The 2026 Humanitarian Award Winners Are …

The lending industry is filled with executives and companies that are trying every day to benefit the industry and the world. These individuals and companies are industry humanitarians, and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts. Being a humanitarian means actively working to promote human welfare, reduce suffering, and protect human dignity. It’s about compassion in action. Recipients of this award are trying to help their staff, the lending industry and/or the world. The first ever Industry Humanitarian Award Winners in alphabetical order are:

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group continues to expand its philanthropic commitment through the AB Cares Foundation, a fully independent nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing its long-standing tradition of giving back. As one of the limited independent mortgage banks to take this step, Atlantic Bay formalized its philanthropic efforts to foster greater impact, accountability, and opportunities for employee-led giving and volunteerism.

For years, AB Cares has been central to Atlantic Bay’s culture and values, supporting charitable causes through financial contributions, hands-on service, and community partnerships. In 2025, the company furthered this commitment by establishing the AB Cares Foundation as a recognized 501(c)(3), enabling Atlantic Bay to amplify its efforts on behalf of its employees and the communities it serves. To date, Atlantic Bay has donated over $6 million to various charitable organizations and engaged in initiatives that reflect the passions of its employees, customers, and communities.

The Foundation is primarily funded by Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, while also providing opportunities for employees to contribute directly and benefit from the tax advantages of nonprofit giving. Additionally, the Foundation allows Atlantic Bay to respond effectively to urgent community needs, including disaster relief efforts. In 2025, AB Cares supported hurricane relief initiatives benefiting both local communities and Atlantic Bay employees affected by severe weather.

“AB Cares has always been rooted in our core mission of caring for people,” said Brian Holland, Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group and Chair of the AB Cares Foundation. “Establishing the Foundation allows us to build on that legacy, expand our impact, and continue showing up for our communities in meaningful ways.”

The AB Cares Foundation prioritizes causes that are important to Atlantic Bay employees, including ongoing support for nonprofit organizations like Roc Solid and initiatives addressing food insecurity through partners such as Feeding America and local food banks. Over the past two years, AB Cares has also supported national disaster relief efforts, demonstrating the Foundation’s capacity to respond to both local and widespread community needs.

Looking ahead, the Foundation’s focus for 2026 will align its charitable efforts with Atlantic Bay’s mission of helping individuals and families achieve homeownership. This includes exploring opportunities to support low- to moderate-income and first-time homebuyers, as well as initiatives that promote housing stability and long-term financial well-being. “Looking forward, we’re focused on expanding our impact in ways that reflect both who we are and where we can make the greatest difference,” Holland added. “Helping more families build stability through homeownership is a natural extension of our work and our responsibility to the communities we serve.”

Volunteering: Enact has a volunteering policy in place that sets the tone for its community engagement. All Enact employees are given 40 hours of volunteer time off per year, freeing them up to give back to community nonprofits they value. In addition to time off, Enact also offers a Dollars for Doers program, which donates $10 per hour volunteered by employees, up to $400 per year, funded by the company foundation. While most companies give employees one day of volunteer time or have no volunteer policy at all, Enact is at the forefront, not just giving employees the option to volunteer, but creating a culture where giving back is encouraged.

In 2025, 67% of Enact employees participated in at least one volunteering event. The volunteer program, the ImpACT Council, is completely employee-led. Each nonprofit Enact engages with has a designated employee contact. This leadership model encourages employees to take ownership of giving back and be directly involved in the efforts that are making a difference in their communities. In 2025, Enact employees volunteered over 2800 hours, helping 83 nonprofits. These volunteer hours saved over $99,000 (assumed $34.79/hour) for the nonprofits that they otherwise would have had to spend on staffing or other resources. These volunteer efforts not only have a profound impact on the communities served, but on Enact internally too. Leading the council gives opportunities for aspiring leaders to build their skills and prepare them for career growth.

And Enact’s volunteer work has been a successful recruiting tool, showing potential employees that Enact is a company that truly lives out its values. Further, Enact’s senior leadership team does not merely encourage employees to get involved, but sets the example by how they engage in volunteer efforts. Not only do these leaders sit on the boards of many local nonprofits, but they also regularly participate in service events for their departments. Enact’s leadership can be seen regularly running in 5k fundraisers or swinging hammers at Habitat for Humanity builds. Linking arms with employees as they volunteer not only promotes their engagement with giving back, but fosters camaraderie across teams.

Foundation & Community Partnerships: Enact has an active charitable foundation. The Enact Foundation was established in 2022 after the company’s IPO, and has since issued over $960,000 in various grants. In the most recent grant cycle, the foundation provided $326,000 in grants to 21 different organizations for organizations focused on affordable housing, food & nutrition, youth & education, senior care, and more across the U.S. Enact also closely partners with nonprofits focused on affordable housing, such as CASA, a nonprofit that provides access to stable, affordable housing for people who are homeless or at risk by developing and managing rental communities in the Triangle, where Enact is based. CASA’s newest facility, which the Enact Foundation supported, reduced homelessness in Wake County by 10%. Enact also supports CASA through more strategic initiatives and is currently working towards offering services from NextJob, an existing Enact partner which offers job coaching, to CASA residents.

Scott Hall believes in celebrating life by giving back to others — a philosophy that shapes everything he does as a Lock Desk Specialist at Logan Finance. Scott volunteers his time at North Valley Hockey Sports Complex, a nonprofit where he has helped build youth roller hockey programs welcoming any child regardless of their financial situation. Recognizing that equipment costs create barriers for many families, Scott helped establish a gear lending program providing helmets, gloves, knee pads — anything a young player needs.

