Buying a home should be exciting, but for many people, it feels confusing, stressful, and impossible to know where to start. Families can get stuck renting, make costly mistakes, or worry endlessly about their financial future. Without guidance, what should be one of life’s happiest milestones can quickly turn into frustration and anxiety. This is where leaders in the mortgage industry make a real difference—they walk people through the process step by step, offer clear advice, and provide tools and education to help them make confident financial decisions, turning uncertainty into stability and peace of mind.
One such leader is Karen Mayfield, National Head of Originations at Multiply Mortgage, who plays a pivotal role in driving the company’s growth and innovation. She leads market expansions, builds strong partnerships, and unites teams by combining fintech innovation with mortgage expertise. From overseeing strategic planning and operational infrastructure to mentoring employees and implementing AI-driven solutions, Karen ensures that processes are efficient, customer-focused, and forward-thinking.
Under her support and guidance, Multiply Mortgage has:
- Expanded into multiple markets across the U.S.
- Grown team by over 40%
- Achieved record-breaking production milestones. Origination volume has grown 5x since January
- Built a culture of empowerment, with many former colleagues excited to come be a part of growing Multiply Mortgage.
Karen Mayfield’s combination of strategic vision, operational expertise, and people-focused leadership strengthens the company and ensures more families can confidently achieve their dream of homeownership—showing how one leader can transform an entire industry.
From Finance Graduate to Sales Trailblazer
Karen Mayfield’s journey into the mortgage industry wasn’t a straight path. She studied finance in college, but instead of going directly into banking, she began her career in copier sales in some of Boston’s toughest neighborhoods. The job demanded relentless cold-calling—back when the Yellow Pages was the main way to reach clients—and constant rejection tested her perseverance. Through these challenges, she developed resilience, persistence, and a unique ability to build trust even in difficult situations. Over time, she transformed what had been considered the “worst territories” into her most successful ones, earning promotions along the way.
During this time, a close college friend already in the mortgage industry encouraged her to make the switch, seeing her combination of sales skills and financial knowledge as a perfect fit. After eight years of persistence, she finally took the leap. When the opportunity at Multiply Mortgage came, she was looking for renewed purpose. In a mortgage industry that felt stagnant and uncertain, especially after COVID, Multiply Mortgage stood out for its energy, ownership culture, and innovative approach. The role offered Karen Mayfield a chance to reignite her career, contribute to meaningful work, and help mortgage professionals rediscover joy and impact in their roles.
Building Strong Infrastructure and Compliance Systems
Karen has reached several key milestones that have shaped her expertise and leadership in the mortgage industry:
- Building Private Mortgage Advisors: She created this joint venture from the ground up, developing not just the sales strategy but also the company’s name, logo, infrastructure, training program, and overall identity—turning her vision into a sustainable business.
- Contributing at Bank of the West: She played a pivotal role at the executive level during the rollout of Dodd-Frank regulations, helping implement policies while balancing compliance requirements with customer experience.
- Citi: She took a dysfunctional team and reshaped the culture to one committed to higher standards of performance, customer care, and collaboration. Consistently a number one Division, well over half of Karen’s direct reports [it was 71%] were promoted, and continue to be promoted. Citi gave her the opportunity to allow others to shine with a keen focus on coaching and development.
Each of these achievements strengthened her expertise in sales, operations, regulatory processes, and large-scale leadership. Today, at Multiply Mortgage, she brings all these experiences together to deliver innovative, customer-focused, and compliant mortgage solutions, driving growth and a positive impact in the industry.
Uniting Teams and Overcoming Challenges
When Karen Mayfield joined Multiply Mortgage, the company had tremendous potential but faced challenges with siloed teams—mortgage professionals and fintech innovators were working almost separately, each speaking their own language. Taking on the role of a unifier, she brought these groups together to collaborate and build a shared identity. She organized off-site strategy sessions to help mortgage veterans understand fintech’s speed and creativity while guiding fintech leaders on compliance, customer care, and industry knowledge.
In one of her prior roles, she established a retail sales channel for a company that had previously operated solely direct-to-consumer, building infrastructure, compliance frameworks, and support systems from scratch. This experience proved timely, enabling her to hit the ground running at Multiply Mortgage.
