UWM, Mr. Cooper, Deephaven, Anchor hire, promote new chief officers

February 27, 2023 6:46 PM

UWM promotes Andrew Hubacker to CFO

Photo by Mark Kocina

United Wholesale Mortgage, based in Pontiac, Michigan, elevated Andrew Hubacker to chief financial officer. Originally hired for the position of chief accounting officer in late 2020, Hubacker had served as interim principal financial officer following the death of his predecessor, Timothy Forrester, last July.

Initially brought on by Forrester to prepare for a public offering, Hubacker helped introduce new finance initiatives that led to the listing of parent company UWM Holdings Corp. on the New York Stock Exchange. In his new role, he will be in charge of all matters affecting company finances, including accounting, financial compliance and reporting and budgeting. Before coming to UWM, Hubacker held key positions at Deloitte & Touche, AOL and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. Cooper adds ex Merrill Lynch exec Carlos Pelayo as chief officer

Mortgage and real estate services provider Mr. Cooper appointed regulatory expert Carlos Pelayo as chief legal officer. In the role, Pelayo will be in charge of corporate governance functions for the Dallas-based company, as it attempts to grow servicing volume. In February, Mr. Cooper announced it would purchase an investor of mortgage-related assets and special servicing business.

Previously a legal advisor at major banking industry firms, Pelayo most recently held the role of managing director and legal executive at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he was senior counsel to leadership. He has also served as managing director and general counsel for Barclay's private banking business in the Americas and worked in private practice.

Anchor Loans names former Xome head Ray Mathoda CEO

Anchor Loans, a provider of mortgages and services to real estate investors, announced the appointment of housing industry veteran Rayman Kaur Mathoda as chief executive officer. In the position, she will be responsible for expanding Anchor's market presence and building business strategy for the company, which was acquired by investment firm Pretium in 2021. After starting her career at McKinsey & Co., Mathoda has held top positions at real estate businesses, including most recently as CEO of Mr. Cooper affiliate Xome. She also previously served as co-CEO at specialty finance company Genesis Capital.

She takes over CEO duties from Andrew Pollock, who will continue to serve Anchor as president, working alongside Mathoda. Anchor has funded more than $1 billion in loans annually since 2016.

Deephaven appoints Aaron Drago chief operating officer

Non-QM lender Deephaven appointed industry veteran Aaron Drago chief operating officer. In his role with the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company, Drago will focus on long-term sustainable growth and efforts to ease the mortgage lending experience for Deephaven's wholesale customers and correspondent partners.

Drage joins Deephaven after most recently holding the position of chief operations officer for Southeast and Mountain West divisions of Guaranteed Rate.

Draper and Kramer promotes Matt Patterson to president

Draper and Kramer Mortgage recently announced the promotion of Matt Patterson to president. In his new role, he will continue his focus on innovation and company expansion, drawing on his mortgage background in loan processing, originations and marketing. Previously as executive vice president of business development, Patterson helped grow loan production for the Downers Grove, Illinois-based national lender via recruitment efforts, technology and outreach. He joined the company in 2014.

Licensed in all 50 states, the lender is the mortgage subsidiary of Draper and Kramer, Inc., a real estate services firm also involved in commercial development and financing and property management.

Fairway ups focus on reverse mortgage with new addition and promotions

Left to right: Tane Cabe, Craig Barnes

Fairway Independent Mortgage, the full-service lender based in Madison, Wisconsin, made several moves in its reverse originations team, as it increases its focus on growth within the segment this year. Tane Cabe takes over as the new president of reverse lending, leading a team responsible for streamlining support and operations for originators. He most recently served as the company's reverse business development manager, a role he stepped into last year.

The company also added Craig Barnes, a previous training leader at Reverse Mortgage Funding as well as MetLife and Security One. Barnes also serves as an educator with the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. Barnes will hold the title of vice president, reverse education and training.

Additionally, Fairway added executive vice president titles for three members of its reverse mortgage team. Tom Evans steps up to EVP, reverse marketing and technology, Mike Daryanani takes over as EVP, reverse sales support and Peter Sciandra, becomes Fairway's EVP of reverse operations and secondary marketing.

