Angel Oak, LendingHome, LenderClose, Lower appoint new chief officers

November 5, 2021 6:11 PM

Angel Oak appoints David Raju CIO

Atlanta-based

., which includes asset-management and nonagency mortgage divisions, announced the appointment of David Raju as chief information officer. Raju was the founder and former CEO of Covience, a banking-solutions platform acquired by Angel Oak in September. Before founding Covience, Raju was president and CEO at digital bank Zag Bank, a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, and also held the role of chief technology and operations officer at Ally Canada.

Raju will be responsible for introducing, developing and integrating technology tools across the entire line of Angel Oak companies.

“Whether it is becoming more efficient and better monetizing our data or implementing bolder ideas such as moving to the blockchain, Angel Oak intends to remain on the forefront of digital innovation in the mortgage and asset management industries,” Raju said.

Consolidated Analytics names former Cenlar leader Bob Hora COO

Digital mortgage solutions and data provider Consolidated Analytics announced the appointment of mortgage-industry veteran Bob Hora as chief operating officer, a new role at the company. Hora joins the Anaheim, California-based firm with 30 years of experience in mortgage servicing and default operations from financial institutions, such as Ditech, Bank of America, Fannie Mae and, most recently,

Cenlar

, where he was senior vice president of default operations.

As COO, Hora will focus on developing digital operations in order to scale service and product delivery to originators, servicers and investors. He will also implement tools and systems meant to streamline and unify business intelligence and strengthen performance transparency.

LendingHome names Carrie Weber chief risk officer

Fix-and-flip investment lender LendingHome, which recently announced

it will rebrand as Kiavi

, tapped Carrie Weber as chief risk officer. Weber will design a risk-management plan as the company plans for further growth and will oversee all risk and compliance activities. The company states that it has generated more than $7.8 billion in loan originations to date.

Weber most recently held the title of senior vice president and chief risk and compliance officer at Nebraska-based financial services firm Ameritas. Before joining Ameritas, she held financial leadership roles at ConAgra Foods and Arbor Bank.

Mortgage platform Lower appoints Bill Kaper chief technology officer

Multichannel fintech Lower, based in Columbus, Ohio, announced the hiring of tech industry veteran Bill Kaper as chief technology officer. A former Silicon Valley executive, Kaper served as chief technology officer at fintech Huckleberry, and also held engineering roles at Root Insurance and Amazon, where he worked on language-translation software and machine-translation applied science initiatives.

Designed for the

millennial

and Generation Z market, Lower’s platform aims to be an all-in-one provider, simplifying home buying across all phases of the purchase process. With Kaper’s appointment, the company hopes to further enhance its existing product after recently securing $100 million in a

Series A investment round

.

LenderClose promotes Allen Jingst to chief revenue officer

Mortgage technology platform LenderClose tapped Allen Jingst to become its chief revenue officer. In the role, he will help lead company growth and strategy in order to assist LenderClose’s client base of community banks and credit unions with its technology, drawing on his experience in business development, retention strategy and customer acquisition. He also will work with company leaders to develop and find partnership opportunities. Before joining LenderClose two years ago, Jingst held positions at payments platform Dwolla and DICE, a tech industry-focused recruiting engine.

Nationwide Mortgage Bankers appoints Nate Hernandez COO

Nationwide Mortgage Bankers, or NMB, based in Melville, New York, tapped industry veteran Nate Hernandez as chief operating officer. He most recently served as senior vice president of national sales for Franklin Loan Center and previously held the title of national sales director at CMG Financial, responsible for sales operations in the Mountain and Western regions in both roles. At NMB, Hernandez will oversee daily operations and work with leadership to set company performance goals, tapping into his industry experience in originations, operations and sales leadership

Digital mortgage startup Xpanse taps Phil Huff for CEO

Mortgage-automation platform Xpanse, which provides

digital-lending solutions

for lenders and service providers, tapped Phil Huff as CEO. As the Seattle-based startup’s head, Huff will move the company beyond its beta trial to launch nationwide. Huff brings over 25 years of experience as a leader in the real estate finance industry to Xpanse, with positions in companies of various sizes from small startups to large public companies. He previously spearheaded the growth of both eLynx and Platinum Data as their CEO, producing results that led to their acquisitions by Black Knight and

CoreLogic

.

Lenders One welcomes back former MBA leader Tricia Migliazzo as senior VP

Lenders One, a subsidiary of Altisource based in Atlanta, welcomed the return of Tricia Migliazzo to the company as senior vice president, origination sales. An alliance of mortgage industry companies, Lenders One operates a technology platform that generated approximately $780 billion worth of originations volume last year. Migliazzo will oversee teams responsible for Lenders One membership and products, as well as its preferred vendor, preferred investor and white-label solutions.

