Loandepot, Cenlar, Union Home add new mortgage leaders

November 17, 2025 6:00 AM

Loandepot adds Lendingtree alum Nikul Patel to c-suite

National lender and servicer Loandepot welcomed fintech executive Nikul Patel as chief growth officer. In the role, Patel will be in charge of identifying growth opportunities, including acquisitions, and avenues for customer engagement.

Patel joins the Irvine, California-based company after most recently co-founding and serving as CEO of home improvement finance platform Loanglide. A former senior leader at Lendingtree between 2012 and 2019, Patel also held multiple c-suite positions at the borrower marketplace, including chief operating officer. Earlier in his career, he co-founded real estate search platform Movoto.com.

Union Home Mortgage welcomes Ann Aber as chief legal officer

Photo by MYLAN CANNON/Union Home Mortgage

Strongsville, Ohio-based Union Home Mortgage named attorney Ann Aber as its new chief legal officer. In the role, Aber will examine potential risk factors and the company's growth strategy to help support sustainable expansion, both in its lending capability and personnel. Aber arrives at Union home after most recently holding the title of chief legal and human resources officer for fabric store chain Joann, guiding it through its initial public offering and bankruptcies.

Bevri.ai welcomes wholesale veteran Jonathon Haddad as CEO

Third-party originations mortgage platform Bevri.ai announced the appointment of industry executive Jonathon Haddad to CEO. The current chairman and CEO of the broker trade group, Association of Independent Mortgage Experts, Haddad will serve in leadership roles at both organizations concurrently.

Haddad brings a background in both retail and wholesale operations, starting his career at Quicken Loans before transitioning to the mortgage broker space at Next Door Lending, eventually ascending to the role of president. Haddad later took over the helm of AIME in mid 2024.

Cenlar appoints Len Patton for business development leadership role

Mortgage subservicer and commercial bank Cenlar FSB announced the hiring of Len Patton as vice president of business development. Tasked with building a network to drive new business opportunities for the Ewing, New Jersey-based company, Patton most recently served as regional director at Lenders One Mortgage Cooperative. Previously, he held various leadership positions at a range of home finance companies, including Altisource, PHH Mortgage Corp. and Specialized Loan Servicing.

IDIQ names Robin Clayton vice president of marketing

Financial intelligence and credit monitoring platform IDIQ announced the hiring of mortgage industry veteran Robin Clayton as vice president of marketing. In the role, Clayton will be responsible for designing strategies to introduce and strengthen knowledge of IDIQ's tools into new industries, particularly in home finance.

A widely known expert and speaker in mortgage circles, Clayton's home lending background includes senior positions at Countrywide Home Loans, Bank of America and most recently, Paramount Residential Mortgage Group. She also is the founder of a digital strategy and research marketing agency based in Southern California.

Tidalwave names fintech executive Jason Cao chief operating officer

Artificial intelligence-backed mortgage platform Tidalwave announced the appointment of Jason Cao as partner and chief operating officer. An early investor of the New York-based technology firm, Cao's previous technology background includes a tenure as chief operating officer at blockchain security audit firm CertiK, which he helped scale to unicorn status. In his new role at Tidalwave, Cao will handle internal day-to-day running of the business to support its further development and growth.

Revolution Mortgage adds Michele Jaconelli, Greg Kazimer to c-suite positions

Left to right: Greg Kazimer, Michele Jaconelli

Westerville, Ohio-based Revolution Mortgage promoted banking and lending executive Michele Jaconelli as chief operating officer. In the role, Jaconelli will be responsible for daily management of a 150-member team across multiple departments to ensure smooth running of Revolution's business, including strengthening leadership and technology capabilities. She first joined Revolution in 2024, previously holding top leadership positions at the likes of Republic Bank and Infinity Home Loans, where she also served as chief operating officer, with expertise across all facets of mortgage lending.

The retail lender also recently welcomed Greg Kazimer as chief training and strategic development officer. In his new position, Kazimer will design and deliver training courses, modules and personalized coaching and help streamline communication across departments to best meet future growth targets.

ALTA welcomes David Townsend as president

The American Land Title Association announced the election of attorney David Townsend as president for the 2025–2026 term. The founder, former president and CEO of Agents National Title Insurance Co. before its sale to Essent Group in 2023, Townsend is currently senior vice president, agency division manager for the Fidelity National Financial family of companies. He previously served as a director for the Missouri Land Title Association and has been a member of ALTA's board of governors since 2018. Townsend also sits on the residential board of governors for the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Westcor elevates Steven Black to president and CEO

Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. announced the promotion of Steven Black to president and CEO. In his newly elevated position, Black will be responsible for Westcor's U.S. operations with an eye on strategic growth and new innovations. A veteran of both national and local underwriting teams, Black founded three title agencies before joining Maitland, Florida-based Westcor in 2015, initially serving the Texas market. Westcor later increased his leadership oversight to 17 Western states.

