A Convenient Resource
Working on a story about the national mortgage industry? Need expert advice or insight about current mortgage market trends, issues, or concerns?
Knowing the industry—past, present, and future—is our business.
FNC thought leaders and experts are available for an interview, a fresh quote, opinion, or commentary to complement your editorial needs. Take a look at their areas of expertise, suggested audiences, and bios. Download a PDF of this page (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) for your convenience.
FNC Experts
William Rayburn | Bob Dorsey | Kathy Coon | Neil Olson |
Shawn Telford | Lance Thoet
William Rayburn, PhD
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board, FNC Co-Founder
Bill Rayburn has served as chairman and CEO since the company’s founding. Initially, he tackled the responsibility of raising funds and establishing the banking relationships necessary to ensure FNC’s success. In recent years, his focus has shifted to leading the company’s organic revenue growth through strategic planning and the introduction of new solutions to the marketplace. Currently, his efforts are aimed at strengthening processes to maintain fantastic client service, as well as growing and developing the talented management team at FNC.
Prior to co-founding FNC, Rayburn co-founded two other successful ventures—a residential real estate development company, and a seminar and training company. He also served full-time on the finance faculty at the University of Mississippi for 12 years where he taught graduate courses in financial institutions and real estate investment analysis. Rayburn worked his way through graduate school selling enterprise telecommunications systems with a major firm.
Active in both local and state-wide communities, Rayburn “gives back” by serving on the Girl Scouts Heart of the South Council board of directors (including serving as chair of the finance committee); the Boy Scouts Yocona Area Council board of directors (including serving as the District Fund-Raising Chair); the board of directors of the Oxford Ballet Association; and the board of directors of the Mississippi Technology Alliance. He is also an active supporter of 4-H in Mississippi.
Rayburn holds a doctorate in finance from the University of Memphis, is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and an MAI (inactive). He completed his undergraduate degree in business at the University of Southern Mississippi. An eternal optimist, his favorite phrase is, “Have a Fantastic day!”
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Bob Dorsey
Chief Data and Analytics Officer, FNC Co-Founder
As a co-founder of FNC, Bob Dorsey served as chief operating officer until 2007. He since has shifted focus to lead the data and analytics group, currently as executive vice president for data and analytics. Prior to founding FNC, Dorsey was a member of the economics faculty at the University of Mississippi.
Dorsey earned his Ph.D. in economics from The University of Arizona as a member of the experimental economics program directed by Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith. He has published more than 30 articles in professional journals and is co-author of the book, Bankruptcy Prediction Using Artificial Neural Networks.
His academic research has focused on experimental economics, and the econometrics of non-linear optimization. Prior to his work in economics he worked in academic administration and as an engineer.
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Kathy Coon, SRA
Chief Appraiser & Director of Appraisal Quality Control
As the chief appraiser and director of GAAR® at FNC, Kathy Coon consults lenders in the detection of faulty or fraudulent appraisals. She also has conducted appraisal training to underwriters, government agencies, and law enforcement. Coon was instrumental in helping the FBI solve one of the largest flipping scams in the country.
At FNC, Coon served as the subject matter expert and lead in the creation of FNC’s Generally Accepted Appraisal Rules™ (GAAR) which provide an automated review of appraisals for both compliance and risk issues.
A national instructor for the Appraisal Institute, Coon has served on its board of directors and executive committee as Chair of Education and was twice elected chair of the Residential Appraisal Board. Coon is also member of the Mortgage Banker Association’s Fraud and Ethics subcommittee and served on MBA’s Appraisal Fraud Task Force.
A widely-respected speaker, Coon is the developer of the Appraisal Institute’s seminar, Quality Assurance in Residential Appraisals: Risky Appraisals = Risky Loans. She holds a degree in business and criminal justice and is qualified as an expert witness.
Coon serves as a volunteer and Life Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo—an event focused on education, donating approximately $10 million each year to scholarships. She also is a member of Citizens Police Academy, an organization that taps citizen expertise in fighting crime.
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Neil Olson
Chief Legal Officer
The former president and CEO of the California Market Data Cooperative (CMDC), Neil Olson joined FNC in 2000 when the company acquired CMDC. Olson now provides legal support to FNC and its employees.
Prior to CMDC, Olson served as a senior officer at two southern California savings and loans and practiced real estate and financial institution litigation law. Olson earned his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law. He is also a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, California.
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Shawn Telford
Director of Product Management
Shawn Telford joined FNC in 2007 after spending more than a decade in the appraisal and technology industry. Telford worked his way through college as an appraiser—while supporting his family. He could see real estate valuation was rapidly embracing technology which prompted him to earn a master’s in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix.
He ran the technology group within Washington Mutual’s appraisal division, where his responsibilities ranged from implementing FNC technology to choosing what laptops and cameras staff appraisers would use. As a senior executive for American Reporting Company (ARC), he was in charge of technology and operations, launching an Appraisal Management Company and escrow division. He also taught a series of online college courses about computer systems and technology.
Telford now leads the product management team at FNC, and manages the CMS product team with a proven record of success in managing business operations, technology projects, technology systems, and business growth plans.
Telford earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Utah Valley University and has a master’s in computer information systems. Licensed as a Certified Real Estate Appraiser, he is currently studying to complete an M.B.A. at the University of Mississippi.
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Lance Thoet
FNC Consultant
Lance Thoet leads the Consulting Department within FNC. This department works with other internal FNC resources to counsel new and existing clients during implementations and guide them toward best industry practices. Prior to joining FNC, Lance was vice president of business and product development at CBC Companies, which provide the following real estate services: title, valuation (AVMs, BPOs, and appraisals), flood determinations, data verification and fraud detection, authentication and loan origination software. He created a cross-sell team that increased sales and customer loyalty. Previously, he was president of HomeGate Settlement Services, an independent vendor management company for American Home Mortgage.
Additionally, Thoet developed and implemented an appraisal fraud prevention system to identify overvalued appraisals prior to funding for all origination channels. He also served as director of Cendant Corporation’s approved loan department and helped develop a paperless management system that reviewed credit documents and ordered third-party services. He also gained valuable experience supervising the appraisal review and flood certification departments.
Thoet worked at Great Western Mortgage as a branch manager, loan originator, underwriter, and appraiser. He earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from Lehigh University.
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