Honest Communication at Every Step
Karen’s leadership style emphasizes:
- Being tough but fair, always honest, and respectful
- Giving regular feedback so team members are never surprised
- Setting high expectations because she believes in her team
- Supporting each person’s individual career goals
- Leading by example to build trust
- Creating a safe and supportive environment that motivates and empowers
She focuses on guiding her team with fairness and transparency, giving them the support and tools they need to grow, succeed, and feel confident in their roles.
Essential Skills Needed in the Mortgage Industry
To succeed as a leader in the mortgage industry, Karen Mayfield emphasizes a few essential skills and qualities:
- Empathetic adaptability: Understand each client and team member, adjust communication, and meet them where they are.
- Integrity-driven decision-making: Stay true to values, act fairly, and remain transparent, earning respect even in tough situations.
- Trustworthiness: Support the team, value their contributions, and foster growth to ensure the business and clients are well taken care of.
Karen also highlights the importance of authenticity, encouraging others to lead in their own style and offering generous support—opening doors, making introductions, and guiding others along their journey. She advocates collaboration over competition, especially for women, emphasizing that collective growth benefits everyone.
Her leadership is guided by two key principles:
Always assume positive intent in every interaction and embrace change quickly, adapting and moving forward instead of resisting it.
Take Feedback as a Gift
Karen Mayfield views feedback as a valuable gift, whether it comes from a dissatisfied team member or unhappy customer. She believes that truly listening, acknowledging their perspective, and making them feel heard can turn dissatisfaction into loyalty. Equally important as feedback, Karen takes compliance very seriously. For her, compliance goes beyond simply checking boxes—it is about protecting the integrity of the business. While shortcuts may seem tempting in the short term, they can ultimately undermine everything a company has built. Ethics are equally important; she believes that success is never worth achieving at the cost of compromising one’s integrity.
Impressive Growth
Since Karen Mayfield joined, the company has grown at an impressive pace. What started with operations in Colorado and Texas has expanded to Atlanta and Arizona, launched sales teams across California, and entered the Florida market, beginning with Miami. At the same time, corporate functions have been strengthened in New York and San Francisco. The company has scheduled to open its operations in the Midwest before the year’s end.
In just six months, the company has grown by 43%, reflecting its wider reach and increasing impact. This month, it achieved a record-setting production milestone, with October on track to surpass it. By hiring and developing new talent and using AI to make processes more efficient and customer-friendly, the company’s growth shows no signs of slowing—and the future looks exceptionally promising.
Serving Over 50,000 Employees Nationwide
One of Multiply Mortgage’s standout strengths is its ability to offer mortgages as an employee benefit through the Company Partner program. The company provides discounted rates and free financial education on a wide range of topics—not limited to mortgages—helping employees navigate life’s financial milestones with confidence. The program is designed to be a trusted resource, offering guidance without expectation and meeting people where they are.
With rapid growth, Multiply Mortgage is projected to serve over 70,000 employees by the end of the year across a diverse mix of partners, from agile fintech startups to publicly traded enterprises. The company has benefited from self-sourced loan officer clients, new formal relationships with real estate firms. This approach goes beyond a traditional business model, representing a broader movement toward financial empowerment.
AI is Shaping the Future of Mortgages
AI is transforming the mortgage experience and has become a key focus at Multiply Mortgage. The company isn’t just tech-enabled—it is supported by engineers from leading Silicon Valley companies like Uber, DoorDash, and Square, who bring expertise in improving and streamlining customer experiences. With AI, Multiply Mortgage is achieving faster processing times, reducing friction for borrowers, and using smarter methods to assess credit risk. The company is particularly focused on making homeownership more accessible at a younger age and addressing affordability challenges. By rethinking how consumers are evaluated, Multiply Mortgage helps more people secure safe, stable loan products and achieve the American dream, while maintaining sound risk management and long-term financial health.
Karen Mayfield’s 5 Impactful Business Mantras
- Lead with Integrity: Always make decisions that are fair, transparent, and aligned with your values, even when challenging.
- Empower Your Team: Mentor, support, and guide employees to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.
- Embrace Challenges: Turn obstacles into opportunities by staying resilient, adaptable, and focused on solutions.
- Prioritize the Customer: Build processes and solutions that simplify experiences and instill confidence in clients.
- Innovate Continuously: Leverage technology, creativity, and collaboration to improve efficiency and create lasting impact.
