Christopher Mayer has navigated a career that has seen him serve as a self-described policy wonk and Ivy League professor, managing to apply his collected knowledge into his role as a mortgage CEO today.
With a doctorate in economics, the leader of reverse mortgage lender Longbridge Financial started his career to “make the world a better place” through research and policy, later realizing the business world could help him achieve the same goal.
Prior to joining the lender in the early days of its launch over a decade ago, Mayer worked at the Federal Reserve of Boston, before becoming a faculty member at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and later, Columbia University, where he still occasionally teaches classes.
Jorg Meyer Photography
Today, he leads operations at Longbridge, which merged with real estate investment trust Ellington Financial in 2022. During his tenure, the company has turned into a leading issuer of government-backed home equity conversion mortgages, with a growing number of proprietary reverse products for older Americans in its portfolio as well.
In a recent interview with National Mortgage News, Mayer discussed the importance of making HECMs and other reverse products available, the opportunities and challenges of serving older homeowners and ways his academic experience has helped Longbridge develop risk mitigation and market strategy.
The conversation, including Mayer’s comments and questions asked, has been edited for clarity and length.