Firstline adds compliance leader Kelcey Davidson to executive team

Mortgage advisory firm Firstline Compliance named veteran industry leader Kelcey Davidson to its c-suite roster. As its chief compliance officer — a new role at Firstline — Davidson joins the company after holding the same title at Essex Mortgage, bringing with her a background in building practical programs to help lenders understand and meet regulatory guidelines. Past compliance leadership roles include positions serving multiple lending channels as well as servicing.

Visio welcomes Michele Kryczkowski as chief operating officer

Debt-service-coverage-ratio lender Visio Financial Services welcomed Michele Kryczkowski as chief operating officer. In the role, Kryczkowski will be responsible for multistate operations and customer experience enhancements to support Visio's network growth.

Prior to joining the Austin, Texas-based lender, she led mortgage operations across channels for Citibank. Her previous mortgage leadership experience include leadership tenures at Planet Home Lending, First Guaranty Mortgage Corp and Metlife Home Loans.

Newday USA taps Ken Harthausen, Neil Brooks to lead mortgage program

West Palm Beach, Florida-based Newday USA, a specialist in lending to U.S. veterans, named Neil Brooks as president of its new mortgage program. As head of Newday Home, Brooks will lead efforts to open homeownership to veterans through the unit, including the launch of a network of national real estate agents. A U.S. Navy veteran, Brooks was a top-producing Realtor for My Home Group in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a certified military housing specialist.

Stepping into the role of president of Newday Home's builder division, Ken Harthausen will be in charge of developing partnerships with construction firms around the country to expand purchase options for borrowers using Department of Veterans Affairs loans. Established in forming and growing lender-builder joint ventures, Harthausen's mortgage experience includes similar roles at Countrywide Home Loans and PHH Mortgage.

Foundation welcomes wholesale expert Sam Bjelac to sales leadership

Miami Beach, Florida-based Foundation Mortgage tapped wholesale lending veteran Sam Bjelac as senior vice president, national sales for third-party originations. In the role, Bjelac will be tasked with developing broker partnerships that drive growth and support Foundation's ambitions to expand its non-qualified mortgage network nationwide.

Before joining Foundation, Bjelac led sales teams and helped grow lending channels at several lenders, including Carrington Mortgage Services. He also held previous leadership positions at Lendingone, Sprout Mortgage, Flagstar Bank and Corevest Finance.

Nexa promotes Rana Mortenson to chief administrative officer

Wholesale lender and broker Nexa Lending announced the promotion of Rana Mortensen to chief administrative officer. In the role, she will continue to serve as the central internal point person across company units to ensure administrative operations run smoothly.

A Nexa team member since 2017, Mortenson's promotion comes as the Mesa, Arizona-backed mortgage firm embarks on expansion efforts, including a recent rebranding, new executive hires and addition of wholesale lending alongside its original broker model.

Amerisave names Mike Cush vice president of purchase strategy

Atlanta-based Amerisave Mortgage appointed industry veteran Mike Cush to vice president of purchase strategy, responsible for driving originations growth at the direct-to-consumer lender. A mortgage sales leader and industry consultant for several years, Cush previously served as chief operating officer of Union Plus Mortgage Co. He also held prior sales leadership roles at New Penn Financial and PHH Mortgage.

NMB taps Traci Harding to oversee credit risk, product development

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nationwide Mortgage Bankers announced the appointment of Traci Harding as executive vice president of credit risk and product development, serving the company as it builds on U.S. expansion efforts. She comes to NMB after holding the position of director of credit risk and loan quality at Movement Mortgage, which followed roles at Wells Fargo and other national lenders. In addition to credit risk assessment, Harding will be responsible for identifying product opportunities that helps move families into homeownership.

Click n’ Close names Jon Wilson to accounting leadership

Wholesale and correspondent lender Click n' Close welcomed Jon Wilson as vice president of accounting. With a career across mortgage companies and banks, Wilson joins the Addison, Texas-based lender after most recently serving as vice president of finance at Redfin subsidiary Bay Equity Home Loans. His professional background also includes roles at Algentis and Citimortgage unit First Collateral Services. At Click n' Close, Wilson will be responsible for corporate accounting projects, financial reporting and process improvements to support ongoing growth.