Who She Was
Patty Arvielo is the co-founder and president of New American Funding, one of the largest Hispanic-owned mortgage companies in the United States, which she built from a small operation into a firm that has helped hundreds of thousands of families nationwide access home loans. Born in California to a Mexican-American family, Arvielo began her career in mortgage lending at the entry level, learning every part of the business from the ground up before launching New American Funding in 2003 with her husband, Rick. She built the company with a specific mission: to serve Hispanic, Black, and other underrepresented borrowers who were being systematically overlooked or poorly served by traditional lenders. Under her leadership, the company grew to fund billions of dollars in loans annually and became one of the most recognized names in the mortgage industry. She has been recognized by Forbes, the Mortgage Bankers Association, and numerous other organizations as one of the most influential leaders in American lending.
Why She Matters
Patty Arvielo saw a gap between who the mortgage industry was designed to serve and who actually needed its services, and she built a company to close it. New American Funding's focus on underrepresented communities is not just a values statement, it is a business model built on the conviction that millions of creditworthy borrowers were being turned away by lenders who did not speak their language, understand their financial situations, or prioritize their needs. Her career demonstrates that the mortgage industry is not a fixed system but one that can be reshaped by people with the expertise, drive, and vision to serve clients others have overlooked. For students from any background who want to build a career in finance that also builds something meaningful, Arvielo's story is a compelling example of what that can look like.
