Robert J. Smith
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Atlanta, GA, United States
Toptal member since December 12, 2018
A seasoned finance professional and CPA, Bob has executed diligence, valuation and M&A mandates while serving in senior roles at Fortune 500 companies (Merrill Lynch, PHH, Discover, BNY Mellon). He is a finance, strategy and operations expert, who employs a collaborative approach that balances customer, regulatory and financial objectives. Bob is freelancing to help growth companies build financial infrastructure and reach their full potential.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Board of Directors
AS Direct Mortgage Capital
- Developed the operating infrastructure for the Eastern European launch using acquired technology platforms and other intellectual property.
- Constructed financing vehicle (similar to a covered bond) for newly originated mortgage loans which will lower the cost of funds by over 500 basis points. Formal offering to launch in Q1 2019.
- Supported the CEO in fundraising and capital raising initiatives.
EVP, Corporate Development
Real Matters (TSE:REAL)
- Created strategy formation and articulation for U.S. and Canadian-based businesses.
- Executed M&A and strategic partnerships, including title joint ventures.
- Communicated updates and presentation materials with the board regularly.
President
AmeriSave Mortgage Corporation
- Operated a multi-channel mortgage platform with 450 employees across four operating locations.
- Architected the strategic transformation of the platform to better support purchase-money mortgage loans. This included process re-engineering, KPI and milestone redefinition, and alignment of incentives.
- Increased purchase-money loans from 20% to 35% of total business, while the overall market was shifting away from refinancing.
Head of Mortgage Operations
BNY Mellon, N.A. (NYSE:BK)
- Led national retail origination and servicing activities across multiple locations, achieving a 35% CAGR in the private banking mortgage portfolio.
- Built a correspondent channel within private banking to accelerate portfolio growth and promote cross-sell opportunities for wealth management.
- Worked with the treasury team to develop alternative funding strategies, including inter-bank participation, Fed BIC program, Federal Home Loan Banks membership, and secondary market strategies. Created an additional $5 billion in liquidity for BNYM.
- Re-engineered the pricing engine and built a concession tracking system.
President, Discover Home Loans
Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)
- Directed the company-wide initiative to negotiate, close, and integrate the acquisition of the Home Loan Center, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lending Tree (NASDAQ: TREE).
- Operated a consumer-direct mortgage platform with 650 employees across two operating locations.
- Developed and implemented distribution strategies focused on Discover cross-sell and purchase-money mortgages.
- Expanded product offering and evolved capital markets capabilities from aggregator to GSE (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac/Ginnie Mae) execution.
- Deployed new consumer-facing web services and upgraded loan origination technology platform.
Board of Directors
Atlantic Coast Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ACFC)
- Chaired the Audit Committee and served as the Board's financial expert.
- Served on the Compensation Committee of the Board. The Compensation Committee set and monitored overall compensation for the senior leadership team.
- Served on the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board. We were charged with identifying, screening, and presenting board members, as well as ensuring that the Board followed appropriate governance processes.
CFO
Cypress Property & Casualty
- Directed a strategic review on behalf of the Board to evaluate alternatives to reclaim, deploy, or optimize capital.
- Led the divestiture of the company's retail insurance agency as the company's focus shifted to direct policy origination. $25 million in annual premium and certain other assets were conveyed in a series of two transactions.
- Oversaw finance, accounting, human resources, and compliance functions.
- Managed catastrophic reinsurance program with on-shore and off shore reinsurance counterparties.
Senior Vice President
PHH Mortgage (NYSE:PHH)
- Led PHH's $8 billion wholesale/correspondent lending platform, focused on community-based financial institutions and realtor-owned mortgage companies, with strategic, operational, and P&L responsibility.
- Served on the Operating Committee of PHH Home Loans LLC, one of the largest mortgage joint ventures in the country.
- Oversaw the operations of 7 subsidiary companies operating retail loan officer platforms, which captured over 20% of the mortgage opportunity within the Coldwell Banker footprint. Grew mortgage conversion rate from 18 to 22%.
- Identified, negotiated, and closed the acquisition of CUNA Mortgage, which added $1.5 billion of profitable originations (increasing credit union market share to over 50%) and $6.8 billion of mortgage servicing rights to the division.
