Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group has tapped mortgage industry veteran Lindsay Barbera to lead its newly launched Louisiana operation, marking the lender's first expansion into the state.
Barbera, a Baton Rouge native with more than 20 years of mortgage industry experience, will serve as area sales manager and lead Atlantic Bay's Louisiana team from its first branch in Baton Rouge. She will report to Christopher Brown, the company's executive vice president and Southern regional manager.
The move extends Atlantic Bay's footprint across the South at a time when the Virginia Beach-based lender has been adding both leadership and production talent to support its growth.
“Growing in Louisiana isn’t about showing up with a playbook. It’s about understanding the people, earning trust, and being part of the community,” Barbera said. “Atlantic Bay brings an incredible culture and support system that gives our team more ways to serve homebuyers and industry partners.”
Barbera, an LSU graduate, has worked across servicing, operations, product development, and sales during her career in Louisiana's mortgage industry.
Atlantic Bay said she holds the Certified Mortgage Banker, Accredited Mortgage Professional, and mortgage servicing designations. The Mortgage Bankers Association also lists Barbera among its servicing designation holders.
“Louisiana is a natural next step in Atlantic Bay’s growth across the South,” Brown said. “We want our Mortgage Bankers to have the infrastructure and resources to compete at a high level without losing the local relationships and personal approach that have made them successful in the first place.”
Atlantic Bay Builds Out Southern Footprint
The Louisiana launch follows a series of growth-focused leadership moves at Atlantic Bay this year.
In January, Atlantic Bay named Robyn Zacharias its first chief marketing officer, creating the position to oversee marketing, brand, and communications as the lender pursued further expansion.
Then in April, the company appointed Gregory Richardson chief revenue officer, putting the former chief operating officer in charge of sales and operational strategy, with a focus on revenue growth and loan production.
Atlantic Bay said it has added 12 team members across its Southern markets since July, including Justin Atterberry, who is leading the company's growth efforts in Texas.
With Louisiana added, Atlantic Bay now operates across a Southern footprint that includes Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. The privately held lender says it has more than 100 branches and more than 600 employees.
Founded in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1996, Atlantic Bay offers conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and jumbo mortgages.
