Aligning Businesses : Channels That Drive Growth ft. James Hecht

In this episode, we sit down with one of the most respected operators in modern mortgage banking — James Hecht, the newly appointed CEO of OneTrust Home Loans. With more than 30 years of executive leadership across the largest and most influential lending institutions in the country, James brings a rare combination of operational discipline, strategic clarity, and vision for what sustainable growth looks like in today’s market.

Hecht’s career spans some of the most transformational chapters in mortgage history. From 16 years at Bank of America, where he rose from Managing Director to National Retail Fulfillment & Underwriting Executive, to his tenure as Chief Operating Officer at Stearns Lending, and later Head of Production for National Retail Lending at Newrez (formerly Caliber) — James has repeatedly been at the helm when companies needed scale, structure, and leadership that inspires performance.

Now, as the newly appointed CEO of OneTrust Home Loans, James is spearheading the next era of expansion across distributed retail, joint ventures, and portfolio lending. Backed by a sophisticated operational foundation, approved with Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, and strengthened by a growing portfolio platform and construction lending division, OneTrust is positioned to compete with lenders far beyond its size. And under James’ direction, the company is tightening its alignment across business channels to unlock growth opportunities in a tightening housing market.

In this conversation, James breaks down:

• How to align business units for long-term performance

• Why joint ventures remain one of the most powerful growth engines

• What differentiates fiscally disciplined lenders from those who collapse under market pressure

• Why operational excellence still wins — even as technology reshapes the industry

• How to recruit, develop, and retain top-tier originators

• What leadership looks like in an era where lenders must do more with less

You’ll hear insights from a leader who has managed teams through booms, contractions, acquisitions, pivots, and reinventions — all while keeping a relentless focus on service, partnership, and disciplined execution. For mortgage executives, branch managers, and operators looking to understand where the industry is heading and how to build an organization that thrives through uncertainty, this episode is essential.

Polly — https://polly.io
Polly is the mortgage industry’s leading pricing and capital markets platform, helping lenders unlock speed, accuracy, and profit through modern, cloud-native technology.

Floify — https://floify.com
Floify empowers lenders with a fast, customizable, borrower-friendly point-of-sale system built to simplify applications and accelerate closing timelines.

TrueWork — https://truework.com
TrueWork streamlines income and employment verification for lenders with secure, automated verification workflows that reduce friction and shorten the approval process.

FundingShield — https://fundingshield.com
FundingShield protects lenders and consumers from wire fraud and closing-table risk with real-time verification solutions that secure transactions from funding to recording.