Career moves

Commercial real estate investment banking firm George Smith Partners has hired Eric Hamermesh as senior vice president, and director of business development.

J.I. Kislak Mortgage, Miami Lakes, has hired Edward Scott, a former JPMorgan Chase executive, to be its southeast regional manager.

Joseph D’Urso is the new president at Green River Capital, a real estate owned asset management and loss mitigation provider for mortgage servicers, investment firms and banks based in West Valley City, Utah.

National City's warehouse lending chief Paul Best has landed a job with People's United Bank of Connecticut, one of the largest thrifts in the Northeast.

The mortgage banking division of LendingTree plans to hire 125 full timers — including loan officers — to work at its headquarters in Irvine, Calif.

Fannie Mae has named investment banker John Nichols chief risk officer for its capital markets division.

Braver Stern Securities LLC, New York, named Peter D. Howard managing director and head trader of CDOs, CLOs and esoteric asset-backed securities.

The Comptroller of the Currency late Wednesday appointed Timothy Ward to be its first deputy comptroller for thrift supervision.

Mortgage vendor Lender Processing Services, Jacksonville, Fla., late Thursday named Tom Schilling its executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Roy DeLoach is packing it in as CEO of the struggling National Association of Mortgage Brokers, but will serve as the trade group's chief (outside) lobbyist on real estate finance issues.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle entered into a consent order with the Federal Housing Finance Agency late Monday that requires the bank to take certain steps to improve its capital position and its business and operations.

Total Mortgage Services, a fast growing New England nonbank lender, has hired Michael Dimech as its new operations chief.

Fidelity National Financial chief executive Alan L. Stinson is stepping down from that job, but remaining with the company as an executive vice president. Chief operating officer George P. Scanlon will take over the CEO job.

Safeguard Properties, Valley View, Ohio, has promoted Michael Halpern to director of community initiatives where he will head up the REO field service company’s newly created government relations department.

Industry veteran Tom Wind, who has headed such mortgage powerhouses as Chase Home Finance and Aurora Loan Services, has been named managing director of J.I. Kislak Mortgage LLC, Miami Lakes, Fla.

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., Sun Prairie, Wis., has hired mortgage trainer Bliss Sawyer as a senior loan consultant to the company.

Radian Guaranty Inc., Philadelphia, has hired its first ever chief franchise officer, a position designed to build and promote the value of the company's mortgage insurance offerings.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. named Mark Pearce director of its newly-established Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection.

LoanMarket.net, Irvine, Calif., has hired Jeff Haar, a former executive in charge of correspondent lending at Saxon Mortgage, a nonprime lender based in Virginia.

The Senate late Wednesday confirmed Janet Yellen and Sarah Bloom Raskin as members of the Federal Reserve Board, leaving only one vacancy on the seven-member panel.