Laugh, Lend and Eat

Fobby Naghmi
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Laugh, Lend, and Eat is where business meets banter. Hosted by Fobby Naghmi the show explores mortgage lending, leadership, fintech, and sales—with a side of humor and food talk. Known for his ability to ask candid, thought-provoking questions, Fobby creates a space where guests open up and real insights shine through. It's smart, relaxed, and made for professionals who want to grow, lead, and laugh along the way.

  1. 1 Jul

    Construction Perm, Builder Relationships & Ricky Peacock

    He walked away from a company that was generating $80m in annual revenue...he had built it from scratch. The reason why will change how you think about your career. Ricky Peacock, SVP at AnnieMac Home Mortgage and the architect behind their construction-to-perm lending division, joins Fobby and Justin to break down everything loan officers need to know about CTP lending — including AnnieMac's national program launching July 1st. Ricky shares how he lost everything in 2008, rebuilt from zero, became the #1 USDA loan officer in the country two years running, and grew a single builder relationship into $70–80M in revenue before selling his company to AnnieMac to build something even bigger. In this episode: how to walk into a builder for the first time, why conventional is the easiest CTP loan nobody talks about, the "vacation folder" story every manager needs to hear, what builders actually want from a lender, and why Ricky says answering the phone was his entire competitive advantage. If you've avoided construction perm because it felt complicated, this is your sign to stop leaving money on the table. Laugh, Lend & Eat drops weekly. Hosted by Fobby Naghmi and Justin Neal. Find us on YouTube for full video episodes. And if this episode made you think about what's possible at your current shop — that's worth paying attention to. Ricky left 18 years and a million dollars a year behind because the vision on the other side was bigger. If you're a loan officer who's been curious about what AnnieMac is building — the CTP launch, the programs, the people — find Fobby Naghmi on LinkedIn. No pitch. Just a conversation. Laugh, Lend & Eat drops weekly. Hosted by Fobby Naghmi and Justin Neal. Find us on YouTube for full video episodes.

    49 min
  2. Unplugged & Unfiltered: CEO Roundtable 2026

    24 Jun

    Unplugged & Unfiltered: CEO Roundtable 2026

    What do CEOs say after a town hall meeting ends? Two sitting mortgage CEOs. No script. No talking points. Just the conversation that usually happens after everyone else leaves the room. Fobby Naghmi sits down with Keith Cantor, CEO of First Community Mortgage, and John Overfelt, Owner and Director of Sales at American Security Mortgage, for a roundtable that goes places most podcast conversations don't. Keith says AI is going to cost people their jobs — flat out, no hedge. He's already building AI School programs for all 375 of his employees because he believes leaders who ignore it are failing their shareholders, and leaders who adopt it without preparing their people are failing their teams. John has watched companies fold, get acquired, and disappear overnight. He's watched CEOs post "we're not for sale" two weeks before the sale closed. His take on trust is simple — it's built in every ordinary moment before the crisis, not during it. They disagree on recruiting. Keith develops talent from within and keeps LOs for 7+ years. John buys proven producers and imports intellectual property his team never would have built on its own. Neither one backs down. This is the stuff mortgage leaders think about at 11pm. We just said it out loud. Topics covered in this episode: Personal branding and why blunt beats polished on LinkedInWhat leaders most underestimate about their peopleRecruit a proven producer or develop one from scratch?CEO transparency during mergers, acquisitions, and crisisAI, jobs, and how one CEO is actually preparing his companyThe one thing every loan officer should stop doing tomorrowLaugh, Lend & Eat is hosted by Fobby Naghmi, SVP at AnnieMac Home Mortgage, and co-host Justin Neal of Summit Mortgage Corporation. New episodes every week at laughlendandeat.com

