Eric Painter began his career in mortgages in 1996 and has held various positions since, including Branch Manager, Regional Manager, Operations Manager and his current position, Senior VP/Senior Loan Officer. Eric has taught many Continuing Education classes to Realtors in Southern Arizona and has served as the subject matter expert for other classes on sales, home loans, credit education, and first-time homeownership.
His philosophy is, "My business is my borrowers, and my borrowers are my business." Eric graduated from The University of Arizona in 1996 with a degree in Political Science. He enjoys the outdoors, fishing and spending time with his family and friends.
Ian Brannon, Senior Vice President/Regional Manager
Following graduation from Cal Poly in 2002 with a BS in Business Management, Ian Brannon worked for a major bank as one of the Top Producers in Northern California. After years of discussion to join NOVA® Home Loans, Ian moved his family back to their hometown of Tucson to further his career with Nova Home Loans. Ian is now the Team Lead of the Brannon Group where he and his team achieved Chairman’s club status, NOVA’s® top 20 Loan Officers, and Top 1% Mortgage Originators in America. The Brannon Group prides themselves on being available 24/7 for direction, communication, and explanation throughout the home financing experience.
Idalia Nayestani, Lender Services & Product Development Manager
Idalia Nayestani joined the Credit Services team in 2015. She worked with all verticals offered by Landsafe with a primary focus on credit, flood and appraisal departments.
With several years as a project manager, a client relationship manager, and understanding of ancillary products, Idalia is able to implement solutions and systems that will benefit the team and organization while maintaining professionalism and service levels.
Idalia is certified to give CE course in Arizona and Nevada and will assist with many of the classes offered.
Manny Hernandez, Senior VP, Lender Services
Manny Hernandez has been in the mortgage credit industry for over 20 years. His experience began as a team lead with a local mortgage credit reporting firm in Tucson, Arizona and grew to launching an in house credit reporting agency for a nationally ranked mortgage lender. The unique background of working with both a mortgage credit agency and for a mortgage firm has provided me with the knowledge and background to become one of the leading professionals in the mortgage credit industry.
Nona Gormley
Nona Gormley, an accomplished professional with over two decades of experience, holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Columbia College. With extensive experience in the real estate and mortgage industry, she brings a robust background as a corporate trainer for banking institutions. Skillfully navigating the intricacies and volatility of the field, Nona offers a distinctive combination of practical experience and training expertise, having earned Certification in Learning and Performance from the Association for Talent Development. Her commitment extends beyond routine transactions; she is driven to make lasting contributions to the industry by cultivating knowledgeable professionals. Nona is not just a seasoned professional; she is a catalyst for positive, enduring impacts on both the individuals she trains and the real estate and mortgage industry as a whole.
Thomas Higgins, Credit & Product Development Analyst
Tom Higgins started his career in mortgage lending in 2000 and is thrilled to be a continuing education instructor. Tom’s experience with Secondary Marketing, Business Process Development, Training and loan origination has given him a unique perspective on industry changes over the past two decades. Working with Credit Services, he works closely with credit vendors, has a dedication to client relationships, as well as a personal drive to help borrowers overcome their credit challenges.
Tom Heath, Senior Loan Officer
Tom Heath offers a wealth of experience in the mortgage industry and has been originating home loans for almost 20 years. Over his career he’s done more than help people buy and refinance real estate, he’s become an active promoter of financial literacy in the community. He’s serious when it comes to loans! Tom has held board positions with Arizona Mortgage Lenders Association, Arizona Association of Mortgage Professionals and the Tucson Association of REALTORS.
Tom spends much of his time working within the community to serve as a volunteer and share his knowledge on various financing programs and is passionate about promoting an understanding of financial responsibility. He has served on Mayor and Council’s Affordable Housing Commission and is involved with the effort to bring home ownership opportunities to Downtown Tucson. Tom has several awards from the Tucson Association of REALTORS, including Affiliate of the Year and the Community Achievement Award. He led the charge in developing “High School to Home Ownership”, a 4 part series of classes for high school seniors on the foundations of financial stability. He earned the Common Ground Award for collaboration between the REALTOR Association and The U of A’s Take Charge Institute in matters of youth financial literacy. He was given the Pioneer Award from the Take Charge Cats for his involvement from inception of the Arizona Financial Face Off, a financial literacy competition among area high schools. He has personally spoken in classrooms all over the city and supported the United Way’s efforts to promote financial stability.
In the community, Tom is connected to organizations that drive culture and a sense of place. He is on the Steering Committee of the Tucson Festival of Books and is Board Member of the Tucson REALTORS® Charitable Foundation. He spends his marketing dollars to support and promote Tucson organizations like the Rialto Theater and Downtown Tucson Radio. He supports Local First Arizona and the Downtown Merchants. He uses fundraising as motivation for exercise by running and riding with Team Hoyt Arizona and raising money for Honor Flight Southern Arizona.
Trevor Streng, Loan Officer– The Mortgage Guidance Group
Trevor Streng has been with NOVA for 4 Years and has been a loan officer with the Mortgage Guidance Group for over three years. After graduating with his bachelor’s degrees from NAU, he went on to move to Germany, to complete his teaching internship and travel Europe. His next step was moving to Tucson in 2006 to teach high school mathematics and coach high school basketball. Nearly a decade later, he went to open a bar/distillery in downtown Tucson in which the barrel rested gin won a double gold medal at an international spirits competition. In his spare time, he donates his time supporting and promoting local animal nonprofits and organizations in Tucson. He recently published a book with his wife, Connor Finds a Home, which is a story about a dog that they fostered and then adopted. Trevor has made Tucson his home and is married to his wife Laura and they have 3 dogs.
