Mr. Cooper, NMI, FHL Bank of Boston make C-suite promotions

September 15, 2021 12:33 PM

Mr. Cooper promotes Angela Greenfeather, Kelly Ann Doherty

Left to right: Angela Greenfeather, Kelly Ann Doherty

Leading loan originator and servicer,

appointed two of its leaders to higher officer-level positions within the Dallas-based company, continuing its run of 2021

leadership moves

. Angela Greenfeather steps up to the role of executive vice president and chief human resources officer, while Kelly Ann Doherty becomes chief administrative officer. Both Greenfeather and Doherty have been with the company for over five years.

In her new position, Greenfeather will be responsible for all human resources functions of Mr. Cooper Group, after previously serving as its senior vice president, enterprise human resources. A longtime HR professional, Greenfeather helped lead teams at travel-industry firms Travelocity and Sabre Corp. before coming to Mr. Cooper.

Doherty takes on her new role after serving as Mr. Cooper’s executive vice president and chief people and communications officer, having guided employees through the pandemic. As chief administrative officer, Doherty will also focus on improving the customer experience, partnering with leaders across the organization to develop strategy.

National Mortgage Insurance promotes Adam Pollitzer to CEO

NMI Holdings, parent company of

National Mortgage Insurance

, tapped current executive vice president and chief financial officer Adam Pollitzer to be its next CEO, succeeding Claudia Merkle after she steps down on Dec. 31.

Since coming to NMI in 2017 as CFO, Pollitzer has been responsible for the company’s strategic planning and corporate development and also led the company’s funding profile and reinsurance program. He served as a managing director at JP Morgan Securities before joining the mortgage insurance provider based in Emeryville, California. Pollitzer will also become a member of the company’s board of directors.

During Merkle’s tenure as CEO, National Mortgage Insurance increased its insurance in-force from $69 billion to $137 billion. “Our core mortgage insurance products are in greater demand than ever before, and the increased digitization of the mortgage market has allowed us to expand our customer reach and accelerate our growth,” Pollitzer said. We have a robust capital position and remain committed to building our business in a durable, risk-responsible manner.”

Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston names Timothy Barrett president, CEO

Wholesale bank Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, which provides housing finance in six New England states, appointed Timothy Barrett as its president and CEO. After holding leadership positions at the institution for over ten years — including most recently as its executive vice president and treasurer, Barrett will replace Edward A. Hjerpe III in December, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Barrett has prior leadership experience in investment strategy at companies such as Citi, FleetBoston Financial, Investors and Trust Bank and FMR, the parent company of Fidelity Investments. “With extensive knowledge of the critical role that FHLBanks play within our financial system, Tim is well respected within the industry and throughout the FHLBank system, and his deep understanding of how varying economic cycles affect the bank and our members is an invaluable asset," said Martin Geitz, chairman of FHLBank Boston's board of directors.

NFM hires former Fannie Mae exec Cindy Keith as chief strategy officer

NFM Lending, based in Linthicum, Maryland, recently named former Fannie Mae executive Cindy Keith chief strategy officer. In her new role, Keith will help build plans and align systems to drive NFM’s future growth. Keith brings expertise from tenures totaling 17 years at Fannie Mae, where she held various director roles, overseeing development of single-family strategic initiatives, real estate marketing strategy and a suite of underwriting products. She also served in management positions at RiskSpan and KPMG Consulting.

"NFM is already such a forward-thinking company, so my job is to help them execute on key initiatives and continue to drive automation,” Keith said. NFM Lending is licensed in 42 states, with a family of home-lending companies, including Main Street Home Loans, Bluprint Home Loans and Freedmont Mortgage Group.

Mortgage Bankers Association promotes Amber Lawrence to AVP

The Mortgage Bankers Association, based in Washington, announced the promotion of Amber Lawrence to associate vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. With 15 years of experience at the MBA, Lawrence previously served as its associate director of career development programs, where she managed professional certification and designation programs, including the organization’s Certified Mortgage Banker track. In her new role, Lawrence will advance

DEI efforts

at the association and within the real estate finance industry.