    50 min

  3. 17 Jun

    7 out 10 Customers Trust their Loan Officer

    Seven out of ten buyers don't believe their loan officer is acting in their best interest. That's not a perception problem — it's the biggest barrier standing between you and your pipeline. Kristin Messerli returns to Laugh, Lend & Eat to share six years of consumer research and one powerful truth: decision fatigue is quietly killing pipelines across the industry. She walks us through what 2,000 millennials and Gen Z buyers actually said about why they stop engaging — and what you can do about it starting with your very next appointment. We dig into: The 3 barriers compounding to freeze first-time buyers (and why affordability isn't actually #1) Why most buyers don't believe loan officers will act in their best interest — and what to do with that stat The TRUST framework Kristin built from her social work roots: Tune In, Relate, Unfreeze, Simplify, Track Why rapport-building isn't the same as trust-building How to use First Home IQ's free learn portal as a third-party trust bridge to your buyers The Blockbuster-to-streaming shift happening in mortgage right now — and where your opportunity lives Plus: Kristin attended 33 philosophy lectures in Wales on her "vacation," Justin admits borrowers might have the wrong number when they ghost, Fobby might have oxygenated water in his cup, and the Oklahoma Thunder fans in the room are now devoted Knicks supporters. 🔗 First Home IQ Learn Portal (free): learn.firsthomeiq.com 🔗 Ambassador Program: firsthomeiq.com/ambassador Connect with Kristin Messerli: LinkedIn | Instagram | kristin@firsthomeiq.com 📲 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Laugh, Lend & Eat — the mortgage industry's most entertaining (and actually useful) podcast. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Cold open / oxygenated water chaos 04:30 – Industry news: Energy One + American Pacific merger, Synergy One fallout 07:45 – Rates, inflation, and Fobby's bold rate hike prediction 10:15 – Guest intro: Kristin Messerli returns (and she's now a Knicks fan) 12:30 – First Home IQ: what it is, what it does, why it matters 16:50 – The 3 barriers killing first-time buyer pipelines 18:00 – Distrust and skepticism: "You're paid to tell me to buy" 19:30 – Information overload and decision fatigue 21:45 – Financial stress drops IQ by 13 points (Stanford research) 25:00 – The T in TRUST: Tune In — ask what keeps them up at night 27:00 – The U in TRUST: Unfreeze — give them one small step, see the momentum 28:30 – Speaking slower calms the amygdala (Fobby's voice coaching detour) 31:00 – Reality #1: 7 in 10 don't believe their LO acts in their best interest 33:40 – Justin proves Kristin's point in 18 seconds (live demonstration) 35:00 – Institutional distrust at an all-time high: the U.S. distrust index 37:30 – Information overload creates avoidance — and what to do instead 43:00 – The empathy advantage: feeling seen and heard is the most important thing 46:30 – The Blockbuster moment in mortgage: moving from expert to collaborative partner 47:00 – The full TRUST framework: Tune In, Relate, Unfreeze, Simplify, Track 48:30 – How First Home IQ's learn portal works for your buyers 50:00 – Closing laughs, fake squids, Sanford and Son homework

    54 min

  4. 10 Jun

    Who's Fighting For You in Washington, DC? Justin Wiseman That's Who.

    Most mortgage professionals have no idea how many critical housing decisions are being made behind closed doors in Washington, D.C.While most of us are focused on rates, inventory, and closing loans, there are people working every day on Capitol Hill to influence the policies that will shape the future of homeownership, housing affordability, and mortgage lending.One of those people is Justin Wiseman.As the Mortgage Bankers Association's leading voice in Washington, Justin is in the room where many of these conversations happen. In this episode of Laugh, Lend & Eat, we discuss:• Why housing affordability has become a national political issue• What Congress is doing about housing supply• The Road to Housing Act and what it could mean for consumers• The regulatory issues mortgage professionals should be watching• How policy decisions made in D.C. ultimately impact borrowers and lenders across AmericaWhether you're a mortgage professional, Realtor, industry executive, or simply someone who cares about the future of housing, this conversation provides an inside look at what's happening in our nation's capital.Who's fighting for you in Washington, D.C.?Justin Wiseman. That's who.🕐 TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Cold open & intro01:30 — Fobby's first-ever formal host intro (seven seasons in)02:40 — Bill Pulte named to oversee national security — what does it mean for FHFA?07:00 — Cross Country / UWM / Two Harbors saga — the vote gets pushed to June 1108:30 — Movement Mortgage loses $100M South Florida team to Radius/Victor Ciardelli11:00 — Justin Wiseman joins the show12:30 — Who is Justin Wiseman? Emory Law, federal clerkship, and finding his home at the MBA15:00 — Housing is finally a political priority — why now?17:30 — The Road to Housing Act: what passed, what didn't, and where it goes next19:30 — Are institutional investors really killing homeownership? The real data21:00 — LO Comp Reform: the MBA's #1 regulatory priority23:00 — The 3 big reforms the MBA is pushing at the CFPB25:00 — Why simply repealing the LO comp rule would actually make things WORSE28:30 — Brokers vs. bankers on comp — where do the lines get drawn?31:30 — Medicaid cuts and what they could mean for senior homeowners33:30 — Will millennials even inherit their parents' homes?34:00 — Trigger Leads (HPPA) — how the MBA got both parties to agree37:30 — The moment Justin thought it wasn't going to happen40:00 — AI in mortgage: the NBA commissions a white paper on licensing41:30 — Can AI be a loan officer? The NMLS question nobody is asking yet42:30 — LOs putting loan estimates into public ChatGPT and Claude — why that's insane43:30 — Uploading borrower data to a public LLM may waive legal privilege45:00 — Single file credit reporting — the MBA's case for pulling just one bureau47:00 — The AEI research: does the tri-merge actually predict defaults better?49:30 — Lawsuits between lenders and loan officers — Fobby gets personal51:00 — Justin's take: "A lawsuit is a messy and ineffective mechanism for achieving justice"53:00 — Fobby's story: three lawsuits and what he learned the hard way55:00 — Justin's pitch: the MBA should do a contract education series for LOs56:00 — What's next? MBA Annual in Chicago, Jerry Seinfeld, and book your flights NOW🎙️ Laugh, Lend & Eat is one of the mortgage industry's top-rated podcasts, hosted by Fobby Naghmi and co-hosted by Justin Neal of Summit Mortgage Corporation. New episodes drop weekly.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