With two decades of leadership experience in the mortgage industry, Migliazzo recently served as vice president of member engagement at the Mortgage Bankers Association, where she led MBA’s residential member recruiting and member-engagement initiatives. Prior to joining the MBA, she held other roles within Lenders One and Altisource, including director of business development.

Gateway names Michael Embry senior VP of corporate marketing

National mortgage lender Gateway First Bank recently appointed experienced marketing leader Michael Embry as its senior vice president of corporate marketing. Embry comes to Gateway, headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, from BOK Financial, where he spent over a decade managing retail and mortgage marketing and most recently held the role of director of commercial marketing. Before joining BOK, Embry worked in the advertising industry.

In his new position at Gateway, Embry will be in charge of marketing for mortgage and banking units, drawing from his background in project management and digital marketing. “We have onboarded a great deal of new technology and look forward to seeing our digital marketing efforts complement these new platforms,” said Scott Gesell, CEO of Gateway.

Regions hires former BofA affordable-housing expert Jason Kaye

Regions Financial

tapped Jason Kaye as senior vice president and relationship manager in its affordable-housing division. The company’s Regions Bank subsidiary is one of the nation’s largest participants in affordable housing finance through the low-income housing tax credit program. In his new role, Kaye will oversee the bank’s sourcing and originations of affordable-housing transactions in Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

“Jason will serve several important markets, including high-growth areas where housing is in great demand and the need for more affordable housing is clear,” said David Payne, co-head of originations for Regions Affordable Housing.

Kaye joins Birmingham, Alabama-based Regions from Bank of America, where he was senior vice president of community development banking, leading origination and structuring of affordable-housing debt and equity opportunities. Earlier in his career, he served in the New York City Economic Development Corporation and worked on former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s South Bronx Initiative, a program aimed to redevelop the community.

The American Land Title Association elects Daniel Wold president

National trade association The American Land Title Association, representing land title insurers, recently appointed Daniel Wold as president for 2021 to 2022. Wold currently holds the position of executive vice president of industry relations and strategic initiatives at Old Republic National Title Insurance.
“In the coming year, ALTA will advocate for public policies on multiple issues, such as expanding homeownership affordability and protecting against practices undermining homeownership opportunities,” Wold said.
Wold also added that the association will address legislative and regulatory initiatives to advance wide-scale adoption of digital closings.

Lenderworks names Mario Gomez director of capital markets

Digital mortgage services provider Lenderworks, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, named Mario Gomez executive vice president, director of capital markets. Gomez will be responsible for growth of the firm’s capital market consulting and support services for lenders. He recently held the title of executive vice president, director of capital markets with TowneBank Mortgage and brings more than 15 years of experience working in the capital and secondary markets of the mortgage industry, with prior tenures at Harbor One Bank, EastWest Mortgage and Embrace Home Loans.

Cherry Creek Mortgage promotes Susan Vick to vice president

Cherry Creek Mortgage, a national lender based in Denver and licensed in 38 states, announced the promotion of Susan Vick to vice president of marketing. She steps into the position after having served as director of marketing since February last year. Vick has decades of marketing experience in the financial, health care and technology communities, with expertise managing focus-group research, multistate TV and radio campaigns and other paid advertising. In her new leadership position, she will oversee digital marketing efforts, leading a team responsible for web, search-engine optimization, social media, media buying and customer experience initiatives.

CMG Financial hires Jas Sohal, Timothy Quinlan to drive national growth

Left to right: Timothy Quinlan, Jas Sohal

Direct mortgage lender CMG Financial, licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, recently added two new faces to continue its national expansion. The lender, based in San Ramon, California, hired Timothy Quinlan Sr. as a regional sales manager and Jas Sohal as a regional vice president.

A longtime Midwestern sales leader, Quinlan will lead growth in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. He joins CMG after recently serving as vice president — Midwest mortgage sales leader at Huntington Bank and has developed and led sales teams throughout his career in Illinois and Wisconsin for financial institutions, including TCF Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo and PNC Bank. Sohal takes over as regional vice president retail — Northern California and Northern Nevada, after holding the role of regional manager at Guaranteed Rate Affinity. An experienced originator and manager, Sohal previously worked in lending at JP Morgan Chase, First Cal, Stearns Lending and Citi.

Flueid hires strategy expert Danielle Sandoval

Digital real estate software provider Flueid, based in Austin, recently appointed Danielle Sandoval to the position of vice president of product strategy. In the role, Sandoval will manage growth of Flueid’s suite of digital real estate products, including Flueid Decision. Sandoval brings prior strategy and planning experience through her work with startups in the fintech and proptech space, including management of exit strategies and IPOs. Most recently, she served as group product manager at Procore Technologies.

