Juan Rodas is the co-founder of New Story Lending, a minority- and veteran-owned independent mortgage bank with its own warehouse lines and full agency approvals — including a Freddie Mac approval within 90 days of its first loan. The son of Ecuadorian immigrants, Juan grew up facing bullying, financial struggle, and early trouble with the law before a mentor saw something in him, a 15-year mortgage career took him from the mail room to Wall Street presentations, and degrees from George Mason and Johns Hopkins plus a CMB designation sealed the transformation — capped by a governor's pardon. Today he champions affordable lending, Spanish-language mortgage education, and the belief that homeownership is the number one catalyst out of poverty. Hear him on episode 032 of Return on Identity.