    57 min

  5. 3 Jun

    The Tinder of Mortgage Recruiting Is Here, and Recruiting Will Never Be the Same Again

    What if loan officers could explore their options without anyone knowing? Ellen Duncan, Founder & CEO of mLOOP and former CMO of AnnieMac Home Mortgage, joins Fobby on this week's episode of Laugh, Lend & Eat — and the conversation goes places we didn't plan. Ellen built mLOOP after sitting in a Discovery Day and realizing something was deeply broken about how recruiting works in this industry. LOs spending their most valuable resource — time — answering basic questionnaires that should've been covered long before they walked in the room. She left that meeting and told the COO: "This industry needs the NCAA transfer portal." What she built is being called the Tinder of mortgage recruiting. Anonymous profiles. Data-driven matches. LOs stay invisible until they choose to connect. But this episode isn't just about a platform. Ellen lost her husband Paul suddenly four years ago — when she was in her mid-thirties, married ten years, two daughters, thought she knew what the next fifty years looked like. She opens up about how grief cracked her open, why she sees that as a gift, and how losing Paul gave her a different relationship with risk. One of the most honest conversations we've had on this show. 🔗 Find mLOOP at mloop.co 📲 Follow Ellen: @ellenduncanofficial 📲 Follow mLOOP: @mloopHQ CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 — Intro & Welcome 01:30 — Justin's out, Ellen's in — how this episode started differently 03:00 — Ellen's background: Coca-Cola, Southwest, AnnieMac 05:00 — Why she put "Mom" in her LinkedIn headline 06:30 — What surprised her about mortgage coming from big brands 08:30 — The LO marketing problem: they don't know what they don't know 11:00 — The flyer factory and what modern marketing actually looks like 13:00 — "Life can be beautiful and hard. Both can be true." 14:00 — Paul's sudden passing and how it changed everything 16:30 — Freedom, travel, and saying yes — Tanzania with her daughters 17:30 — Building mLOOP with her daughters watching 19:00 — Happy mom, happy baby — why she did it for herself first 20:30 — Grief doesn't end. And that's okay. 21:00 — Trauma, creativity, and the Leonard Cohen line about cracks and light 23:00 — "Would I be doing this if Paul was here?" 23:30 — Hello recruiting — what did she see that was broken? 24:30 — The AnnieMac Discovery Day that sparked everything 25:20 — "This industry needs the NCAA transfer portal" 25:30 — Why people call mLOOP the Tinder of mortgage recruiting 28:00 — How mLOOP actually works — the LO side 30:00 — How mLOOP works — the lender side 33:00 — Recruiters need to become agents 35:00 — Fobby's experience being recruited and why timing matters 38:00 — The human role technology can't replace 39:00 — Where to find mLOOP 40:00 — Close

    42 min

  6. 27 May

    Is The Data Lying? Or Are Top Producers Pulling Away?

