Richards has a long history in leadership and executive roles in the mortgage industry. During a 10-year tenure at Bank of America, she served in multiple roles, with the last being as senior vice president of national underwriting.
Other positions she’s held include director and vice president roles at Caliber Home Loans, as well as a three-year stint as loanDepot’s COO. But her relationship with loanDepot ended in acrimony after she left in 2021.
Shortly after leaving, she sued loanDepot for allegedly closing loans without proper documentation in the lead-up to its initial public offering. She claimed that she was demoted after refusing to comply with orders to fast track loan closures from then-CEO Anthony Hsieh. The lawsuit was fully dismissed in February.
The company filed suit against Richards in 2023 for allegedly stealing confidential information about the lender’s customers. It claims that she used her cell phone to record a spreadsheet with identifying loan information on more than 8,000 customers. The case is still ongoing.
Kind Lending was founded by industry titan Glenn Stearns just days before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which followed the bankruptcy of his previous company, Stearns Lending. That process ended with Blackstone taking full ownership.
