For this MPA Talk, we meet Damon Germanides, a broker who specialises in complex loans, particularly for those who are self-employed. He cut his teeth in the last big financial crisis of 2008, before co-founding Insignia Mortgage in Beverly Hills, California. Beginning slowly, the company established relationships with smaller banks and credit unions, to build the business to where it is today. The son of a restaurant owner, Germanides likens the mortgage industry to the restaurant industry in terms of the tough challenges it presents – it's been his driving force to succeed.