Scott Reise, senior vice president at Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, has been in the lending industry for almost three decades, with stints at banks, independent mortgage companies and broker shops.

Though he's currently at an IMB, Reise thinks no channel is better than the other. The only thing that differentiates a company is leadership.

"It's the leadership, or the C-level people running the company that really dictates, not just in our industry, but in any industry, how success is going to happen," he said. 

With the mortgage industry currently weathering an extended spell of tumult, Reise says he's observed a trend of leaders not stepping up to the plate to be transparent.

"I do feel like there's an incredible amount of selfish people in this industry that are only looking out for themselves and don't give a damn about anybody else," he said. "I'm not saying that's the majority, I think that's in the minority."

The lack of leaders stepping up at companies is especially highlighted when companies make tough decisions to rightsize their shops, he said. Executives should be "present, on the front lines and communicating with their people, [thereby] building loyalty within the organization," Reise added.

National Mortgage News interviewed Reise about the state of the mortgage industry today, how leaders should handle rightsizing and why originators may be on the chopping block this year. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.