ABOUT | Close With Pam

During the housing crisis, I collaborated with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, the National Consumer Reporting Association  and former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to address a major credit reporting issue: the foreclosure code that was incorrectly applied to consumers who had completed short sales. Through that work, I became deeply familiar with the credit errors affecting distressed homeowners and began advocating for greater transparency and accuracy in credit reporting. This advocacy led to the creation of HousingCrisisStories.com, a resource designed to help consumers, mortgage professionals, and real estate agents identify hidden credit issues before a home purchase. While a workaround was successfully implemented in Fannie Mae’s system to resolve the foreclosure coding issue, Freddie Mac did not adopt the same fix—leaving many clients still vulnerable.

As more affected borrowers continued to fall through the cracks, it became clear that a broader, more sustainable solution was needed. In June 2016, I was honored to be appointed by then-U.S. HUD Secretary Julián Castro to the inaugural HUD Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee (HCFAC). Through that role, I gained a deeper understanding of the critical pre-purchase work provided by HUD-certified housing counselors. Their scope of services directly aligned with many of the credit and financial readiness challenges that mortgage loan originators often encounter but aren’t always equipped to manage.

This led to a powerful insight: What if HUD housing counselors could work in partnership with loan originators to support clients who aren’t quite mortgage-ready? These trained professionals could help clients address credit issues, build budgets, explore down payment assistance, and prepare for homeownership—while loan originators could offer a lender credit at closing as an incentive for clients who completed the counseling process.

One of the persistent gaps in the mortgage industry is that loan originators are typically trained to assist clients who are already financially prepared to purchase a home. Unfortunately, that leaves many potential buyers without the in-depth, personalized support they need during the early stages of the homebuying journey. Recognizing the value that HUD counselors could bring to both clients and originators, this collaboration felt not only necessary—but like common sense.

What became clear over time was that most loan originators had little understanding of the valuable role HUD-certified housing counselors could play in preparing clients for homeownership. At the same time, many HUD counselors were skeptical of working with mortgage originators—particularly brokers—who they believed had contributed to the housing crash. Bridging this divide took years of effort and was only made possible through ongoing education and mutual understanding between the two professions.

Initiatives like this tend to gain traction during times of uncertainty—when support is needed most. During the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in alternative paths to homeownership grew significantly. As "gig economy" jobs became more common, student loans were placed in forbearance, and credit requirements frequently shifted, adaptability became essential. The need for tools and partnerships that could help clients navigate these challenges became more apparent than ever.

Out of this need, an initiative called HomePrep was developed—an IT platform that connects mortgage loan originators and their clients with HUD-approved housing and credit counselors. The goal: to address the most common barriers preventing clients from qualifying for a mortgage.

To support this effort, Clients2Homeowners.com was launched as an educational resource for mortgage loan originators (MLOs). The site explains how collaboration with HUD counselors can help clients become mortgage-ready. Recognizing that some loan originators prefer a hands-on approach, the platform offers two pathways:

1. MLO DIY Solutions – tools and resources for originators who want to work directly with clients to address credit and readiness issues.
2. HomePrep for MLOs – a streamlined connection to HUD counselors who can assist clients through their challenges.



At 66, I’ve dedicated this chapter of my career to creating educational platforms that empower both consumers and professionals in the mortgage space. CloseWithPam.com is my own professional website and was made to highlight what I specialize in and where clients can discover that there are real solutions for their complex challenges. Clients2Homeowners.com provides mortgage loan originators (MLOs) with insight into tools and strategies available within our industry to better support your clients.

What’s been especially encouraging is the response from newer and younger MLOs who are genuinely eager to learn how to assist clients in the pre-mortgage stage. At the same time, some originators prefer to refer clients who need more specialized support — and I’m happy to step in and help when needed.

My mission is simple:

• to help clients with pre-mortgage needs that a remedy is known for.
• to help mortgage colleagues with easy-to-follow guidance around specialized mortgage topics, and to highlight the most effective resources that make these solutions work. The goal is to ensure that everyone in our industry feels confident navigating these areas.

And it’s working.