Treat Your Loan Officers Like Clients — Artin Babayan's Formula for IMB Growth | Connect
From CONNECT by California MBA · 00:22:51
Show by The California MBA
What does it actually take to build a relationship-driven IMB that grows 80% year over year — without losing its culture? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Artin Babayan, Founder and CEO of Premier Plus Lending, for a candid, open-kimono conversation on what separates focused IMBs from the pack, why saying no to good opportunities is sometimes the best growth strategy, and how deep relationships — not AI automation — will determine who wins the next cycle. Artin spent 20 years as a top-producing loan originator before building Premier Plus into a high-performing Southern California IMB with 43% of production in non-QM, a $20 million minimum production standard, and a culture built from the core out. This is the playbook. In this episode: - Why smaller IMBs can move at light speed when it comes to technology adoption — and why that's their biggest competitive edge over larger lenders - The LOS transition that takes a small IMB 6 months vs. 18 months for a big one — and why that gap matters - Why complexity is the enemy of growth — and how Premier Plus is tackling it head-on - The hard choices: when to let someone off the bus — and why waiting always makes it worse - Why 43% of Premier Plus production year-to-date is non-QM — and why that's intentional in the LA market - The internal model that treats loan officers like clients — and how one LO went from $10-15M a year to on pace for $50M - "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" — the accountability culture behind the growth - Why deep relationships with referral partners, not AI automation, will separate the winners in the next cycle - The counter-intuitive advice Artin would give any IMB leader right now: say no to good opportunities Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.
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