New Rocket Pro TPO VP on broker aims

Fawaz spoke to Mortgage Professional America about his new role in a telephone interview. In particular, he expounded on ways he’s poised to help the broker community amid inflation-spurred challenges.

“In my opinion, the change is a title change,” he said. “As far as what Rocket Pro TPO’s focus is, nothing’s going to change. This is not an overhaul of our business. It’s just a change of names and change of positions but our mission is to continue driving toward building stronger relationships with our brokers in 2023 and growing together with the broker community in 2023.”

Getting to know the broker community

Preparation for his new role is at least two years in the making, Fawaz suggested: “In the last couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time on the road meeting with thousands of brokers across the nation, whether they were partners of Rocket Pro TPO or not, and I got to experience what the broker community was all about firsthand – how they build their businesses, the things they go through on a daily basis,” he said.

Strong ties were forged in traveling so many miles, he said. “I built some amazing relationships along the way,” he said. “I always say our relationships start as a partnership but it gradually becomes a friendship, and it’s more of a family feel and family atmosphere. To me, it’s all about the human being, and it’s all about the people. In my new role, I will continue being out there with the broker community; I will continue being out there on the road with broker partners and continue to work together and figuring out what 2023 is all about and how we become stronger in 2023.”

Even prior to his appointment, the company launched several programs designed not only to bolster access to lending for consumers but help brokers with new products and offerings to secure clientele. Just this past week, Rocket Mortgage launched Purchase Plus – a special purpose credit program aimed at enhancing access to homeownership in a half-dozen underserved communities – offering up to $7,500 in credits for first time homebuyers to use toward their mortgage costs. For now, the initiative will focus on six test cities with large swaths of consumers who have been historically underserved: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia.