Velocity Financial, Inc.
Management Team

Mr. Farrar has served as Chief Executive Officer for Velocity since co-founding the Company in 2004, and he has also served on the Company’s Board of Directors since its initial public offering in January 2020. Mr. Farrar brings extensive experience in finance, lending, capital raising and business operations. Previously, Mr. Farrar served as Senior Vice President of Production at Weyerhaeuser Mortgage Company and Chief Credit Officer for Worth Funding, a mortgage banking firm. Mr. Farrar received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Pepperdine University and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker (inactive).

Mr. Taylor has served as our Executive Vice President, Capital Markets since 2004 and is a founding member of the Company. Mr. Taylor has more than 26 years of experience in the secondary mortgage market. Mr. Taylor co-founded the Company in June 2004. Prior to that time, Mr. Taylor worked for two different opportunity funds that purchased Resolution Trust Corporation and FDIC loan portfolios and as Vice President of Operations for 2dmkt.com, an Internet start-up that created a platform for trading commercial real estate loan portfolios on the Internet. Mr. Taylor also served as a Vice President with BayView Financial Trading Group L.P. where he managed the Northern California, Oregon and Washington markets for the commercial lending group and at Countrywide Securities Corporation where he served as a Transaction Manager. Mr. Taylor received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz in economics and history and a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

Mr. Szczepaniak has served as our Chief Financial Officer since May 2017. Mr. Szczepaniak has more than 30 years of industry experience in the real estate/financial services industry and has held various senior positions with both publicly and privately-held finance companies. Mr. Szczepaniak served as Managing Director of Finance at PennyMac Loan Services, LLC from November 2013 until joining us in 2017. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Szczepaniak served as Chief Financial Officer of Prospect Mortgage. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Szczepaniak served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle and from 1996 to 2004 he served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. Mr. Szczepaniak is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in the state of California, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. Mr. Szczepaniak received his Bachelor of Science in finance and accounting from St. Joseph’s College.

Mr. Cowell has served as our Chief Operating Officer since April 1, 2016. Mr. Cowell has 15 years experience in real estate finance and mortgage lending operations. Mr. Cowell has held a variety of roles at Velocity Commercial Capital since joining in 2004. From 2012 to 2016, he served as Chief Credit Officer, Senior Vice President of Whole Loan Acquisitions, and Vice President of Production and Operations. Prior to joining Velocity, Mr. Cowell worked at BayView Financial Trading Group as a capital markets analyst and an account executive for a Bayview subsidiary company, Interbay Funding. Mr. Cowell received a Bachelor of Arts from Western Colorado State University in Business Administration, a Certificate in Real Estate from the University of California Los Angeles, and a Master of Science degree in Banking and Financial Services Management from Boston University.

Mr. Comley has served as Chief Information Officer of our operating subsidiary, Velocity Commercial Capital LLC, since September 2016. He has held various senior and executive positions with both publicly and privately-held companies. From February 2015 to August 2016, Mr. Comley was Director of Advanced Analytics for the West Coast at West Monroe Partners, where he practiced consulting in numerous industries undergoing profound change. From September 2013 to January 2015, he served as Director of Strategic Services at TIBCO Inc., a software company providing business intelligence solutions. From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Comley served as Senior Vice President of Consulting at Extended Results, a business intelligence company which he helped position for acquisition by TIBCO Inc. in 2013. From 2009 to 2010, he served as Business Development Manager at P2 Solutions, a consulting company that provides technology services to clients. From 2001 to 2007 he served as Vice President of Operations at Deterministics, a restaurant labor management, productivity and engineering company. Mr. Comley is a Trustee Board Member for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Washington/Alaska Chapter. Mr. Comley received his Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Washington.

Mr. Kelly has served as our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since July 2020. Mr. Kelly is a corporate, regulatory, governance and capital markets professional with a career spanning more than 20 years on Wall Street. Prior to joining Velocity, Mr. Kelly was a Managing Director and Associate General Counsel for Jefferies Financial Group Inc., a Fortune 500 company focused on investment and merchant banking. Mr. Kelly previously worked for the international law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and worked as a regulator with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Kelly earned his Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science in business administration/finance, summa cum laude, from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Mr. Kelly is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Washington D.C.