Chao Cong is vice president of Business Strategy for the Data & Analytics division of Black Knight, Inc., now a part of ICE, a Fortune 500 company that is transforming and digitizing the U.S. residential mortgage process, from consumer engagement through loan origination. Black Knight is a premier provider of software, data and analytics to the mortgage and consumer loan, real estate and capital markets verticals, where Chao plays a critical role in providing the data and research for key stakeholders across the mortgage industry. This includes overseeing Black Knight’s Home Price Index (HPI) and its Index Suite, which complements the HPI with an overview of prepayment and credit market performance, as well as insights into the status of the origination market and real estate market.

She also leads a diverse group of data-focused professionals and is responsible for Black Knight’s analytics solutions, including the AFT℠ Prepayment and Credit Model, which provides a suite of cutting-edge behavior modeling solutions for agency, non-agency, whole loans, HELOC, HECM, CRT and agency CMBS.

Chao earned her master’s degree and is a candidate for a doctorate degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego. In addition to her financial services modeling and leadership experience, Chao is a CFA® charter holder and a Financial Risk Manager (FRM), as well as an author and researcher for industry white papers. Chao has also served as a panelist in multiple industry conferences, including those held by the Structured Finance Industry Group (SFIG) and the Information Management Network (IMN). Chao’s exceptional contributions to the industry were recognized by HousingWire, which selected her as a 2020 Women of Influence.

Michael Saccento is a Product Director at ICE Mortgage Technology in the Advisory and Rapid Analytics Platform business segment within the Data & Analytics division. As a product leader at ICE, Michael’s focus is making data accessible, connected, and at the center of our client’s daily business decisions.

With over 20 years of experience in mortgage, real estate, and capital markets, Michael’s background prior to joining ICE includes stints in home equity products, asset-based lending, servicing, risk management, whole loan trading, and securitization. This exposure to the full loan lifecycle and the inherent inefficiencies he observed ultimately inspired him to pivot his career and begin a journey towards building financial technology products.

Michael holds a B.B.A. with a concentration in Corporate Finance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He currently resides with his family in San Jose, CA.