Nfm Lending Adds High-producing South Carolina Lo Phil Crescenzo Jr.

Phil Crescenzo Jr., a high-producing loan officer in South Carolina, is joining NFM Lending. The move was announced Friday on social media by NFM managing director Greg Sher.

Crescenzo comes to NFM after a two-year stint as Southeast division manager for Nation One Mortgage Corp. His prior experience also includes roles as a producing branch manager for American Pacific Mortgage and Cardinal Financial.

Sher said in a LinkedIn post that signing Crescenzo was a spur of the moment decision for both parties. Crescenzo reportedly met NFM President LaTasha Waddy at a recent Mortgage Bankers Association event and quickly became interested in joining NFM.

“For me, I fell head over heels for him when in our first meeting over dinner, he started welling up — real tears flowing — when sharing how he helped a single dad win a custody battle because he was able to help him buy a home,” Sher wrote. “… For every loan originator with an eye on cashing the biggest check, there are people like Phil whose real payoff is impact.”

Crescenzo told HousingWire that the “NFM leadership, the technology and their team in all departments were very unique and very adaptable to bringing our branch vision to life.”

According to Modex data, Crescenzo closed 323 loans for roughly $107 million in volume over the past year. Most of his business took place in South Carolina, with additional activity in the Charlotte, Atlanta and Jacksonville areas. The bulk of his origination volume is tied to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans.

“I felt very comfortable with the team, the products, the ability to compete with what we’re already doing, which is being very dominant in the FHA and VA space,” Crescenzo added.

Sher told HousingWire that Crescenzo largely serves African-American borrowers and has “big aspirations to grow his impact,” which NFM plans to help with through additional resources.

“The goal is to use our product line and proprietary tech stack to help him grow into a division,” Sher said. “I believe he has the vision and drive to lead a billion dollar group. This journey begins today.”

NFM Lending — based in Linthicum, Maryland — announced an expansion in November when it agreed to acquire Homespire Mortgage. NFM’s Bob Tyson told HousingWire at the time that the purchase was a win-win for both companies, allowing NFM to grow its “reach and resources,” while giving Homespire “access to all the bells and whistles of a larger organization.”

In January, NFM announced that Waddy would become its new president as Tyson moved into the CEO’s role. Waddy has been with the company since 2010, previously servicing as executive vice president and chief legal officer.

Inside Mortgage Finance reported that NFM was the 47th-largest U.S. mortgage lender in 2025. It originated $7.26 billion in volume, up 10% from 2024.