Let me just say something before we get too far into this. I did not build CMS Mortgage because I had some grand business plan written on a whiteboard in a conference room. I built it because I had no other choice. And because I believed, with everything in me, that the mortgage industry could treat people better than it was treating them.
That belief almost cost me everything. And it also gave me everything.
The Story That Started It All: Surviving 2008
In 2008, the housing market collapsed. You remember. Families lost their homes. Entire neighborhoods emptied out. Loan officers who had been making six figures were suddenly unemployed. The companies that had built their empires on volume and speed, with no care for the people behind those loan files, crumbled overnight.
I was standing right in the middle of it.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mortgage industry lost approximately 50% of its workforce between 2007 and 2010. Half. Gone. And the ones who stayed? Many of them were just holding on by a thread.
I was one of those people holding on. I had a family to feed. I had John, my husband, standing beside me, and I had to figure out how to keep going when everything around me was falling apart. There were nights I sat at the kitchen table wondering if I should walk away from this industry entirely. The truth is, I almost did.
But here is the thing. Every time I thought about quitting, I thought about the families I had helped. The single mother who got into her first home. The veteran who did not know he qualified for a VA loan with zero down. The couple who had been told "no" by three other lenders before they found me. Those people kept me going. They are the reason CMS Mortgage exists today.
Why "Just Closing Loans" Was Never Enough
The mortgage industry has a problem. It measures success in volume. How many loans did you close this month? What is your pipeline? What is your pull-through rate? And listen, I understand those numbers matter. We closed 1,800 files last year, and I am proud of that.
But I have never been the kind of person who could measure her life by a spreadsheet.
Every one of those 1,800 files was a family. A story. A dream that someone had been carrying around, sometimes for years, wondering if it would ever come true. When we close a loan at CMS Mortgage, we are not just moving paper through a system. We are changing the trajectory of someone's life. And that might sound dramatic, but ask any first-time homebuyer how they felt when they got their keys. Ask them if it felt dramatic. They will tell you it felt like everything.
The National Association of Realtors reports that homeownership remains the primary wealth-building tool for American families, with homeowners having a median net worth of $255,000 compared to $6,300 for renters (2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, Federal Reserve). That gap is not a statistic to me. That is the difference between my granddaughter Shalyn growing up with generational wealth or growing up without it. That is the difference between a family having roots or being at the mercy of a landlord's next rent increase.
I wanted to build a company that understood that difference in its bones.
Heart-Led Leadership Is Not Soft. It Is Strong.
People hear "heart-led leadership" and they think it means you are soft. That you let things slide. That you care more about feelings than results. Let me just say, that is not what it means. Not even close.
Heart-led leadership means I will have the hard conversation with you because I care about your growth. It means I will hold you to a standard, not because I want to be difficult, but because I know what you are capable of. It means that when someone on my team is struggling, I do not pretend I do not notice. I sit down with them. I ask what is going on. And then we figure it out together.
Listen, the mortgage industry loses good people every single year because the culture eats them alive. According to a 2023 Mortgage Bankers Association report, the average cost to originate a loan reached $11,044, driven in part by high turnover and the constant cycle of recruiting and retraining. That is a broken system. And it is broken because too many companies treat people like they are replaceable parts in a machine.
At CMS Mortgage, we do not do that. We invest in people. We build them up. And when they succeed, the whole company succeeds. That is not soft leadership. That is smart leadership.
The G.R.O.W.T.H. Values: Our Foundation
Every decision we make at CMS Mortgage runs through our G.R.O.W.T.H. values. These are not words on a poster in the break room. These are the principles we live by every single day.
G - Gratitude. We start from a place of thankfulness. For our clients. For our team. For the opportunity to do this work. Gratitude keeps us grounded when the market shifts and the pressure builds.
R - Resilience. I survived 2008. My team has survived rate hikes, market corrections, and a global pandemic. Resilience is not about being unbreakable. It is about knowing how to rebuild after something breaks.
O - Ownership. Everyone at CMS Mortgage owns their role. From our processors to our loan officers to Deshawn running operations, we take full responsibility for our outcomes. No excuses. No finger-pointing.
W - Wisdom. We learn from every file, every challenge, every mistake. Wisdom is not about knowing everything. It is about being willing to learn from what you did not know.
T - Transparency. Our borrowers deserve to know exactly where their loan stands, what the costs are, and what to expect. No hidden fees. No surprises. No "I will get back to you" that turns into silence.
H - Heart. This is the one that holds it all together. We lead with heart. We close with heart. We build with heart. And if that sounds like a lot, it is. Because this work deserves that kind of commitment.
You can learn more about who we are and what drives us on our team page.