Active in internal and external efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion, Lawrence is a member of MBA’s DEI advisory committee. “Along with her in-depth expertise in program planning and her background in DEI leadership and coaching, Amber is the ideal person to elevate MBA’s DEI programming,” said Lisa Haynes, MBA's senior vice president, chief financial officer and chief diversity and inclusion officer.

Alterra Home Loans taps Marc Hernandez for president

Independent mortgage bank Alterra Home Loans promoted Marc Hernandez to company president. A longtime mortgage-industry veteran, Hernandez previously served at Countrywide, Bank of America and Huntington Bank before joining Alterra in 2015, opening its Chicago branch and subsequently overseeing East Coast production. Hernandez most recently held the position of executive vice president of retail lending for the Las Vegas-based company, and in his new position, he will be in charge of sales, operations and marketing.

“My goal is to build a best-in-class operations platform and explore strategic opportunities that will enable Alterra to better serve our clients and be part of a larger national conversation among independent mortgage bankers,” Hernandez said. One of six brands belonging to Panorama Mortgage Group, Alterra Home Loans is licensed in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Notarize names Lisa Kalscheur its first chief marketing officer

Boston-based Notarize, provider of remote online notarization services, announced the appointment of Lisa Kalscheur as chief marketing officer, a new role at the company. Kalscheur brings her expertise as a marketing leader following tenures at several other technology firms, such as Monetate, NewsCred, AppNexus and most recently, Kibo, where she also held the CMO title.

In her role at Notarize, Kalscheur will oversee brand, product marketing, performance marketing, demand generation, communications and e-commerce as the company scales to meet the demands of customers. The company states that its business grew by more than 600% in the last 18 months, as adoption of its services increases across real estate, financial services and other industries.

Evolve taps Gregg Meyer, Tim Anderson, Mark Hughes to head new units

Left to right: Gregg Meyer, Tim Anderson, Mark Hughes

Evolve Mortgage Services, a provider of digital mortgage tools and products headquartered in Frisco, Texas, announced a reorganization to address shifting market trends, creating three new business units — originations, eMortgage and capital markets.

“With brisk activity for agency and government loans and the rise in non-agency loan demand, the strategic realignments we are making will enable us to support any lender’s origination strategy,” said Evolve Mortgage Services CEO Paul Anselmo.

Leading the new units will be Gregg Meyer, Tim Anderson and Mark Hughes. Evolve’s current president, Gregg Meyer, who joined the company in 2008, was appointed president of originations, and he will be responsible for developing tools to make nonagency originations as efficient as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.

A digital mortgage leader for over 30 years, Anderson previously worked at Evolve from 2007-10 and takes over as president of the eMortgage unit, after having rejoined the company earlier this summer as director of eMortgage strategy. The company recently upped its digital capabilities with the acquisition of E-Notary Seal and announced the addition of

remote online notary services

for loan modifications to its offerings.

Hughes, who has been with Evolve as managing director since early 2020, will become president of capital markets. He will lead the company’s closed-loan review services across all products and clients, including third-party reviews for securitization.

Nations Lending appoints industry veteran Mike Towery regional manager

Nations Lending announced the hiring of Mike Towery as West Coast regional manager, responsible for the company’s continued growth efforts. The full-service lender recently opened offices in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Washington, and Towery will oversee branches and teams in the Western U.S. while seeking out opportunities in new locations.

Towery comes to Nations Lending, headquartered in Independence, Ohio, from

Caliber Home Loans

, where he was a regional vice president and oversaw a team responsible for more than $1 billion in loan volume last year. Prior to joining Caliber, Towery spent seven years at loanDepot and has also held positions at Countrywide Home Loans.

Geneva Financial names Joey Waters chief secondary officer

Direct mortgage lender, Geneva Financial, based in Chandler, Ariz., promoted Joey Waters to chief secondary officer, a newly created role at the company. After joining Geneva in 2016, Waters helped build the company’s secondary market unit, transitioning it from outsourcing to in-house, and developing the operation from the ground up. In the new officer-level role, Waters will be responsible for secondary sales and operations, overseeing Geneva's presence in markets as well as the company's lock desk and pricing engine. Waters previously held analyst and trading roles at Synergy One Lending and MCT Trading.