Rithm Capital taps Kenneth Bruce to lead investor relations

New York-based Rithm Capital, the parent company of Newrez and Caliber Home Loans, recently announced the addition of finance leader Kenneth Bruce as managing director, investor relations. In the position, Bruce will oversee relationships with Rithm investors, discussing strategy, financial performance and the real estate investment trust's long-term value proposition. The company underwent an extensive rebranding campaign in 2022 and grew its presence in nonmortgage segments, including commercial real estate.

Bruce joined Rithm after most recently providing strategic guidance for both public and private companies at Red Rock Global Advisors. Earlier in his career, Bruce was a senior equity analyst with Bank of America Merrill Lynch covering specialty finance.

Blackfin adds Wells Fargo alum Julie Piepho as principal consultant

Mortgage consultancy Blackfin Group welcomed industry executive Julie Piepho to the organization, headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. As principal consultant for Blackfin, she will work with community banks, credit unions and independent mortgage bankers on lending strategy, tapping into past executive leadership experience with the likes of Cornerstone Lending, Norwest Mortgage and Wells Fargo. Piepho also previously helped manage several mortgage divisions at community banks in Colorado and Wyoming while coaching and leading sales teams.

Calque adds CoreLogic, Black Knight alum Dan Mugge to C-suite

Photo by Nick Barrett

Calque, the Austin, Texas-based company offering noncontingent and turnkey products to banks, credit unions and nonbanks that enable their clients to buy a home before they sell, named Dan Mugge chief operating officer. Mugge previously helped develop technology and business management strategies at startups and large publicly traded corporations, including housing data and mortgage solutions providers CoreLogic and Black Knight. In his new role at Calque, he will lead efforts to bring the company's offerings to more lenders and expand its presence nationwide. Founded in 2020, the company currently operates in 17 states.

LauraMac taps Rick Seehausen as chief strategy officer

LauraMac, a developer and provider of loan review technology for capital market securitization, appointed Rick Seehausen chief strategy officer. A current principal at its parent, Calterra Capital, Seehausen will oversee strategic planning related to the development of new products and the introduction of an upcoming loan acquisition system for LauraMac, headquartered in Mercer Island, Washington. The technology firm launched its inaugural loan review product in 2021.

Seehausen recently served as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer at Cherry Creek Holdings, owner of Cherry Creek Mortgage. Between 2003 and 2017, he headed LenderLive, which provided technology and outsourcing services to banks and mortgage companies.

Auction.com welcomes past Xome, CoreLogic leader Joe Cutrona

Auction.com, the Irvine, California-based marketplace for distressed property sales, tapped former Xome executive Joe Cutrona as chief business officer. In his new leadership role, Cutrona will be responsible for business development and online operations, building partnerships with new clients while maximizing the efficiency and speed of Auction.com's platform. Recently, the company forecasted foreclosure auctions to increase 24% in 2023.

Before joining Auction.com, Cutrona served as division president and senior vice president of Xome. During his tenure, he created its online auction marketplace, asset management solutions and mortgage servicing default liquidation strategies, and previously, also held key roles with CoreLogic and United Western Bank.

Big Purple Dot welcomes Masana Noma-Weprin as chief product officer

Marketing and customer relationship management systems provider Big Purple Dot announced the addition of Masana Noma-Weprin to its leadership team. As the Irvine, California-based company's new chief product officer, she will be responsible for marketing and product development initiatives aimed at lenders, including preparation for an anticipated expansion of Big Purple Dot's recruitment platform. She will also oversee improvements to the company's CRM functions on the platform.

Noma-Weprin recently served as vice president of marketing at Revolution Mortgage and held similar leadership roles at lenders TotalChoice Mortgage and Homeside Financial.

Defy Mortgage names banking exec Michael Rogan chief operating officer

Nashville, Tennessee-based Defy Mortgage, a lender providing services and products to gig-economy workers and other borrowers with nontraditional income streams or assets, appointed Michael Rogan chief operating officer. Rogan will be in charge of efforts to launch and develop purchase and refinance products for consumers with alternative incomes and assets, as well as further build out Defy's tech stack. Founded in 2022, Defy is currently licensed to originate mortgages in five states.

Rogan joins the company after prior mortgage leadership roles at HSBC, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase, with additional professional background in retail banking, corporate sales and business partnerships.

