Executive Team
John Trinh, a co-founder of OptionWide Financial Corporation, has enjoyed a dynamic leadership career as an inventor, entrepreneur and a senior executive of successful start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, turnaround and high growth companies. In 2016, Mr. Trinh was Senior Vice President at Freedom Mortgage and established a new alternative lending division for non-QM loans. In 2011, Mr. Trinh founded SecureAds, where he invented a new methodology for combining pseudo one-time-passwords with targeted advertising based on consumer profiles. Over 30 patents have been granted worldwide. In 2010, Mr. Trinh co-founded DynaPass, where as CEO, Mr. Trinh negotiated the acquisition of a U.S. Patent for one-time-passwords via SMS. In 2008, he founded Contact Ratio, Inc., which developed the world’s first direct response video landing pages. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Trinh served as President of Vantage Lending, Inc. and previously worked at Nationsfirst Lending, Homeloancenter.com and E*trade Financial.
Mr. Trinh holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University Fullerton in Political Science and attended The Fowler School of Law at Chapman University.
Jim Griffin, CFA is a co-founder of OptionWide Financial Corporation and has over 20 years of experience investing in, securitizing and trading a wide array of mortgage loans and securities. Prior to OptionWide, Mr. Griffin was Managing Director of Portfolio Investments at PennyMac Financial Services, where he was a voting member of the Investment and Valuation Committees. Mr. Griffin has been an investor for a credit hedge fund and has led mortgage trading desks at Wells Fargo Securities and Countrywide Securities Corp. Mr. Griffin was also a portfolio manager at a mortgage REIT and began his career at Freddie Mac.
Mr. Griffin earned an MBA degree in Finance from the College of William & Mary’s Mason School of Business and a BBA degree from Hofstra University. He is a CFA Charterholder and holds FINRA Series 7, 24 and 63 licenses.
Janice Ramocinski, CPA, is a co-founder of OptionWide Financial Corporation and has 35 years of experience in mortgage banking, mortgage brokering, real estate syndication and distressed residential and commercial debt servicing, and asset management. Ms. Ramocinski co-founded Kondaur Capital Corporation, a distressed residential mortgage servicing platform, serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Ramocinski was a consultant specializing in problem commercial loan and asset workouts, real estate valuation, financial institution shutdown, and complex issue litigation support around the 1980’s savings and loan crisis. Ms. Ramocinski started her career as a Senior Audit Manager for Deloitte & Touche.
Ms. Ramocinski earned a BA and MBA from the University of Chicago. She is a California Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Global Management Accountant, California Real Estate Broker, Mortgage Loan Originator, and Notary Public.
Eleanor Ojerio, Credit and Product Manager of Optionwide Financial Corporation, has extensive experience in several aspects of the mortgage industry, including origination, underwriting, wholesale and retail operations, mortgage assistance and down payment assistance programs, and LOS administration. Prior to Optionwide, Ms. Ojerio was a Program Administrator of a non-profit organization that specializes in down payment assistance programs and consumer financial literacy programs. Ms. Ojerio also served as a Product Operations Manager for Keep Your Home California (KYHC), a participant of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Hardest Hit Fund program, and worked closely with California Housing Finance Agency Mortgage Assistance Corporation (CALHFA MAC) to expand benefit limits for the unemployment and reinstatement assistance products. As part of the KYHC management and credit team, Ms. Ojerio actively participated in the U.S. Department of the Treasury periodic performance reviews that resulted in minimal to no corrective and remedial actions for the unemployment and reinstatement assistance products team. Ms. Ojerio’s experience in the non-QM industry dates back to the old “subprime” days where she climbed the ranks from Loan Specialist to Underwriter to Operations Manager during her tenure at Accredited Home Lenders, Inc. from 2002 to 2008.
Ms. Ojerio holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems from DeVry University and attended University of La Verne’s Masters program.
Richard Ho, serves as OptionWide Financial Corporation’s Director of Technology. He has a proven, 15 year track record as CTO/CIO, leading successful companies from inception to acquisition. Over the past 8 years, Mr. Ho has been an executive technology consultant for DynaPass, Inc. (developing a two factor authentication security compliant technology platform and a client management system), CarGigi, Inc./Ebay, Legal Helpers, Inc. and LoansDecision (developing a mortgage pricing and underwriting engine). Mr. Ho served as the VP of Information Technology for Truelink.com where he developed the GMAC/RFC AssetWise loan underwriting interface engine. Mr. Ho was an EVP & Chief Technology Officer at Homeloancenter.com (acquired by Lending Tree). Previously, Mr. Ho was the VP of Information Technology at Loansdirect.com (acquired by E-Trade Financial).
Mr. Ho graduated from the University of California San Diego with a B.A. in Cognitive Science with a minor in Psychology.
Paul Howarth has enjoyed a dynamic Mortgage and Sales leadership career as a real estate & mortgage broker-owner, real estate fix & flip investor, and senior executive of several successful startup/mortgage operations. From 2004-2009, Mr. Howarth was Senior Vice President at Bear Stearns & Company. He helped establish a new wholesale and correspondent lending division, Bear Stearns Residential Mortgage Corp., for less than prime loans. In 2010, Mr. Howarth also co-founded and provided initial VC capital for startup Forterus Healthcare Treatment Centers, where, within five years, he helped the company grow from Zero revenue to exit sale to then NYSE-listed AAC Holdings Inc (AAC now AACH). His recent non-QM and alternative lending experience includes VP positions at Sprout Mortgage and Deephaven Mortgage. Mr. Howarth was also Director of Direct-to-Consumer Sales at Homeloancenter.com and helped run retail purchase loan production at Nationstar Mortgage / Mr. Cooper – NYSE COOP. His industry peers know Mr. Howarth as a retail specialist because of his diverse direct-to-consumer experience.
Mr. Howarth holds a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ, and attended graduate school at Seton Hall University for business administration.
Jenny Chen-Drake, serves as OptionWide Financial Corporation’s outside General Counsel. Ms. Chen-Drake is the founder and principal of the Chen-Drake Law Group, P.C., which advises middle market and small cap publicly listed and private companies. Previously, Ms. Chen-Drake served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Mood Media (f/k/a Fluid Music Canada) and was in private practice specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate securities, and general corporate law for over 11 years at law firms, including Nixon Peabody LLP, Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif LLP (now DLA Piper), Luce & Forward, Rosenfield Meyer & Susman, LLP and Klein & Martin (now Rutan & Tucker, LLP).
Ms. Chen-Drake received her B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law.