UWM, US Bank, Cenlar, Blend announce leadership moves

July 3, 2025 6:00 AM

UWM elevates Allen Beydoun to C-suite role

Pontiac, Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage announced the promotion of company veteran Allen Beydoun to chief client officer, a newly created role at the lender. In the new position, he will be responsible for prioritizing the UWM client experience in all company strategic initiatives based on partner feedback.

The 18-year veteran of the wholesale lending business steps into the upper executive ranks, tapping into his client-facing background after most recently serving as executive vice president in UWM's sales division.

US Bank boosts mortgage leadership with Fred Bolstad, John Hummel

U.S. Bank mortgage executives John Hummel and Fred Bolstad

Left to right: John Hummel, Fred Bolstad

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank recently announced the appointment of new leadership within its home lending division, with the promotions of Fred Bolstad and John Hummel. The two leaders moved into elevated positions following the retirement of Tom Wind as head of consumer banking earlier this year.

Bolstad steps in as head of mortgage, in charge of retail and correspondent origination channels as well as loans coming through housing finance agencies. Alongside overseeing the funding channels, he also will lead the company's warehouse lending operations that provide credit facilities to independent mortgage banks across the country. Bolstad joined U.S. Bank in 2016 and most recently held the role of head of retail home lending.

Stepping up to Bolstad's former position is John Hummel. Previously head of the East market for retail home lending, Hummel will be responsible for leading over 1,200 loan officers as head of national sales and operations. Hummel also brings experience within correspondent and HFA lending and has been with the bank since 2017.

Cenlar adds Ramesh Lakshminarayanan, Jackie Torres

From left to rightt: Cenlar leaders Jackie Torres, Ramesh Lakshminarayanan

Left to right: Jackie Torres, Ramesh Lakshminarayanan

Commercial bank and mortgage subservicer Cenlar FSB welcomed Ramesh Lakshminarayanan to the new role of chief enterprise risk officer. In the newly created executive role, Lakshminarayanan will help guide the financial institution's expansion efforts into banking through his oversight of risk-related activities and the strengthening of its enterprise management systems. With a career serving banks and mortgage lenders, his career includes roles at Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Mr. Cooper, where he was chief risk officer.

The Ewing, New Jersey-based company also marked the return of Jackie Torres, welcoming her to the role of senior vice president of loan operations. Torres rejoins Cenlar after a six-year stint at LoanCare and also brings previous experience at KeyBank and JPMorgan Chase. In her new position, Torres will be responsible for incorporating new technologies to improve the mortgage servicing experience for Cenlar's clients. In her previous tenure with the company, she held the title of vice president of servicing systems and reporting.

Blend taps Reva Rao to drive credit union growth

Lending originations platform Blend hired Reva Rao as head of digital transformation for credit unions. In the role, she will apply her credit union background to expand Blend's customer base in the segment and help maximize the platform's benefits among the institutions. Her appointment comes as San Francisco-based Blend also looks to grow its brand throughout consumer banking.

Rao most recently served as chief lending officer at Travis Credit Union, working across consumer, mortgage and commercial segments. Earlier in her career, she also held several positions within financial services at the likes of Golden 1 Credit Union, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Citi.

Sagent adds cybersecurity expert Kyle Draisey to executive team

Servicing technology provider Sagent tapped military intelligence veteran Kyle Draisey as chief information security officer and head of cybersecurity. In the role, Draisey will oversee all cybersecurity strategy and operations at the company, particularly surrounding the rollout of the Dara servicing platform, ensuring the safety of technology infrastructure and customer data.

Before joining the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based software provider, Draisey served as senior technical director and head of cyber intelligence at aerospace and defense technology firm BAE Systems. He also supported U.S. military missions across the world as an army intelligence officer for over a decade.

True promotes Steve Butler to CEO, Ari Gross to chair

From left to right: Ari Gross and Steve Butler

Left to right: Ari Gross, Steve Butler

Financial services technology firm True recently announced a leadership transition, elevating chief revenue officer and President Steve Butler to CEO. Butler will be responsible for scaling the New York-based software firm through an expected growth phase, as more lenders turn to artificial intelligence. With a background building business-to-business platforms, he joined True in 2023 after previously serving as CEO of Godocs and president of AI Foundry, a company he founded.

The fintech veteran takes over the leadership helm from True founder Ari Gross, who steps up to chairman and also becomes the company's chief innovation officer, allowing him to advance the company's AI strategy and focus on research on product initiatives. Gross launched the company in 2017.

Ocrolus adds Nadia Aziz as head of new mortgage unit

Data and verification software provider Ocrolus welcomed home lending technology leader Nadia Azia as its new general manager of mortgage. In the role, Aziz will head the New York-based technology platform's newly created mortgage business unit, with an eye on helping home lenders improve performance through Ocrolus' data verification, income and loan evaluation tools. She joins Ocrolus after recently serving as chief commercial officer at Optimal Blue, with past executive roles at housing technology firms Roostify and Opendoor.

