The Numbers Doctor Will See You Now

Breaking Expectations

Zamanpour’s parents immigrated to the United States in 2000, bringing along three daughters and little English. Education was non-negotiable in her family, and as such, her older sisters pursued traditionally prestigious careers: one became a doctor, the other a lawyer. 

Zamanpour decided to enroll at UC Irvine and received a degree in psychology and business. She wanted to make Superbowl ads, construct the next big marketing sensation like Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” She ended up in adtech, though, business-to-business work advising companies on how to make the most out of a dollar. 

“Adtech was a natural progression. It mixes business. It mixes technology. I was like, this is perfect.” Yet, even though the work was “impactful,” she quickly realized it could never be a long term career for her. 

“Sure, it had an impact on the consumer, but it wasn’t a direct human to human connection for me and that’s where it lacked,” she explains. But with high pressure from her parents to squeeze every ounce from her education and build a prestigious career, Zamanpour’s pivot to lending was a plot twist no one in her family saw coming. 

“In a very thick Persian accent, they’d be like, ‘What do you mean?’” she recalls. “This isn’t anything you went to school for.” In a bid to reassure them, she explained that she was a “numbers doctor,” helping clients understand the mortgage process the way a physician explains a diagnosis. But her parents still weren’t sure. 

“It’s nothing against the mortgage industry,” she says. “But to have this job, you don’t need a college degree. You don’t need an MBA. You don’t need a Ph.D.”

Today though, as Zamanpour has racked up numerous achievements — from being named loanDepot’s No. 2 originator in Direct Lending to earning a spot at the company’s prestigious Chairman’s Elite ceremony — her parents have come to understand that her work is impactful. Even if it doesn’t align with their conventional definition of success, they see how meaningful it is in ways they hadn’t anticipated. “I feel like I have an important job because I play an important role in people’s lives,” she says.

She adds that they also refer her to everyone they know, from close friends to hairdressers. “My parents have made a complete 180 … before it was just this gap of not knowing what the job entails, and the job lacking the prestige, I guess, or the job lacking the kind of glamour of, oh, you’re a hotshot Ph.D. or you’re a hotshot MBA.”

But before her parents came around, Zamanpour had to start from scratch, and prove herself in an industry she knew almost nothing about.

The Newcomer Stands Out

Zamanpour dove into the mortgage field blind. In fact, she jokes that before starting at loanDepot, the only thing she knew about mortgages was that the word had “two G’s.” But what she lacked in industry knowledge, she made up for in self-discipline.

“I just put my head down and I work,” she says. “I compete with me. So if I’m not happy with the work that I did today, it doesn’t matter what my counterparts did, whether that was better or worse than me.”

Alex Madonna, EVP of Direct Lending at loanDepot, noticed her potential early on. Having worked in the mortgage industry for 27 years, 16 of which have been at loanDepot, he’s seen plenty of talented loan officers come and go, but Zamanpour stands out. 

“She’s always been a leader amongst people regardless of title and job description,” he says. “I mean, just her level of seriousness, competitiveness, and attention to detail from the very early stages … she’s always been at the top.” He adds that she’s got a natural instinct for taking charge of a situation, describing her as “fearless.”

This fearlessness, Zamanpour says, largely stems from witnessing her mother’s resilience in adapting to a new country. While she hasn’t had a defined ‘mortgage mentor,’ in the industry, necessarily, seeing her mother overcome significant challenges to create stability for the family profoundly shaped her perspective. 

“Work is not hard,” she asserts. “My mom went back to school without knowing English. She’s now a radiologist. Seeing her overcome challenges, I don’t think anything is too hard.” This perspective not only fuels her work ethic but deeply informs how she interacts with her clients.

Empathy is central to her approach. “Every loan has a story,” she emphasizes. “We’ve all been through grief, loss, heartache, troubled times. Work is the least of our worries. If we put our heads down, there’s so much we can accomplish.” 

That mindset shapes every call she takes. Rather than rushing through transactions, she takes meticulous notes, invests time in understanding each person’s circumstances, and holding her business interactions to the golden rule.

“I’m like, how would I want someone to speak to my mom, to my sister, to my grandfather on the phone if they were helping them?” she says. “How would I want someone to talk to me if they were helping me?” Her colleagues refer to her clients as “sticky,” meaning they remain loyal and often return for future business.

“She just has this cycle of customers constantly wanting to do business with her because of how well she treats them,” Madonna says. “She very much cares for the outcome of every single loan. She advocates for every customer. People constantly want to do business with her.”

In the consumer direct channel, the way she connects with a client sets her apart. Consumer direct lending, in contrast to retail, isn’t client-facing, so lenders don’t have the opportunity to interact one-on-one, or the benefit of a local referral. It is impressive, then, that Zamanpour has managed to build lasting, trust-based relationships entirely over the phone, often beginning cold. 

