Leadership
Phil DeFronzo

Phil DeFronzo – President

 

Email Phil

860-899-3785

Phil DeFronzo is the founder and CEO of Norcom Mortgage. He started Norcom in a rented one-room office in the fall of 1989. Under his leadership, the company has grown to become an upstanding and respected lender.

Although he says that Norcom’s success has been, “All about hiring good people,” Phil has been instrumental in the company’s success. His achievements include increasing revenue, building brand awareness, and growing the business. In 2011, Norcom was recognized as one of the “Fastest Growing Lenders in New England."

While building his business, Phil also served as a Commissioner on the State of Connecticut Ethics Commission from 1991 to 1998, playing a key role in overseeing registered lobbyists in the enforcement of the State of Connecticut Ethics Code. Phil’s hands-on style has earned him numerous accolades for optimizing internal operations and building outstanding customer service. He takes great satisfaction in the team he’s built at Norcom.

“I get to work with a great group of very talented and funny people,” he says.

Phil lives in Avon, Connecticut with his wife, Colleen, and their three children. NMLS ID # 14327

Wes Horbatuck

Wes Horbatuck – Executive Vice President

 

Email Wes

860-899-3781

Wesley Horbatuck serves as Executive Vice President and Treasurer for Norcom. Wes joined the company in 1991. His responsibilities for Norcom Mortgage include overseeing the company’s financial management, accounts payable and payroll, as well as remittance to any investor. Wes also plays a key role in Norcom Insurance, serving as the manager of the sales team. He oversees the selling and servicing of approximately $7 million in annual written premiums, and works daily with brokers to ensure a high level of client service. Wes is also responsible for Human Resources for both Norcom Mortgage and Norcom Insurance.

Prior to joining Norcom, Wes served in a variety of capacities at General Electric’s Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Windsor, CT. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, Wes also earned a master of science degree in insurance from the University of Hartford. He is a licensed life and health insurance agent, a property and casualty insurance agent and a professional engineer in the state of Connecticut. Wes lives with his wife and family in Avon, Connecticut.

James Morin

James Morin – Executive Vice President, Sales

 

Email James

860-899-3807

James Morin joined Norcom Mortgage in January of 2009. Veteran of the mortgage industry, James serves as the Company's Executive Vice President of Sales and is in charge of leading the strategic expansion of Norcom's sales production. He was drawn to the mortgage business by both the challenges it presented and the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives: He had degrees in Management Information Systems and Finance, so the mortgage industry seemed to be a perfect fit. "I really love being able to help homebuyers and families realize their part of the 'American Dream.'"

James has a knack for working with people and building relationships. He finds that his role at Norcom blends "selling, marketing, business management, finance, communications and more." His success has been built on hard work, dedication, a deep knowledge of the mortgage business, as well as a competitive nature: "Basically, I eat, breathe and sleep mortgages." He is an active member of the CMBA, MBA, MMBA, FAMP, ECAR, GWBR, and CTAMB. When he's not helping clients, and managing Norcom's mortgage business, James enjoys spending time with his family, sports, and working out.

Kyle Keegan

Kyle Keagan – Senior Vice President, Market Manager

 

Email Kyle

860-839-5291

Kyle serves as Senior Vice President and Market Manager, building a team in the New England region that is enthusiastic about growing and expanding business for Norcom. In his role, Kyle is passionate about finding and onboarding future leaders that believe in the values of honesty, hard work, and dedication that have helped Norcom to consistently not only meet and exceed lending production goals, but to set new records in performance. Kyle is enthusiastic about collaborating with his teams to positively change the lives of homebuyers by helping them to achieve the dream of home ownership.

Kyle holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Sherri Eckles

Sherri Eckles – Senior Vice President, Market Manager

 

Email Sherri

518-852-9191

Sherri serves as Senior Vice President and Market Manager, overseeing several of Norcom’s retail residential mortgage branch offices. In this role she is building a team of lending professionals who are dedicated to providing financial literacy education to clients, and empowering them to help homebuyers make educated financial decisions and find solutions that work best for them and their families. Sherri is passionate about providing access to all of Norcom’s products and tools to best enable Norcom’s Loan Officers to help people achieve their homeownership dreams.

Sherri has 30 years of experience in affordable housing, as well as experience in advocacy and management in the public and private sectors. She has written courses accredited through NAMB on Renovation Lending, Section 184 Lending, and Construction Lending, and has developed specialty products to encourage the purchase and renovation of vacant/abandoned properties, and to provide support for Section 8 Homeownership Voucher holders. She has also made significant efforts to increase minority homeownership and increase access to financial literacy education. Sherri holds a Bachelor of Arts and MBA from SUNY Albany and a law degree from Albany Law School.

