Her Story
About Kristi
Kristi Mullarkey serves as the Vice President, Risk and Control Manager at WSFS Bank, where she leads compliance initiatives for the bank's mortgage division, a role she has held for approximately eight years. She is responsible for overseeing audits to ensure regulatory compliance, managing relationships with external auditors, and directing the annual Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) reporting process, which involves comprehensive loan data verification to support fair lending practices and regulatory accuracy. Her expertise in risk management, compliance, and operational governance has made her a trusted leader in the financial services industry.
Kristi began her career in the mortgage and finance industry immediately after earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. Throughout her career, she has gained experience in nearly every aspect of mortgage operations, beginning with finance companies where she quickly advanced into management and relocated to Bristol, Virginia. After returning to Pennsylvania, she joined a mortgage company as a processor and rapidly progressed to processing manager. She later expanded her leadership experience by serving as a closing manager, post-closing manager, quality assurance executive, senior operations manager, and ultimately a compliance and risk leader. Her broad operational background provides her with a comprehensive understanding of the mortgage lifecycle and the regulatory environment that governs it.
Kristi attributes her professional success to believing in herself, maintaining a commitment to continuous learning, embracing change, and approaching challenges with creativity and an open mind. She has built a career by consistently stepping into unfamiliar roles, mastering new responsibilities, and driving operational excellence through innovation and accountability. Known for her adaptability, strategic thinking, and dedication to regulatory integrity, Kristi continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening compliance programs, mitigating risk, and supporting sound governance within the banking industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristi
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to believing in myself and never stop learning. Don't settle. Never settle. I always try to look outside of the box. I think that change is inevitable, though instead of being the person that fights change, I think that being one that appreciates change helped.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to believe in yourself, not those around you. You're gonna have a lot of people that are gonna try to beat you down. As long as you believe in yourself, you could do whatever you set your mind to.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Learn as much as you can about the industry and definitely give it a shot. It's a lot of getting in and doing something that you've never done before, and just taking the bull by the horn and learning. Getting a mentor that you can really trust to help you along is probably really important. Asking questions when you don't understand something. Find out as much as you can online about the mortgage industry.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The industry struggles when rates go up because the volume isn't as much. Another big challenge is that a lot of younger people aren't getting into it, with average age around 55. Keeping up with the ever-changing regulation environment. The greatest opportunity is to get into the industry as a mortgage loan officer because as people are aging out, there are so many roles available.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Courage is probably a big one. Doing something that you don't think that you might be able to do, and believing in yourself that you can do it.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.