Career moves

Steven Abrahams, Deutsche Bank AG's head of U.S. mortgage bond and securitization research, is leaving this month after almost six years at the bank as it pulls back from those markets, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Redwood Trust in Mill Valley, Calif., plans to stop buying mortgage loans to resell to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as it looks to cut costs.

Societe Generale SA is pulling back from the U.S. mortgage bond business just two years after building out the unit, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

David Miller resigned as chief executive officer of Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp., and board member Thomas Brock will lead the single-family landlord during the search for a new CEO.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Jan. 15.

Loan officers from the Top Producers rankings share some of their best career anecdotes and advice behind their success in the mortgage industry.

William P. Foley II, who had been the executive chairman of the nation's largest title insurance underwriter, Fidelity National Financial, has stepped down from the role as of Jan. 8.

In a mostly light-hearted interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," HUD Secretary Julian Castro defended the agency against Republican calls for its shutdown.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will get a boost in public visibility with a scheduled appearance on the Jan. 11 episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Walker & Dunlop has agreed to acquire the other half of a commercial mortgage-backed securities joint venture it has with Fortress Investment Group.

Greystone in New York has hired Gregory Forester to lead a new group for hospitality-focused lending and investing.

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., has hired four bankers to a develop a business line making Federal Housing Administration-insured loans for multifamily rental properties.

Employment at nonbank mortgage lenders and brokers was down in November, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Wells Fargo & Co. has promoted Carmen Bell to senior vice president of its mortgage default servicing unit.

JPMorgan Chase has appointed a new head of mortgage servicing to replace Mike Weinbach, who recently stepped down from the role to become the chief executive of mortgage banking.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Jan. 8.

While it searches for a permanent deputy director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has named David Silberman to serve as its acting No. 2 starting next week.

Owens Realty Mortgage has promoted its chief financial officer, Bryan Draper, to chief executive and president.

KeyCorp is hiring Royal Bank of Canada's head of mortgage-bond trading, Joe Vaccaro, and structured products salesman Mike Corsi as the regional lender expands its bond business, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

As the mortgage industry begins the New Year, National Mortgage News takes a look at the biggest trends and topics that will shape 2016.