Homespire hires Stephanie Sailor to build secondary market presence

Homespire Mortgage, a residential lender headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., announced the hiring of longtime mortgage executive Stephanie Sailor as vice president of secondary marketing. Sailor will manage efforts related to loan purchasing, sales and servicing transfers. She previously developed strategies for mortgage pipelines and trading activities with lenders such as PrimeLending and Nationstar Mortgage, which is now known as Mr. Cooper.

In 2020, Homespire funded more than $2.4 billion in loans and is licensed to operate in 42 states, the company said.

“I look forward to leveraging my experience to help Homespire expand its footprint in the secondary market and continue its growth trajectory,” Sailor said.

Berkshire Hills adds Ellen Steinfeld as EVP of consumer lending

Boston-based Berkshire Hills Bancorp, parent company of Berkshire Bank, hired longtime finance and loan professional Ellen Steinfeld as executive vice president, head of consumer lending and payments. She will be in charge of mortgage banking sales and operations throughout New England and Eastern New York. Previously, Steinfeld served as managing director and U.S. consumer lending executive for TIAA-CREF, overseeing mortgage and small-business lending as well as consumer products. She has also held management positions at Hudson City Savings, Citizens Bank, RBC Wealth Management and ETrade Financial. More recently, Steinfeld worked in consulting, serving as president of Innovative Lending Strategic Solutions.

"This is an exciting time to be joining Berkshire Bank, as we are building our mortgage and consumer lending suite of products to deliver the best financial solutions to our customers,” Steinfeld said. Berkshire has approximately $11.7 billion in assets and operates 107 branch offices in New England and New York.

Union Home Mortgage appoints Glenn Wilson Southeastern leader

Independent lender Union Home Mortgage announced the hiring of mortgage-sales veteran Glenn Wilson as regional manager to head the Strongsville, Ohio-based company’s business development in the Southeast. Wilson will oversee growth efforts in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. He will also be responsible for recruiting managers and loan officers in those states and building relationships with real estate partners.

Before joining Union Home Mortgage, Wilson held the role of senior vice president, regional mortgage sales manager at BBVA, serving the East region for eight years.

WFG National Title hires Monique Modica Vasek to head Texas growth

WFG National Title Insurance Company, a provider of title insurance and real estate settlement services nationwide, announced the hiring of Monique Modica Vasek to spearhead further expansion in the Texas market. Modica Vasek joins Portland, Oregon-based WFG as South Texas regional manager and Houston division president. In the newly created position, she will lead initiatives to build WFG’s presence in San Antonio and develop new Austin and Houston divisions to add to existing Dallas/Fort Worth operations.

”Monique is coming onboard at a crucial juncture for WFG in Texas,” said Steve Ozonian, WFG’s president and CEO. “I don’t know of anyone more qualified to assume this strategic leadership role, help drive this critical expansion initiative and lead these new divisions once they are fully operational.”

With two decades of experience in title services, Modica Vasek initially held divisional sales roles in Austin and Houston for First American Title and Old Republic Title. She most recently served as vice president, chief operations manager and Houston residential manager at Old Republic.

Real Estate Lenders Association names Karen Ramos chairwoman

The Real Estate Lenders Association, a New York-based nonprofit organization established for lenders to build their knowledge and expertise within the industry, announced the appointment of Karen Ramos as incoming chairwoman.

Currently managing director, loan syndications, at Credit Agricole CIB, Ramos served as president of the association’s New York City chapter from 2015-17 and has been a member of the national board since 2017. Ramos has worked primarily in New York for European and American financial institutions, managing commercial real estate balance sheets and large loan transactions, including corporate facilities and mortgage loans.

Equity Prime Mortgage hires Kevin Delory, Darla Devlin

Darla Devlin

Equity Prime Mortgage recently announced the addition of two new leaders to its team. Kevin Delory joins the Atlanta-based company as chief lending officer to lead third-party originations, while human resources leader Darla Devlin comes onboard as executive vice president of people operations and culture.