Scott explained, “We’re not focusing on any special group; we’re taking all comers — and trying to cut down costs so kids can explore without their parents spending a fortune.” Scott’s approach to coaching reflects values instilled by his parents: a father with military discipline and a marine biology PhD, and a nurturing mother whose healthcare career taught Scott the importance of empathy. The balance of his father’s structure and mother’s compassion shaped Scott’s character and ethos. Rather than simply correcting difficult behavior, Scott identifies natural leaders among the kids and earns their trust first, nurturing confidence that ripples through the entire group. He sees every practice as an opportunity to provide the structure and mentorship young people need in an increasingly screen-focused world. The recent loss of his father, following the loss of his brother, deepened Scott’s community-focused resolve to make a difference. Scott’s father taught him to mourn those who never had the chance to live fully while celebrating those who did by honoring their memory through action.

Scott has channeled that philosophy into community initiatives like working with the City of Chico to establish hockey and broomball programs at the downtown ice rink during the holiday season, opening the sport to community members of all skill levels. Beyond youth sports, Scott dedicates time weekly to First Community Christian Church, handling custodial and maintenance work, a role he took on three years ago because it aligns with his desire to help others while staying active. These qualities — reliability, structure, and genuine care for others — define Scott’s contributions at Logan Finance. With years of lock desk experience dating back to his first job out of college, Scott brings the discipline and integrity his father instilled in him to every interaction with brokers and colleagues.

Looking ahead, Scott is collaborating with the Chico Area Recreation District to establish a permanent covered outdoor roller hockey facility, expanding year-round access for the community. He aims to help others struggling with mental health, especially those going through what he experienced with his own family. For Scott, mental strength is just as important as physical strength. It’s a legacy project he hopes to realize in his lifetime, proving that one person’s commitment to giving back can create something lasting. When informed about this nomination, Scott was characteristically humble: “I’m blown away about that alone, whether this goes any further or not. It motivates me.”

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE), believes that financial education is the cornerstone of its charitable efforts. It’s not just closely aligned to its business; ICE has a vested interest in creating a more inclusive financial system, educating the next generation of investors and entrepreneurs and empowering people to take control of their financial well-being.

For example, the company has the The NYSE Future Investors program, which includes three sets of curricula: financial education basics for grade school students, advanced instruction on investing and markets for high school students and data science knowledge and skills for high school students. During each school year more than 5,000 students receive access to financial and data sciences education under this program.

Grade school financial education includes financial education for grade school students that focuses on foundational understanding of financial concepts. A baseline knowledge of how money works and how to use it sets students up for success as they learn about more complicated concepts in the future.

This program takes students beyond individual financial decisions to introduce them to larger economic and market concepts. Students learn about individual investing and how their future investments impact, and are impacted by, the larger economy.

After completing the course, more students report feeling prepared to understand how the economy impacts them personally, how to decide when to invest and report feeling better prepared to accomplish long-term financial goals in their adult lives.

Lastly, this program familiarizes students with a variety of modern data techniques and their applications. This curriculum is also a resource to help close the gender gap in data sciences. After taking this course, a greater percentage of female students showed increased interest in data visualization, predictive analytics and data mining.

For more than two decades, Plaza Home Mortgage® has exemplified what it means to be a responsible corporate citizen—blending industry leadership with a deep and enduring commitment to humanitarian causes. Throughout its 25-year history, Plaza has fostered a culture of giving that enriches its associates, supports vital nonprofit causes and amplifies its positive impact across the lending industry and the communities it serves, as well as broader society. Plaza’s sustained charitable work spans healthcare, disaster relief, veteran support, disability services, family and children’s well-being and community resilience.

Long-standing partnerships include:

• Susan G. Komen San Diego, where Plaza has raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support breast cancer screenings, education and patient assistance.

• Challenge Center, Veterans Airlift Command and Angel Flight West, where Plaza contributed $50,000 to each organization to advance critical services for veterans and families in need.

• Just in Time for Foster Youth, a San Diego-based organization which helps make a difference in the troubling transition of foster youth leaving the foster care system without essential family support after 18.

• American Red Cross supporting disaster relief efforts and local communities

• Surf Adaptado, a Costa Rica–based sports association that empowers people with disabilities through inclusion and adaptive surfing.

• Make-A-Wish®, which helps to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness.

• Navy SEALs Fund – Brotherhood Beyond Battlefield®, supporting all generations of current, retired and former UDT/SEAL teammates and their immediate dependents, including Gold Star Families with the overall objective to strengthen the bonds of the Brotherhood and reduce the financial burden of members of the Navy UDT/SEAL Community who are in need of assistance.

Plaza has demonstrated this commitment both in sustained ongoing relationships and targeted giving. Over the years, Plaza has donated meaningful amounts to Red Autismo in support of autism awareness and services, contributed thousands of dollars to wildfire relief efforts via the California Fire Foundation, and backed community resilience efforts tied to medical access and emergency preparedness. In 2025, Plaza committed more than $13,000 in charitable donations to a group of impactful national organizations, chosen by its clients, including Aggieland Against ALS, created by two of its own National Correspondent sales executives. This effort was recognized on May 7, 2025, when the Texas House of Representatives passed the Chris Larkin ALS Act (HB 2516), ensuring that Texans under 65 living with ALS can access affordable Medicare insurance. This activity not only reinforced the company’s philanthropic nature but also engaged the lending community directly in giving back.

What distinguishes Plaza’s humanitarian impact is the integration of giving into company identity: associates are encouraged to participate in fundraising and volunteer efforts and leadership consistently aligns corporate activity with community benefit. This culture boosts internal morale, strengthens industry goodwill and reinforces the idea that lenders can—and should—play a meaningful role in addressing societal needs beyond direct business operations.