Kevin DeLory, Equity Prime Mortgage’s (EPM) chief lending officer TPO and a partner in the business, died on Tuesday following a bout with cancer. He was 53 years old.
DeLory spent more than 20 years in the TPO space. A Rhode Island native, he graduated from Rhode Island College in 1994, where he originally planned to become a teacher before finding the mortgage industry.
DeLory leaves behind his wife, Dana, 41, and daughter Brooklyn, 8, EPM CEO Eddy Perez said in a call with HousingWire.
“You can quote me on this one, and it’s true, nobody outside of Mat Ishbia, nobody was as passionate for brokers as him. Nobody,” said Perez, adding that DeLory was showing up to work as recently as last week despite his illness. “I’ve lost soldiers before, but I’ve never lost a general on my watch.”
DeLory began his career in the mortgage industry as an account executive at Option One Mortgage. He later held roles at New Century Mortgage, Barclays, Mid-Island Mortgage Corp. and Carrington.
At Carrington, DeLory set records, including being named the top Regional Sales Manager in the company in units for 2013-2017.
DeLory joined EPM in 2021. During his time at the company, he co-hosted “The Whole Perspective” podcast with his SVP of Lending at EPM and best friend of 30 years, Kenny Phillips.
In a post on LinkedIn, Perez shared the news of DeLory’s passing.
“Our partnership was rooted in trust. We challenged each other, pushed each other, and supported each other through every high and every hardship,” Perez wrote. “Kevin made me a better leader, and more than that, he made me a better man…His loss is a shock to our system—and to our hearts. But the best way we can honor him is to carry his legacy forward.”
Perez says he plans to fill DeLory’s shoes in the meantime and run EPM’s sales. He doesn’t imagine naming a replacement anytime soon, and he put forward the idea of naming a scholarship for his daughter in memory of her father and an award in his honor.
“I was privileged to be his CEO. I was privileged to be his business partner,” shared a choked-up Perez.