    71.5% of all mortgage volume. Closed by 30% of loan officers. Is the data lying? Or are top producers just pulling away? In this episode of Laugh, Lend & Eat, Fobby debuts a brand new segment — "Can We Stop" — calling out the conference culture posts that need to go away forever. Then things get real. Fobby and Justin break down the data behind the 2019–2025 mortgage market share shift, why the middle 40% is losing ground, and what separates the top 30% from everyone else. Plus two practical AI tips any loan officer can use today. Topics covered: The "Can We Stop" segment — conference culture called outMarket share data: top 10%, middle 40%, bottom 30%Why systems and mindset beat rate every timeInspiration is easy. Implementation is rare.AI tip of the week — two ways to use it right nowNext week's guest: Ellen Duncan, founder of Mloop🕐 TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Intro & the "Can We Stop" segment debuts03:30 — Conference culture callout: energy in the room, full cups, and enlightenment posts07:15 — Inspiration is easy. Implementation is rare.11:00 — Ask Fabi: first car, dream vacation, ringtones19:20 — InGenius data drop: top 30% closed 71.5% of all volume in 202521:00 — The market share shift: top 10% gained 4% from 2019–202525:00 — What separates the top 30% from the middle 40%28:00 — The bottom 30%: survival mode, no trust, short-term focus32:00 — The one word the bottom 30% is missing: TRUST37:00 — Long-term thinkers vs. short-term survivors38:00 — William James: your actions control your mood, not the other way around41:00 — Coaching, accountability, and the Tony Robbins story50:45 — AI widens the gap — or compresses it, if you use it51:20 — AI tip of the week: record yourself and get feedback52:30 — Fobby's AI tip: the 5-question loan estimate tool55:00 — Next week's guest + podcast hits #4 in the rankings 🔗 CONNECT WITH USWebsite: www.laughlendandeat.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fobby/

    57 min

  7. 20 May

    High Tech, High Touch: Dale Vermillion's Formula for Winning in the 2026 Mortgage Market

    In this high-tech mortgage world we live in, we forget how important the human touch is. In true form, Dale reminds us that we need to not only survive 2026 but to move forward with our business. 43 years in the mortgage industry. Rates at 17.5% when he started. Still closing 30+ loans a month. Dale Vermillion has seen every market cycle there is — and his message for 2026 loan officers is simple: stop blaming the market and start building the habits that actually move the needle. In this episode of Laugh, Lend & Eat, one of the most respected mortgage coaches and trainers in the country breaks down what separates the top 30% of loan officers — who did 71.5% of all mortgage production in 2025 — from everyone else fighting over the scraps. What we cover: Mortgage mindset and mental toughness for loan officers in a high-rate environmentWhy high-tech without high-touch is killing your mortgage pipelineThe "1 sale a day" formula that gets loan officers to 15 closings a monthMortgage sales tips: the Friday seed call and Monday status call that convert pre-approvals into contractsHow top-producing loan officers prospect realtors and build referral partnershipsMortgage lead generation, follow-up strategies, and pipeline managementTime blocking and productivity for mortgage professionalsWhy the bottom 30% of LOs is treating origination like a gig job — and how to break outMortgage recruiting trends and what the 2026 market really looks likeTimestamps: 00:00 - Intro & Welcome00:30 - Industry News with James Clyman (The Mortgage Scoop)01:00 - Rocket Mortgage vs. UWM $100M Lawsuit Breakdown03:00 - Could UWM Have a "Countrywide Moment"?05:30 - UWM Pricing Strategy & Wholesale Market Impact07:00 - Rate Predictions: Will the Fed Hike in 2026?08:45 - Mortgage Tech M&A — What's Coming in the Next 6-9 Months09:45 - Lower.com: Ambitious Play or Overreach?11:10 - Welcome Dale Vermillion | Mortgage Champions13:00 - 43 Years in the Industry: What Dale Has Seen14:00 - If Rate Mattered, I Wouldn't Be Here — Mindset Reset16:00 - Attitudes & Actions: The Two Things That Make All the Difference17:30 - The Data: Top 30% Did 71.5% of All Volume in 202519:25 - The 3 Types of People: Make It Happen, Watch It Happen, What Happened20:00 - How to Shift Your Mindset Starting Tomorrow22:00 - What Top Producers Actually Do Differently23:00 - The System Behind Mortgage Champions' Results24:00 - Why Most LOs Fail: No Process, No Plan25:00 - Stop Talking About How Bad the Market Is26:00 - The Bottom 30%: Hard Truths from Dale28:00 - High Tech vs. High Touch: The Biggest Problem in the Industry29:00 - "If You Want to Convert, You Have to Converse"30:50 - The "1 Sale a Day" Formula: How to Close 15 Loans a Month33:00 - The #1 Miss: No Follow-Up34:00 - Plan Your Follow-Up or It Won't Happen34:40 - The Friday Seed Call & Monday Status Call System36:00 - Why COVID Changed the LO Mindset (And Not for the Better)37:50 - Work Smarter: 50 Hours Max, Maximum Output38:00 - The Phone Is Your Biggest Distraction39:00 - Email Pop-Ups: The 12-Second Focus Killer40:00 - Time Blocking for Mortgage Professionals42:00 - Priority-Based Mindset: Fund Your Life First43:00 - Pain Is the Only Teacher for Some People44:00 - How to Reach Dale Vermillion45:00 - Outro & Where to Find Us "If you want to convert, you have to converse." — Dale Vermillion 🎙️ Hosted by Fobby Naghmi, SVP at AnnieMac Home Mortgage, and Justin Neal, MBA of Summit Mortgage Corporation🔔 Subscribe for weekly mortgage industry insights, loan officer training, and leadership content👍 Like and share if this helped you

