672.9470. The team is intentionally reachable; we don’t hide behind PR walls.
Three ways to reach leadership.
Pick whichever fits. Borrower issues belong with your LO first; partnerships, press, and industry inquiries come straight to the executive desk.
What’s on your mind?
Tell us what you need. Routed to the relevant executive and read within 72 hours.