Building a Multi-Generational Legacy with Deshawn
Here is something that fills me with more pride than any production number ever could. My son Deshawn is our COO. He runs the systems, the operations, the technology, the daily rhythms that keep CMS Mortgage moving. And he does it with a level of precision and care that honestly amazes me.
When Deshawn came into the business, some people wondered if it was just a family thing. Like I was handing him a title because he was my son. The truth is, Deshawn earned every bit of where he is. He built our playbook library from scratch, over 22 operational playbooks that our team uses every day. He designed the accountability systems that keep our processors on track. He is the reason we close loans in an average of 14.5 business days when the industry average is 44 days, according to ICE Mortgage Technology.
But more than what he does, it is who he is. Deshawn brings a generational perspective that I could not bring on my own. He understands technology in a way that pushes us forward. He sees the future of this industry and he is building toward it. And he does it all while carrying the same values I raised him with.
This is what legacy looks like. It is not just passing down a business. It is passing down a set of beliefs about how people should be treated, how work should be done, and what success really means. When I watch Deshawn lead, I see everything I hoped for and more. And I think about Shalyn, about what this business will look like when she is old enough to understand what we built. That is what keeps me going on the hard days.
What Makes CMS Different From Every Other Brokerage
I have been in this industry for over two decades. I have seen brokerages come and go. I have watched companies chase volume at the expense of quality, chase rates at the expense of service, and chase growth at the expense of their people. So what makes CMS Mortgage different?
We have over 100 lender partners. That means we are not locked into one bank's products or one set of guidelines. We shop for the best fit for each borrower, every single time. When someone comes to us, we are working for them, not for a bank.
We close fast. Our 14.5 business day average close time is not a marketing gimmick. It is the result of disciplined systems, daily accountability check-ins, and a team that takes ownership of every file from application to closing.
We invest in our people. We have 136 loan officers across the country, and each one of them has access to training, mentorship, and support that most brokerages simply do not offer. We believe that when our loan officers grow, our borrowers benefit.
We lead with values, not just metrics. Every company says they care about people. We prove it. Through our G.R.O.W.T.H. framework, through our commitment to mental health on our team, through the way we show up for each other and for the families we serve.
If you are a borrower looking for a team that will fight for you, get started with us today. And if you are a loan officer looking for a brokerage that will invest in your growth, I want to hear from you.
What This Work Really Means to Me
I started this post talking about 2008. About almost walking away. About the families that kept me going. And now, all these years later, I sit here running a company with my son, surrounded by a team of people who believe what I believe.
The truth is, building CMS Mortgage has been the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done. Harder than surviving 2008. Harder than learning to lead when I did not have a roadmap. Harder than every "no" I have ever heard from a lender or a skeptic or a voice in my own head telling me I was not enough.
But here is the thing about hard things. They shape you. They refine you. And when you do them with heart, with purpose, with people you love beside you, they become something bigger than a business. They become a legacy.
I am grateful. For John, who has stood beside me through every season. For Deshawn, who carries this vision forward with strength and wisdom that makes me proud every single day. For Shalyn, who reminds me why the future matters. For every borrower who trusted us with their dream. And for every person on the CMS Mortgage team who chooses to show up and do this work with their whole heart.
We built CMS Mortgage differently because people deserve better. And we are just getting started.
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Frequently Asked Questions About CMS Mortgage
What does CMS Mortgage stand for?
CMS Mortgage was founded by Corrina Carter and is guided by the G.R.O.W.T.H. values: Gratitude, Resilience, Ownership, Wisdom, Transparency, and Heart. The company operates as a mortgage brokerage with over 100 lender partners, serving borrowers across the country with a focus on heart-led service and fast close times.
How fast does CMS Mortgage close loans?
CMS Mortgage averages a 14.5 business day close time, compared to the industry average of 44 days reported by ICE Mortgage Technology. This speed comes from disciplined daily operations, processor accountability systems, and a team culture built around ownership and urgency.
Is CMS Mortgage a family-owned business?
Yes. CMS Mortgage was founded by Corrina Carter and is co-led by her son Deshawn Smith, who serves as COO. The multi-generational leadership brings together decades of mortgage industry experience with modern operational systems and technology. Learn more about the leadership on the team page.
How many lenders does CMS Mortgage work with?
CMS Mortgage partners with over 100 lenders, giving borrowers access to a wide range of loan products, rates, and programs. This broker model means CMS shops for the best fit for each borrower rather than being limited to a single bank's offerings. You can explore your options by getting started here.
What makes CMS Mortgage different from other mortgage companies?
CMS Mortgage combines high-volume production (1,800 files closed last year) with a values-driven culture that prioritizes people over pipeline metrics. The company invests in loan officer development, maintains rigorous operational systems, and leads with the G.R.O.W.T.H. framework that puts human connection at the center of every transaction.