When Kristy Fercho talks, people listen because she is so knowledgeable and so genuine.

As head of mortgage at Flagstar Bank, she is responsible for the direction and oversight of all aspects of mortgage and secondary marketing for Flagstar, as well as for the continued expansion of Flagstar’s mortgage business. When Fercho started at Flagstar, one of the first things she did was spend more than a month talking personally with nearly every person in the mortgage division. She has also followed the lead of Flagstar’s CEO in making transparency a hallmark of how she runs the mortgage division. Early on, she created personal touchpoints by launching a monthly get together called a “Konversation with Kristy” that involves mortgage employees across the country, along with a “Breakfast Konversation with Kristy” for employees at headquarters. Both seek feedback from randomly selected employees for candid, unplugged sessions with no specific agenda. Fercho has also been a leader in Flagstar’s diversity and inclusion initiative. Not only does she serve on the bank’s D&I Executive Advisory Council, but she also shared her own story frankly with employees and in public forums and interviews. Her involvement even extends to personally mentoring employees.