- Developed and launched PHH's SEC shelf registration and SPV, which provided the company direct access to the private-label mortgage-backed market, creating liquidity and brand recognition.
- Built and successfully launched the home equity lending division within PHH's retail origination platform.
- Optimized credit risk and profitability via the use of advanced technology, captive reinsurance, and other risk-sharing arrangements.
Senior Vice President
Merrill Lynch Credit Corp. (NYSE:BAC)
- Led the pricing, hedging, sale, and delivery of mortgage loans into the capital markets.
- Directed MLCC's agency and non-agency securitization programs. Established a shelf registration program that provided MLCC liquidity and brand recognition. Developed and nurtured institutional investor and rating agency relationships.
- Developed and successfully implemented home, personal, and investment financing products/services with features, pricing, and credit criteria tailored to HNW/UHNW clientele, distributed via Merrill Lynch's retail advisor network.
- Assisted in the operational launch of Merrill Lynch Bank USA, a Utah ILC.
- Directed the sale and outsourcing of MLCC's $15 billion first mortgage servicing operation and established a 3-year flow program, with a favorable economic impact of $20 million.
- Directed diligence and integration in the purchase (June 1996) and sell-side diligence on the sale (July 1998) of Lender’s Service, Inc, which delivered a $35 million gain to ML & Co.
- Led valuation, sell-side diligence, and integration for the sale and outsourcing of Merrill Lynch's mortgage lending and servicing business to PHH.
- Implemented a quality process management program, culminating in MLCC's receipt of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Senior Manager
Deloitte
- Recognized as an industry specialist in Financial Services and Real Estate.
- Developed extensive experience in corporate finance and both public and private capital placements.
- Coordinated 1933 Act and 1934 Act SEC filings for a number of public companies.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
University of New Hampshire - Durham, NH
Certifications
NMLS
National Mortgage Licensing System
CPA
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Skills
Finance
Lending, Budgeting, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Due Diligence, Home Lending, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Credit Risk, Credit Reviews, Loan Origination, Financial Modeling, Consumer Lending, Interest Rate Risk, Corporate Finance, Financial Options, Valuation Modeling, Mortgage REITs, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Cash Flow Forecasting, P&L Forecasting, Three-statement Modeling, Pricing Strategy, Valuation, Quantitative Risk Analysis, Financial Reporting, Forecasting, Revenue & Expense Projections, CFO, M&A Modeling, M&A Earn-out Agreements, Accounting, Consumer Loans, Operational Finance, Profit & Loss (P&L), Private Company Valuation, Private Equity Valuation, Price Analysis, Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR), Financial Regulations, Asset-backed Securities (ABS), Intercompany Accounting, Valuation Analysis, DCF Valuation, External Financial Reporting, Internal Financial Reporting, Private Equity, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Broker Setup, Corporate Treasury, Credit Analysis, Secured Loans, Commercial Mortgage-backed Securities (CMBS), Control Audits, Capital Raising, Junior Capital, Capital Structuring, Wealth Management, Private Banking, M&A (Buy-side)
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
Industry Expertise
Real Estate, Financial Services, Residential Real Estate, Financial Markets, Capital Markets, Affordable Housing
Geographic Expertise
United States, Canada, Eastern Europe, European Union (EU)
Data & Analysis Software
Power Pivot, Bloomberg
Other
Post-merger Integration, Asset Securitization, Mortgage-backed Securities, Mortgages, Private Placement Memoranda, Prospectus Drafting, Business Planning, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Investor Agreements, Share Purchase Agreements, Financial Forecasting, Pricing Models, US GAAP, Government-sponsored Enterprise (GSE), Product Strategy, Strategic Planning & Execution, Product Development, Fintech, Financial Ratios, Shareholder Liquidity & Succession, SEC Filing, Credit Modeling, Corporate Governance, Project Management, Corporate Sales & Divestitures, Business Strategy, Business Process Re-engineering, Business Process Analysis, SEC Financial Reporting, Investor Presentations, Private Label Products, Technology Strategy & Architecture, CAPEX, DCF Modeling, Pitch Decks, Term Sheet Advisory, Marketing, Federal Government Finance, Human Resources (HR), Brokerage, Audits, Management, Initial Public Offerings, Cybersecurity, Microsoft Power BI, Pitch Deck Consultant
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