Mark Allen

Mark Allen – Senior Vice President, Market Manager

 

Email Mark

860-830-3790

Mark serves as Senior Vice President and Market Manager for Norcom’s retail residential mortgage business. In this role, Mark not only oversees and manages sales production of multiple domestic branch offices, he also participates in the strategic expansion and buildout of Norcom’s sales teams and footprint throughout the US. Mark has more than 30 years of experience in team management and recruiting, mortgage and lending solutions, sales and customer service, and relationship building.

Prior to joining Norcom, Mark served as the New England Market Director for an international financial services group where he managed all aspects of residential lending sales performance in the region.

Mark resides in South Glastonbury, Conn., and received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Connecticut. He is a licensed XINNIX Certified Manager (XCM).

Mike Dimech - Executive Vice President, Operations Manager

 

Email Mike

Mike Dimech is a 23 year industry veteran with experience in all facets of Operations, Secondary Markets, and IT. His first managerial position in 2005 as an Operations Manager for a Wholesale Division of a large bank allowed him the opportunity to grow an office of 17 employees to 45 within six months. Subsequently, he has held several Sr. Management positions at large banks, mortgage bankers, and community banks. In his current role as Sr. Vice President of Operations at Norcom Mortgage, he strives to maintain the most efficient process while delivering the best experience to all of Norcom’s customers by fine tuning processes and leveraging technology. Mike is a board member of the CT Mortgage Bankers Association, and is the chair of the Technology in Mortgage Banking Committee of the CMBA. Mike resides in Cheshire, CT with his wife and 4 children (3 of which are triplets!).

John Luddy – Senior Vice President of Reverse Mortgage Lending

 

Email John

John Luddy joins Norcom Mortgage with over 30 years of mortgage origination experience. For the last ten of those years, John has dedicated himself solely to the origination of reverse mortgages.

John has helped hundreds of Connecticut families improve their lives by accessing the equity in their home in order to maintain their financial freedom through a reverse mortgage.

John has served on many advisory boards and commissions throughout central Connecticut including the investment committee at the Hospital Of Central Connecticut, the investment committee of the New Britain Senior High School Scholarship Fund and is a past Director of the Mattabasset Regional District. During the last legislative session, John also served on the State of Connecticut's reverse mortgage task force.

During the early part of his career, John assisted thousands of Connecticut families buy their first homes but now John remains passionate to his dedication of the reverse mortgage product.

John is a native of New Britain, Connecticut, presently living in Kensington with his wife Bernadine. They have two grown children.

For more information about reverse mortgages, please visit the Norcom reverse mortgage website.

NMLS ID # 74875

Sheli Flieger

Sheli Flieger – Senior Vice President of Capital Markets

 

Email Sheli

860-899-3780

Sheli Flieger joined Norcom Mortgage in 2008. She serves as Vice President of Capital Markets. In this role, her responsibilities include Direct Secondary and Lock Desk Management, Pipeline Risk Management, setting Hedge Positions using TBAs, overseeing Hedge Positions, and managing loan delivery to Mandatory and AOT commitments.

Prior to joining Norcom Mortgage, Sheli served as a commercial and residential real estate agent for Realty Works, LLC in Canton, Connecticut. During her tenure with the firm, it was one of the first of its kind in New England to receive a GREEN designation. With a strong managerial and entrepreneurial background, Sheli brings diverse skills to her role at Norcom Mortgage. Her educational background includes attending Clark University, in Worcester, MA, for marketing and new business development. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in design and resource management from the University of Connecticut. Sheli is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and has been active in a wide variety of professional and charitable organizations. In her spare time, she’s an avid outdoor adventurer, enjoying skydiving, scuba diving, skiing and mountain climbing. NMLS ID # 211006.

Susan Bizarro

Susan Bizarro – Senior Vice President of Underwriting

 

Email Susan

860-899-3795

Susan Bizarro came to Norcom Mortgage in 2006, with more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry. She serves as Vice President of Underwriting. Her background includes ten years of service as an underwriter with McCue Mortgage, as well as 15 years of service in several roles at the former Center Financial Corporation (a Waterbury, CT based $3.7B financial institution, which included a bank, a mortgage company and an asset-based lending subsidiary).

Susan enjoys the day-to-day challenges involved in her position at Norcom. She also takes great satisfaction in, “Being part of the successful company we have become.”.

A highly motivated professional with strong analytical, problem-solving and communications skills, Susan loves being able to help people to achieve their dream of home ownership.

As she puts it, the secret to her success is the result of “Taking one day at a time and doing the best I can each day.” Susan is active in a number of professional and charitable organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, skiing and spending time with her family.

Dan Humphrey

Dan Humphrey - Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

 

Email Dan

860-899-3837

Dan Humphrey serves as Chief Financial Officer at Norcom. He is responsible for financial reporting, managing bank and warehouse lender relationships, and overseeing the accounting and servicing departments.

Prior to Norcom, Dan worked in the software industry in Silicon Valley. He has an MBA from Cornell University focusing on corporate finance and a bachelor degree from Colgate University in Economics. Dan enjoys spending time with his family, Crossfit, hiking, and downhill skiing.