“They don’t leave me even if it’s like, ‘Hey, we have better pricing or we have this or so and so said this.’” Zamanpour adds. “It’s like I’m a trusted adviser if anything, that they call and they’re like, ‘Hey, this is what’s happening. What do you think? What are your thoughts?’ So, I feel like a lot of my deals are very, very sticky or the connection is very good just because of how the customer is treated and taken care of up front.”

Zamanpour’s meticulous attention to detail allows her to build continuity in relationships that might otherwise be fleeting in a high-volume, phone-based environment. She explains that taking notes and listening to clients allows her to anticipate their needs and follow up with relevant advice, even months down the line. 

“A lot of my business comes from people who I connect with that don’t qualify today,” she says. “But instead of just hanging up, it’s about delving into their story, figuring out what they need to do, and setting a realistic timeline. I set calendar reminders, and I’m touching base with that person based on when they’ll be able to accomplish what they need.”

The Cost Of Compassion

Zamanpour’s effectiveness isn’t built on high-pressure tactics, but the way she meets customers where they are. That sincerity has made her particularly adept at handling tough conversations, which is vital, particularly when interest rates are so high. 

One in particular stands out for her.

“I would say the loan that I did that kind of puts everything into perspective for me, that I think about often, was a couple that I had helped in Texas,” she recalls. Their son, 21, had recently gotten married and was expecting a baby with his new wife when he unexpectedly passed from COVID.

The tragedy unfolded quickly. After their son’s death, his grieving parents made the decision to take in their daughter-in-law and soon-to-be-born grandchild. But doing so meant reshaping their financial future.

“So baby’s born, their son is now gone, and they take in the daughter-in-law. They were actually one of the scenarios of someone giving up a 2% rate and their new rate was 5.99%, I remember it clear as day.”

It was a steep jump — especially in a market where most borrowers cling tightly to ultra-low pandemic-era rates. But for this family, the situation left them with few options.

“They went from a rate of 2% to 5.99% because they had to take out cash to be able to now support this baby and their daughter-in-law [because] of their son passing.”

Despite the emotional toll of such situations, Zamanpour believes these moments are where her work matters most. “I remember having to reel in my own emotions,” she says. “This was a call I took very late. I was at the office till like 8 or 9 p.m., and it was a Texas loan, so it was even later for them ... but just making sure that we got it done and we had help.”

She got it done. And for that family, she became more than just a loan officer.

“She still calls me and texts me, and she still refers to me as her angel,” Zamanpour says. “You know, it’s not a fun transaction to go through, to help someone through that, but the customer definitely will not forget you. And I don’t forget the customer.”

Romina 2.0

Although Zamanpour has seen massive success in lending so far, she has bigger goals; in her words, she wants to become “Romina 2.0.” This is, after all, only the beginning of her career. 

“I’m licensed in 31 states now, but we’ll make it 50 soon,” Zamanpour says.

Expanding her licensing to all 50 states isn’t just about ticking off boxes, however; it’s about increasing her ability to connect with clients nationwide. 

By being licensed in every state, she would have access to a broader pool of potential clients, allowing her to diversify her business and strengthen her presence in markets she hasn’t yet reached. It also means she can build deeper connections with realtors and other referral partners across the country, setting herself up as a go-to resource regardless of the borrower’s location.

She also wants to complete more home purchases. Unlike refinances, which are often driven by interest rates, purchase loans are more dependent on market dynamics and personal milestones. “Right now, most of my clientele are refinance or cash out or equity. I would love to start doing a bit more purchases,” she says. “And I think that’ll happen naturally as the market shifts and interest rates, God willing, come down a little bit.”

For Zamanpour, the pivot to purchase loans represents more than just a business strategy; it’s a way to stay connected to her clients at key life moments, from first homes to investment properties. 

As she sets her sights on expanding her reach and diversifying her client base, her focus remains as unwavering as ever. Though competitive by nature, she says that the only person she worries about beating is herself.

“For me, again, what success looks like to me these days is, am I better than who I was yesterday? So, it’s really just me versus me. That is the only competition that I need to compete with, just to be the better version of myself.” 

Hard Things Are Worth Doing

Her advice to new loan officers reflects that philosophy: success in the mortgage industry demands resilience. “If you can stay mentally tough, you can navigate anything,” she says. 

“For anyone that’s either a veteran in the industry, new to the industry, it’s all in between the ears. We cannot control the market. So, interest rates are completely out of our control. What are the controllables that we do have? I can control my thoughts. I can control my actions. I can control the way that I treat my customer.”

Zamanpour’s ability to stay focused and resilient, no matter the circumstances, is a lesson she’s carried forward from her upbringing. Her mother’s unwavering determination to rebuild a life in a new country taught her that setbacks are temporary and hard work is non-negotiable. It’s a philosophy Zamanpour channels into every conversation with her clients, every loan she touches, and every new state she sets her sights on.

As she works to expand her reach and refine her approach, Zamanpour remains focused on what she’s learned along the way. Hard things aren’t just possible; they’re worth doing.