The National Association of Women REO Brokerages (NAWRB) unveiled their commencement last week at the Five Star Default Servicing Conference and Expo in Fort Worth, Texas, with one specific mission: shed light on the recent growth and potential of a formerly underrepresented industry. Described as a national registry of women in the REO business to network and collaboratively foster the tools for success, NAWRB ultimately offers women REO professionals a variety of benefits to hone the achievements of women REO brokerages. Perseverance and a coveted spot at the conference proved to be lucrative for the organization, founded by Desiree Patno of Desiree Patno Enterprises, Inc. of Orange County, California. In addition to operating her own accomplished brokerage, Patno has spent the past several months taking an idea and developing it into a full‐fledged association.

The Five Star Conference marked NAWRB’s inaugural public appearance, bringing the vision of a supportive society of women REO brokerages into fruition. On the first day of the annual event, hundreds of applicants expressed interest in NAWRB; many of which were forced to return to NAWRB’s booth after facing an overwhelming crowd on their first visits. This sensational response comes as no surprise to Patno, who is well‐aware of how much of a demand there is for an organization that distinctively caters to women in the REO business. “We were given an opportunity to speak with so many women who are genuinely excited about our association,” Patno explained. NAWRB’s director of member relations, Jisela Osorio, met with potential members throughout the conference. “The event has been an amazing experience,” Osorio said. “We have received positive feedback from both men and women. People are thanking us for doing this.” Patno added, “NAWRB handed out 400 applications on Monday alone. We’re very optimistic about the amount of responses we’ll collect based on this level of inquiry.” Requests for applications continued on the second morning of exhibitions, and NAWRB remained a top attraction. The presence of NAWRB at Five Star Conference introduced an unrivaled organization solely for women REO brokerages to dig their designer heels in and refuse to remain the unsung minority in the REO industry. For the members of NAWRB, this is the first mission accomplished, of many more to come.