Career moves

Since PHH is now a pure-play mortgage company, it made sense to have just one executive running the business, industry experts said.

Julian Castro takes the helm as the housing recovery continues to lag the rest of the economy.

Zillow Inc. is seeking to acquire rival Trulia Inc. in a move to combine the two most-visited U.S. real estate websites.

MGIC Investment Corp. promoted Patrick Sinks to chief executive officer as the mortgage insurer looks for ways to raise capital to meet new industry standards proposed by a U.S. regulator.

Alston & Bird said that Nanci Weissgold has joined the firm's Washington office as a partner in the Financial Services and Products Practice.

Mentoring the newbies in the mortgage business may help them avoid boom-and-bust errors later in their careers. And it can be a personally satisfying thing to do as well.

In another reshuffling of its mortgage ranks, Bank of America has promoted D. Steve Boland, who joined the company through the 2008 acquisition of Countrywide Financial, to head residential lending.

Maverick Funding Corp. named reverse mortgage origination expert Cecilia Delgado as wholesale account executive for its reverse mortgage network Western region.

Julian Castro, who was confirmed as the new secretary for housing and urban development, is bound to face continued industry lobbying to lower premiums paid to the Federal Housing Administration.

Fortress Investment Group hired Adam Siegel, a former trader at Royal Bank of Scotland Group, to expand its mortgage business.

FormFree Holdings, a mortgage technology vendor in Athens, Ga., has appointed John Sheppard, a former Coca-Cola International executive, to be its president and chief operating officer.

Jackson Martin has joined Austin, Texas-based commercial real estate services firm, The Stone Group, as vice president.

National Mortgage News has won an award from the Native American Journalists Association.

When serving United Nations employees, knowing how to explain the ins and outs of housing finance in the U.S. is a must. Fortunately for Chip Allen, mortgages run in his blood.

Envoy Mortgage said that its president, Patrick Walden, has been named president and CEO.

Alfred DelliBovi, the former chief executive of Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, will join the board of Flushing Financial Corp.

Julian Castro pledged to recapitalize the FHA insurance fund and work with Congress on GSE reform but equivocated when a Senator asked about cities condemning underwater mortgages.

Stratmor Group has hired Thomas J. Finnegan III, an industry veteran with over 30 years of mortgage banking experience, as senior associate.

The Federal Reserve said Friday that it has appointed Eric Belsky to serve as director of its Division of Consumer and Community Affairs.

LenderLive Network said that Marcy MacDonnell has joined the firm as regional account executive covering the Southwest region for its correspondent lending division.