Delory will be responsible for building a sales force to provide quality service to third parties and consumers alike. Before joining EPM, Delory spent several years at Carrington Mortgage Services as an area vice president. Devlin will lead personnel initiatives at EPM in order to make the company culture more knowledgeable, robust, and engaging for staff. In the past several years, Devlin has worked at several staffing agencies and benefits providers across the country.

Greystone appoints Brett Gaffan CMBS senior managing director

Real estate finance company Greystone, based in New York, recently announced the hiring of Brett Gaffan as senior managing director in the firm’s commercial mortgage-backed securities group. Gaffan comes to Greystone after serving at Societe Generale, where he oversaw CMBS, mezzanine and floating-rate balance sheet commercial real estate loans. He also previously worked in commercial loan originations at Barclays, CIBC and Morgan Stanley.

ROC Title adds Greg Lane to Arizona team

Photo by Martha Lochert

Title and escrow provider ROC Title Agency hired Greg Lane as vice president to help the Las Vegas-based firm expand throughout

Arizona

in the coming year. With offices in Nevada and Arizona, ROC Title saw 96% year-over-year revenue growth in the first half of 2021.

Lane brings over 30 years of experience and leadership in escrow, underwriting, builder services and sales and marketing to the company, which was founded in 2015. In addition to his title as vice president, Lane will serve as Arizona State Manager for ROC Title.

Chase Home Lending taps Keosha Burns to help head PR efforts

Chase Home Lending recently announced the appointment of Keosha Burns as executive director, chief of staff, to the community and affordable lending group as well as a senior advisor on industry relations. Most recently, Burns led public relations and external communications for the home-lending arm of

JPMorgan Chase

. Before joining the New York-based banking giant, she held various communications roles at several housing or lending organizations, including Fannie Mae.

Stewart Title taps John Piccirillo to lead New York State expansion

Continuing its recent hiring wave across the country, Houston-based Stewart Title recently named John Piccirillo as senior vice president, agency services, for New York. Piccirillo will work with existing representatives and attempt to add new agents to Stewart’s roster of providers in New York State. Piccirillo has previously held executive roles with other major underwriters and has been on the executive committee of the New York State Land Title Association, including serving as its president from 2009-10.

Mortgage Network adds Patrick Tobin as senior loan officer

Independent mortgage lender Mortgage Network, based in Danvers, Mass., named Patrick Tobin senior loan officer to cover the greater Boston market. A native of the city, Tobin held a similar position at Cardinal Financial Company before joining Mortgage Network and is licensed in six states. With 35 branches across 27 states, Mortgage Network offers agency direct, portfolio and jumbo loans.

Eastern Union promotes Mordy Reisman, Christopher Owen, Debbi Waxenfeld

Left to right: Christopher Owen, Debbi Waxenfeld, Mordy Reisman

New York-based commercial real estate financier Eastern Union announced the promotion of three staff members to executive roles across the East Coast. Within its mortgage application and set-up division, Reisman rises to the position of chief loan analyst, while Owen takes on the title of senior loan analyst. Waxenfeld was promoted to senior underwriter.

"Eastern Union's transaction pipeline is valued at billions of dollars annually," said Ira Zlotowitz, Eastern Union's founder and president. "Mordy Reisman, Christopher Owen and Debbi Waxenfeld have the skills and experience to ensure that this substantial deal flow advances efficiently and to the greatest advantage of our clients."

Reisman and Owen will manage the conversion of client financial information into the company's standard mortgage application model in their respective roles. Prior to joining the company, Brooklyn-based Reisman served as a regional property manager and cost analyst for YMY Acquisitions.

Owen, who operates out of Orlando, held the role of member service representative for Fairwinds Credit Union in Florida before coming to Eastern Union three years ago.

Waxenfeld will verify that assets are capable of generating anticipated revenues, convey financial information to lenders and work with Eastern Union brokers. Based in Syracuse, New York, Waxenfeld previously served as a retirement plan account manager with Equitable.