    46 min

  8. 13 May

    Your Thoughts Are Not You, But Your AI Thinks They Are

    We've had meditation teachers, psychologists, nutritionists, and a psychic on this show trying to fix what's wrong with mortgage people. None of it worked. So this time we went deeper. In this episode of Laugh, Lend & Eat, Fobby and Justin sit down with a married couple who may be the most interesting pair in any industry — Dr. Saloumeh DeGood, licensed clinical psychologist and President of the Sufi Psychology Association, and Andrew DeGood, co-founder and CEO of Ask Bob AI, the mortgage industry's leading AI knowledge platform. One studies the soul. One builds AI for loan officers. They go home to the same house. The conversation that followed was one of the most unexpected, honest, and genuinely useful episodes we've ever recorded. 🔑 WHAT WE COVER: ✅ What Sufism actually is — in plain language, for a loan officer in Ohio✅ Why your thoughts are not you — and how that unlocks everything✅ The "As a Man Thinketh" debate — Saloumeh vs. James Allen✅ What AI fundamentally gets wrong about human beings✅ Why trauma and creativity are linked — and what that means for AI✅ The Narcissus problem: why talking to ChatGPT can become an echo chamber✅ Andrew's vision: the LO who needs nothing more than an iPhone to run their business✅ Why the loan officers who communicate always win — and AI just 10Xs that gap✅ Can AI replace a psychologist? Saloumeh's honest answer✅ How to survive the mortgage industry with your soul intact ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro & LinkedIn jail (the F-bomb story)03:00 — Spirit Airlines, gas prices & Fobby's RICO charge08:30 — Wedding anniversary reveal — Malibu, Tampa & two ceremonies12:30 — What is Sufism? The plain language breakdown17:00 — The "bag" of gathered experiences — how the brain actually works20:00 — Andrew: how Sufism changed how he runs his business21:30 — The dinner table: AI + Sufism under the same roof24:00 — What AI gets wrong about human beings28:00 — Trauma, creativity, and what AI can never replicate34:00 — The Narcissus moment — ChatGPT, Saloumeh's dog, and echo chambers38:30 — "Your thoughts are not you" vs. As a Man Thinketh43:00 — The brain has one goal: preserve calories44:30 — Guardrails, heroin, and cages — Andrew's AGI thought experiment48:00 — Ask Bob AI: what's next (CRUD, MCP, the text-message LO)51:00 — Will AI replace psychologists? Saloumeh's real answer53:30 — Andrew's vision: the AI version of Saloumeh56:30 — The close: AI is the brain. Sufism is the heart. You need both. 📲 CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS:Dr. Saloumeh DeGood — drdgood.com | @sufipsychologyAndrew DeGood — askbobai.com | Andrew D. Goode on LinkedIn ABOUT LAUGH, LEND & EAT: The mortgage industry podcast that doesn't take itself too seriously — but takes the business seriously. Hosted by Fobby Naghmi, SVP at AnnieMac Home Mortgage, and co-host Justin Neal of Summit Mortgage Corporation. New episodes every week.

    58 min
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About

Laugh, Lend, and Eat is where business meets banter. Hosted by Fobby Naghmi the show explores mortgage lending, leadership, fintech, and sales—with a side of humor and food talk. Known for his ability to ask candid, thought-provoking questions, Fobby creates a space where guests open up and real insights shine through. It's smart, relaxed, and made for professionals who want to grow, lead, and laugh along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Fobby Naghmi
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    237
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Fobby Naghmi
  • Show Website
    Laugh, Lend and Eat