JLL hires environmental-assessment expert Dennis Firestone

Photo by Aslanian Photoqraphy

Real estate and investment management firm JLL, appointed Dennis Firestone as vice president of its environmental and property condition team serving JLL Capital Advisory’s premier accounts. JLL introduced the team earlier this year in response to demand for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac environmental-site assessments and multihousing property-condition assessments.

Firestone is a registered geologist and environmental manager, specializing in risk, asset management and environmental due diligence for financial and real estate industries. He has provided environmental services as a consultant, and also worked as a commercial lender.

On Q Financial hires new leaders Pamela Herrmann, Jason Winkler as VPs

Left to right: Pamela Herrmann, Jason Winkler

Digital lender On Q Financial continued its 2021 growth, recently announcing the appointment of two new executives to its team. Mortgage marketing expert Pamela Herrmann comes onboard as On Q’s vice president of marketing. In her previous role as marketing vice president with Mortgage Cadence, Herrmann focused on improving its brand identity and digital marketing efforts. At On Q, Herrmann will help develop strategy to optimize demand generation and promote borrower engagement.

The Tempe, Arizona-based lender also tapped Jason Winkler as vice president of retail operations. Winkler will be responsible for delivering strategies that promote business development, sales and growth among its mortgage consultants across several On Q channels, with a focus on their individual development. Winkler previously held the role of senior director of development at accounting and consulting firm, Wipfli.

Trez Capital hires Justin Driscoll to oversee bridge lending in East

Global commercial real estate firm Trez Capital, with headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, named commercial real estate veteran Justin Driscoll managing director of its bridge-financing program based in New York. In the position, he will work on expanding Trez’s bridge-lending efforts in the Eastern U.S., with a focus on multifamily, hospitality, industrial and office sectors. Driscoll will also turn his eye to niche-asset classes such as build-to-rent spaces currently being deployed by sponsors to address workforce housing shortages in markets experiencing spikes in population growth. “It’s a great time to be in the bridge-lending space, with lots of opportunities to creatively put money to work in an array of property sectors,” said Driscoll.

Before joining Trez, Driscoll was a senior originator at UBS Investment Bank in New York, where he closed more than $1 billion of commercial real estate loans. He also held the role of vice president of investment solutions for the Partners Group and started his career with Lehman Brothers Global Commercial Real Estate Group.

Eastern Union taps Charles Hoffman to lead new hospitality unit

Eastern Union, a commercial brokerage firm based in New York City, introduced a new hospitality group, tapping Charles Hoffman to head the unit as managing director. In the new role, Hoffman will oversee a team of specialists providing commercial finance services to the hotel and short-term rental industry, particularly those in areas most adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Hoffman brings with him deep experience in hotel financing and relationships with financiers within hospitality thanks to past roles as a lender, owner and developer. He also managed a family office for over a decade.

“Hospitality poses special challenges as an asset class,” said Abe Bergman, co-founder and managing partner of Eastern Union. “It’s cumbersome to underwrite and manage, and COVID-19 has added new complications.”

Mag Mile taps Cody Harper as vice president of originations

Chicago-based Mag Mile Capital, a commercial real estate and banking firm, appointed Cody Harper as vice president of originations. In the role, Harper will be responsible for originations and closings of transactions, capital advisory and new-client development. He previously held roles in structured finance at DBRS and in business advisory at Huron. His professional background also includes tenures at Ernst & Young, Citigroup, Capmark Finance and GMAC Commercial Mortgage, where he managed transactions funded by bonds, low-income housing tax-credit syndication and agency-forward funding commitments.

AmTrust Title names John Cannito New Jersey counsel

New York-based AmTrust Title, a subsidiary of AmTrust Financial, recently named John Cannito its New Jersey underwriting counsel. Cannito has spent four decades in search and examination, title underwriting and title practice, preparing policies for more than 30,000 transactions. In his role, Cannito will provide counsel to the company’s independent New Jersey agents, assisting them with complex transactions, including large commercial loans. He will also teach continuing education classes to AmTrust professionals. Cannito is a certified title professional with the New Jersey Land Title Association and previously served as a representative on its board of governors.

Accurate Group appoints appraisal veteran Tony Pistilli to exec role

Photo by Paul Hartmann

Accurate Group, a digital real estate appraisal, title, analytics, and e-closing services provider serving the mortgage industry, tapped Tony Pistilli as chief appraiser and director of valuation operations. As a leader in real estate lending and appraisal in a wide range of organizations, Pistilli will oversee the company’s valuation operations, compliance, strategy and product innovation functions in his new position. He recently served as senior vice president, general manager of valuation services and chief appraiser with Computershare Valuation Services.