CHEP names trade advocacy leader Cliff Andrews president

Photo by Anne Lord

The Coalition for Home Equity Partnership appointed policy executive Cliff Andrews as president. Andrews takes the helm at CHEP, which was formed in late 2024 to help guide policy and regulation for home equity investment platforms, tasked with heading efforts to attract new originators and business members to the organization. Andrews will also lead ongoing efforts to educate policymakers about HEI products.

A leader in policy and nonprofit management, Andrews most recently held the title of CEO at the trade organization Association for Consumer Debt Relief. He is also the founder and principal of consulting firm Capcity Advocates, which advises industry associations on regulatory strategy, federal advocacy and member engagement.

Mortgage Bankers Association adds servicing expert Kaitlin Hildner

The Mortgage Bankers Association recently named Kaitlin Hildner associate vice president of loan administration policy. In the role, she will help design and implement the trade group's legislative and regulatory strategy related to loan administration and mortgage servicing, including development of policy responses to major initiatives. She will also maintain relationships with regulators and MBA committees.

With a career working across federal banking and housing agencies, she comes to Washington D.C.-based MBA after serving as senior policy advisor for the Financial Stability Oversight Council secretariat at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Previously, she held roles at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Urban Institute.

ALTA promotes Elizabeth Blosser, Emily Tryon, Kevin Cameron

From left to right: Elizabeth Blosser, Emily Tryon and Kevin Cameron are among newly appointed executives at the American Land Title Association in June 2025.

Left to right: Elizabeth Blosser, Emily Tryon, Kevin Cameron

The American Land Title Association recently elevated three executives to advance the trade group's advocacy efforts in state and federal government. The association promoted Elizabeth Blosser to chief strategy, communications and innovation officer, a role which will have her lead initiatives that will help shape the future direction of the title industry. Blosser steps into the c-suite after previously working primarily with state officials as a vice president of government affairs.

ALTA also elevated Emily Tryon to chief advocacy officer to lead legislative and regulatory priorities through correspondence with officials at all levels of government. She most recently handled federal advocacy also as a vice president of government affairs.

Advancing to a vice president role and as head of federal government affairs is Kevin Cameron, who will be in charge of ALTA's work in Washington and within the executive branch. Cameron will also manage grassroots advocacy efforts. He formerly held the title of senior director, working in federal advocacy.

Spectrum Solutions names Talia Ramirez president

Sheridan, Wyoming-based Spectrum Solutions recently announced the promotion of servicing leader Talia Ramirez to president. An industry veteran with knowledge across the full default servicing cycle, including government preservation and loss recovery strategy, Ramirez will be responsible for day-to-day operations, financial planning and new initiatives for the field services firm, particularly through technology. She moves into her new role after recently serving as senior vice president and previously held management positions at Specialized Loan Servicing and Bank of America.

Nationwide Mortgage Bankers adds Chris Allen as chief culture officer

Chris Allen, chief culture officer at Nationwide Mortgage Bankers

Photo by Noah Edwards

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nationwide Mortgage Bankers welcomed Chris Allen as its new chief culture officer. With an extensive background in employee development, he comes to NMB after a recent tenure as chief talent officer at Movement Mortgage. At NMB, Allen will be responsible for enhancing company culture through the launch of the NMB Leadership Academy, a program that enables employees to grow, learn, and develop professionally and help drive the lender's talent strategy.

Non-QM lender Ardri welcomes Jeffery Gray, Christine Lacy

Left to right: Jeffery Gray, Christine Lacy

Non-QM lending platform Ardri tapped Jeffery Gray and Christine Lacy for leadership in its attempt to expand its nationwide network. Gray joins Ardri as vice president of talent acquisition, tasked with growing a tech minded lending team. He previously headed recruitment efforts at Athas Capital Group, a now defunct mortgage firm once headed by Ardri's founders.

Ardri also hired Christine Lacy as vice president of wholesale production. Lacy will be responsible for building high-performing sales teams to drive growth in the third-party originations channel, tapping into her experience in both wholesale and retail lending.

Regions Affordable Housing promotes David Payne to lead originations

Photo by Michael Jackson

Regions Bank announced the appointment of David Payne as head of originations in its affordable housing unit. Payne, who previously served as co-head of the same division responsible for sourcing and originating transactions in the Southeast, will head business development with the aim of creating affordable housing opportunities. Tapping into his 21 years of experience at Regions Bank, he will continue his work with state-level agencies and housing groups to help connect clients to affordable housing that fits their needs.

In his tenure at Regions Affordable Housing, Payne has also served as a relationship manager and credit underwriter within the Birmingham, Alabama-based bank.

Friday Harbor adds tech engineers Lisa Casner, Montana Gau

Left to right: Lisa Casner, Montana Gau

Home finance fintech Friday Harbor recently welcomed Lisa Casner and Montana Gau to its founding engineering team. Both will be responsible for helping develop technology and platforms leading to the quick production of clean, underwritten loan files that lie at the center of Friday Harbor's business strategy. The company launched in 2024.

Casner brings experience in underwriting, actuarial analysis and fintech operations from previous positions into her new Friday Harbor role. Most recently, she worked in software design at Opendoor, developing tools to streamline real estate sales transactions. Gau joins the Seattle-based startup after serving as engineering lead at health care automation firm Notable. An expert on software architecture, he also held technology leadership roles at fintechs Pillar and Code42.