Michael G. Branson, CEO of All Reverse Mortgage, Inc., and moderator of ARLO™, has 45 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry. He has devoted the past 20 years to reverse mortgages exclusively. (License: NMLS# 14040)

All Reverse Mortgage's editing process includes rigorous fact-checking led by industry experts to ensure all content is accurate and current. This article has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by Cliff Auerswald, President and co-creator of ARLO™. (License: NMLS# 14041)

NMLS# 14041

President, Cliff Auerswald

Cliff Auerswald, President of All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. and co-creator of ARLO™, has 26 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry. Cliff has devoted the past 20 years to reverse mortgages exclusively and heads All Reverse Mortgage’s digital marketing and online lead generation.

CAREER BEGINNINGS

I started in the mortgage industry at just 17 years of age when I signed up for ROP (Regional Occupational Program) through high school. I worked at a second trust deed company my mother managed in Tustin, CA. While there, I learned how to run borrowers’ credit reports and other front-end origination duties, including data entry into loan origination software using other vendor systems.

When I graduated from Villa Park High School in 1998, I obtained my real estate license from Real Estate Trainers in Santa Ana. My goal was to set a record as California’s youngest real estate broker. As soon as I met the 2-year minimum period required by the State of California before a person with a salesperson’s license was eligible to apply to become a licensed Broker, I immediately passed my Broker’s exam at age 21 and obtained my license.

I always remember the words of my stepfather Michael Branson, “The more you know, the more valuable you are.” “At the times when the volume slows drastically, and companies must determine whom they need to lay off, the best work ethic and who has the greatest knowledge, can cover the most desks, are the ones who are most likely to keep their jobs.” With this in mind (and while waiting to take my state Broker’s exam), I learned as many positions as possible. I first learned Jr. Processing, then Jr. Underwriting. I later passed a complete underwriting certification offered by MGIC Mortgage Insurance as an independent mortgage underwriter.

At the age of 23, with a growing family of my own, I saw a much greater income potential in the sales side of the mortgage banking industry. Therefore I decided to move into a sales and marketing position.

I created several marketing strategies for the evolving Alt-A product, then later became the top-producing account executive at Pacific Community Mortgage, Inc. (PCM). I was subsequently promoted to Sales manager, where I trained and managed my team of account executives.

As early as age 10, I was deeply curious about how things work, mainly mechanical. It was at age 10 that I dismantled our family desktop computer from Radio Shack, a “Tandy 1000”, wanting to understand the parts that made it function and or function faster. I began at this early age to learn how the software and code functioned.

As a self-taught musician, marketing is the most rewarding piece of the ‘business part’ of my workday as it helps to satisfy my creative needs. Experiencing my curiosity for mechanical, engineering, and musical endeavors early in life helped me visualize problem-solving processes. It helped me feel the emotions from a consumer standpoint. Harnessing this, I have been able to communicate in ways our industry needs to be more present.

Today you can find me on my YouTube channel educating both industry and non-industry individuals regarding how reverse mortgages work or serving as an expert panelist to the reverse mortgage industry for online marketing and technology.

All Reverse Mortgage, Inc, Beginnings

After we completed a life-changing reverse mortgage for my grandmother, I questioned why this program was so underutilized and misunderstood. In 2007, my stepfather (Michael G. Branson) and I started All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. with the desire to mainstream reverse mortgages by bringing education and consumer shopping tools to the forefront of a legitimate industry we had felt was being restrained by gimmicky advertising and high-pressure call centers. 19 years later, All Reverse Mortgage has become the leader of online education, generating record volumes of organic visitors, and has disrupted many of the industry norms by developing the first and only upfront consumer pricing calculator available online 24/7. ARLO™ has helped change reverse mortgages by empowering seniors with educational resources, personal advice, and the ability to shop for their best loan terms without the high-pressure sales, which are all too familiar in today’s mortgage borrowing experience.

PUBLICATIONS

Cliff has specialized in and continues to write about reverse mortgages for over 19 years and is the President of All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. He has been interviewed for publications such as Kiplinger Magazine, Yahoo Finance, ReverseMortgage.org, Care.com, Realtor.com, Home Healthcare News & more.

Inquiry? Email: cliff@allreverse.com or message via LinkedIn