Leadership, Insights, and Industry Trends: What’s New at LERETA
In this month’s newsletter, we’re excited to introduce Katie Brewer as LERETA’s new Chief Executive Officer, where she shares her vision for the company’s future. We also dive into the latest blog on rising housing costs and escrow confusion, spotlight employee Tony Targhetta, and offer an expert perspective on the U.S. housing market outlook from JPMorgan.
A New Chapter at LERETA: Welcome, Katie Brewer!
We were thrilled to announce in January that Katie Brewer has been named Chief Executive Officer of LERETA, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience in mortgage servicing, valuation, and title sectors. Known for her ability to drive growth and innovation, Katie’s leadership will focus on expanding services and delivering even greater value to clients as she leads LERETA into its next phase.
Escrow Awareness Survey
Think you understand your escrow account? 40% of homeowners don’t. LERETA’s latest survey reveals surprising gaps in mortgage knowledge, especially as rising property taxes and insurance premiums push monthly mortgage payments higher.
Learn how these factors are leading to unexpected increases.
Industry Trends: The Outlook for the US Housing Market in 2025
The U.S. housing market outlook from JPMorgan highlights persistent trends like high mortgage rates and tight housing supply. Despite these challenges, home price growth remains strong—continuing to outperform long-term averages—with a modest slowdown expected. The report also forecasts regional variations influencing the pace of recovery.
To explore more about the trends and predictions for the U.S. housing market, read the full article here:
As housing costs rise, LERETA’s solutions offer valuable insight into property tax and insurance management, helping mortgage servicers and homeowners navigate these uncertain times.
Employee Spotlight: Tony Targhetta
Meet Tony Targhetta, our Client Success Manager, who’s been with the LERETA team for 6 years!
Tony values the strong relationships he’s cultivated with colleagues and clients alike. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, painting, attending live music shows, and spending quality time with his partner Eddie and their two cats, Muppet and Ramona.
Executive Corner: Katie Brewer, CEO
2025 is off to an exciting start for me, both personally and professionally as I joined the incredible team at LERETA in late January. I was drawn to LERETA’s great market position, strong business model, outstanding client base, and impressive technology. As I’ve settled in at LERETA, I’ve enjoyed meeting the experienced, knowledgeable, and highly tenured teams here. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with almost all employees either in person or through virtual round table discussions and continue to be impressed with our team.
So far, we’re off to a great start for the year. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has projected that purchase originations will increase 13% this year, and we’re starting to see the increased volume from our clients. Our Year over Year volume is up for the first few months over 2024, so a good sign of market improvement. Existing home sales have also outperformed expectations at this point in the year, so 2025 is looking promising out of the gate. While we don’t anticipate a sharp or sudden improvement, we should see steady improvement.
LERETA has a significant track record of growth and expansion, and I’m excited to be at the helm to continue our advancement. We have some important strategic initiatives for 2025 that I’m confident will enhance our business model through focusing on efficiencies and process optimization, and continuing to innovate our technology. LERETA is well-positioned to continue gaining market share and growing and scaling our business. We have incredible opportunities to shape the growth and advancement of technology related to the real estate tax industry, and we are at the forefront of the technology transformation in the real estate tax industry.