In September, Cleveland-based Accurate Group received strategic investment funding from Canadian private equity firm NovaCap that will help it continue developing technologies and client services.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods adds three staffers for mortgage tech deals

Specialist investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods recently hired John Guzzo and Jason White as managing directors and appointed Alexander Nanas senior associate in its fintech and financial services investment banking group. Based in New York, all three were recently with Berkery, Noyes & Co., with Guzzo and White serving as managing directors. The two new directors will focus primarily on emerging mortgage technology and related sectors at KBW.

“In recent years, billions of dollars of capital have flowed into these sectors, fueling the emergence of disruptive startups that are digitally infusing all aspects of the real estate value chain,” said Guzzo. “KBW is uniquely positioned at the epicenter of this evolution.”

While at Berkery, Noyes & Co. Guzzo and White were involved with or led multiple deals among real estate and mortgage tech companies, including the likes of SitusAMC and Stewart Title. Earlier in their careers, they worked extensively in M&A transactions while at other investment banks.

PRMI adds Gabrielle Welter, Matt Bowman to reverse-mortgage team

Left to right: Matt Bowman, Gabrielle Welter

Salt Lake City-based Primary Residential Mortgage, also known as PRMI, announced the hiring of reverse-mortgage originators Gabrielle Welter and Matt Bowman, part of company-wide plans to majorly expand its presence in the segment. The experienced specialists join the company’s Indianapolis office. Welter gained experience in

reverse mortgages

at Fairway Independent Mortgage, and before entering the industry, worked in insurance. Bowman joins PRMI after spending six years serving Finance of America Reverse clients.

PRMI recently moved from brokering reverse loans to lending, designating The Steven J. Sless Group as its dedicated reverse mortgage center to support its local branches. PRMI plans to hire more reverse mortgage professionals at its existing locations or in reverse-mortgage-specific offices planned to open throughout the country under The Sless Group name.

Verus Title hires Kathy Hulbert to lead Midwest growth

Verus Title, a real estate technology platform serving brokerages and agents with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, recently named Kathy Hulbert vice president, Midwest region. An expert in title insurance and underwriting, Hulbert previously served as state agency manager for Indiana and Kentucky at North American Title Insurance Co. For eight years, she was executive director for the Indiana Land Title Association, where she lobbied for title insurance-friendly legislation. Her past experience also includes roles in the Indiana state attorney general’s office.

In her new position, Hulbert will be in charge of increasing Verus Title’s footprint throughout the Midwest and assist with national compliance responsibilities. A subsidiary of Fathom Holdings, Verus Title currently operates on the East Coast, and in parts of the South and Midwest.

URSB taps Gary McEldowney for leadership role in New Jersey

URSB, based in Carteret, New Jersey, named banking veteran Gary McEldowney senior vice president — lending. With experience in real estate-related loan originations, underwriting, servicing, commercial and residential development and credit management, McEldowney has developed and implemented lending strategies and policy in New Jersey over a decades-long career.

"Gary brings extensive experience tying financial institutions to the communities they serve — an ongoing goal here at URSB," said Kenneth Totten, president and CEO of URSB.

Revolution Mortgage taps Austin Reed, Greg Ocken to lead new branches

Left to right: Austin Reed, Greg Ocken

Columbus, Ohio-based Revolution Mortgage announced the opening of two new branches in Massachusetts and Washington State, continuing its national growth in 2021. The new branches are the first Revolution Mortgage offices in their respective states. The lender added Austin Reed as branch manager of its Boston office. Over the last 10 years, Reed has held mortgage lending positions at Prospect Mortgage and, most recently, Guaranteed Rate, where he was both a branch manager and senior loan officer.

The company also named Greg Ocken as branch production manager for its first West Coast office in Federal Way, Washington. Ocken began his mortgage career at Chase Bank and later joined Movement Mortgage, where he spent eight years as a branch manager before coming to Revolution. He also teaches classes for prospective home buyers and realtors.

Geneva Financial names Renee Peden new branch manager in Kentucky

Geneva Financial, a nationwide lender based in Chandler, Arizona, announced the opening of a branch in Lexington, Kentucky, to be led by state native Renee Peden. Active in the mortgage industry since 2006, Peden previously served mortgage clients in the Lexington market in a variety of roles while at Fairway Independent Mortgage, Wells Fargo, Bank of England Mortgage and Fifth Third Bank.

Pilgrim Christakis promotes finance litigator Jim Morrissey to partner

Chicago-based litigation firm Pilgrim Christakis, which serves financial services clients across industries, promoted Jim Morrissey, a six-year associate, to partner. An attorney with experience representing banks, fintechs, payment processors, mortgage originators and servicers and debt collectors in consumer protection cases, class actions and government investigations, Morrissey also counsels banks and nonbanks in compliance and regulation. Prior to joining Pilgrim Christakis, he served in the Illinois state appellate defender’s office in Chicago.