PrimeLending elevates Kim Dybvad, Kelly McGuinness to production managers

Left to right: Kelly McGuinness, Kim Dybvad

National lender PrimeLending, the home lending arm of Dallas-based PlainsCapital Bank, promoted two of its mortgage leaders to oversee loan origination production in their respective parts of the country. Kim Dybvad steps up to the role of vice president, area manager for Mid-America, which includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky. Dybvad's mortgage background includes tenures at Savings of America, National City Bank, PNC Bank and Union Savings, before she joined PrimeLending, heading a branch in Dayton, Ohio.

Meanwhile Kelly McGuinness ascends to senior vice president, regional manager for the Northeast, in charge of New Jersey, New York and all of New England. Before coming to PrimeLending as branch manager in Milford, Connecticut, McGuiness owned her own mortgage business.

Guaranteed Rate adds four new loan officers nationwide

Left to right: Vivian Dang, Brandon Porras, Korey Rozell, Bryan Steen

Chicago-based national lender Guaranteed Rate, announced the expansion of its network with the recruitment of four new loan officers across the country. All will hold the title of vice president of mortgage lending.

Bryan Steen of Grand Rapids, Michigan, adds to Guaranteed Rate's presence in the Midwest. Steen has funded over $45 million in loan volume. Vivian Dang comes to the company from Campbell, California, bringing expertise in new construction sales with tenures at Snapfi and Lennar Mortgage.

Also out West, Brandon Porras grows Guaranteed Rate operations in Las Vegas having funded over $70 million of volume in four years, the company said. In Denver, industry veteran Korey Rozell joins the lender after funding over $50 million in 2022.

Mortgage Connect names Allen Illgen national sales executive

Pittsburgh-based Mortgage Connect, a provider of digital products and services across home lending, servicing and capital market segments, hired Allen Illgen as national sales executive, originations. In the position, Illgen will assist lenders in their utilization of Mortgage Connect's products to further automate and streamline loan originations and help expand the company's network.

Previously director of national services at Title365, Illgen also has held leadership roles at American Title and Indecomm Global Services.

MGIC promotes Danny Garcia-Velez to lead business development

Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation, based in Milwaukee, announced the promotion of Danny Garcia-Velez to sales and business development leader, replacing Jay Hughes in anticipation of the latter leader's retirement later this year. Garcia-Velez joined MGIC in 2017 designing marketing strategies for several of MGIC's customer channels. With a background in housing policy, product management and community development, Garcia-Velez was later promoted to vice president of business development and currently serves as MGIC's group vice president, head of regional sales and marketing. He steps into his new role in April.

Indecomm hires Kevin Quinn for servicing leadership role

Photo by David L. Downs

Indecomm Global Services, the automation-focused mortgage solutions provider based in Edison, New Jersey, hired Kevin Quinn as senior vice president, servicing. In the role, Quinn will be responsible for further development of Indecomm's servicing engagement model, designed to assist servicers with enhanced technology-based business processes. Before joining the company, Quinn held leadership roles at financial services outsourcing specialist Moder and SourcePoint. His professional background also includes expertise in consultative sales, partnership strategy and digital services.

Waterstone Mortgage promotes four to elevated leadership

Left to right: Rico Garcia, Sarah Carpenter, Melissa Wagner, Olga Rosales

National lender Waterstone Mortgage recently announced several promotions within its corporate operations. Rico Garcia steps up to the position of vice president — enterprise risk, where he will be in charge of the company's quality control, title services, portfolio risk management and compliance divisions. Garcia will also work alongside other teams to streamline operations and training. He joined the Pewaukee, Wisconsin-based company in 2017 as quality control manager and has served in several different operational roles within lending throughout his mortgage career.

The subsidiary of WaterStone Bank also appointed Sarah Carpenter as director of marketing. In the role, she will lead marketing and creative divisions and continue to work across Waterstone teams to support the lender's branches in order to drive increased market share. She previously held the position of senior marketing manager.

Additionally, Waterstone named Olga Rosales director of business insights. After joining the company in 2019, she established data governance practices and led the build-out of its business insights platform. She will lead a team providing data intelligence that will assist other Waterstone departments in decision making concerning production volume, cost management and streamlined efficiencies. Before joining Waterstone, Rosales held key roles at MGIC.

Melissa Wagner takes over as the company's director of human resources. Previously Waterstone Mortgage's senior human resources manager, Wagner will lead all personnel related teams, including employee relations, payroll, benefits and recruiting. Her previous HR background includes work within the private equity sector.