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Michael N. Loukas has been named executive vice president of the securities division at Thompson National Properties LLC, Irvine, Calif. Mr. Loukas was previously regional vice president at Security Benefit Group. He previously held various positions with Maya Capital Advisors LLC, the Kelmoore Investment Co., and CIBC Oppenheimer. Thompson National provides value-added real estate investment opportunities and asset management to high-net-worth investors.

Great Florida Bank, Coral Gables, Fla., has announced an expansion of its residential lending division with the hiring of three new managing directors. The new directors are Chris Buttafuoco, Todd Roderiquez, and Ed Wilburn, all of whom were previously managing partners at Capital Mortgage LLC. Mr. Roderiquez was also that company's chief financial officer. The expansion of Great Florida's residential lending will also bring the addition of new programs to the bank's product lineup, including fixed- and adjustable-rate first-lien conforming loans, Federal Housing Administration loans, and other loans designed for low- and moderate-income borrowers, the bank said. The bank can be found on the Web at http://www.greatfloridabank.com.

Mortgage lender TCF Financial Corp., Wayzata, Minn., says William Cooper will be returning to the company as its chief executive officer. Mr. Cooper holds the chairman title, but he had been the lender's CEO from 1985 to 2005. He will continue as chairman of the board, in addition to filling the new CEO position. Current CEO Lynn Nagorske is retiring. He had succeeded Mr. Cooper as CEO in 2006. According to one analyst, Mr. Cooper made it clear that no one had been asked to leave. As at many financial institutions, the stock price at TCF has been hit hard during the nation's mortgage crisis. The company can be found online at http://www.tcfbank.com.

Brian R. DiDonato has been named a senior partner at Sorin Capital Management LLC, an independent investment firm based in Stamford, Conn., where he will be responsible for commercial real estate debt, among other things. Mr. DiDonato will also be responsible for equity and special situation investments and will be a member of the Investment Committee, Sorin said. Mr. DiDonato was most recently president and chief investment officer of Capmark Investments LP, a global real estate fund manager. He was previously an executive director at Morgan Stanley in the Securitized Products Group and a vice president at UBS Securities in the Fixed Income Division.

Patrick Carey, a former executive at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, has been named chief executive officer of Titanium Holdings Inc., the Salt Lake City-based parent company of Titanium Solutions Inc., a provider of homeowner contacting and consulting services. Titanium Holdings also announced the promotions of Todd Sibley to chairman and Spencer Erekson, a co-founder of Titanium Solutions, to president. Mr. Carey was most recently executive vice president of default and retention operations for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. He previously held executive positions at UNUM Life Insurance Company of America, First Card Corp., and JPMorgan Chase. Titanium can be found on the Web at http://www.titaniuminc.com.

Thomas J. Wurtz will step down as chief financial officer of Wachovia Corp., Charlotte, N.C., after a successor has been named, according to the company. Wachovia said it will immediately launch a search for a replacement. The reason for Mr. Wurtz's decision to step down was not disclosed. He served as the company's treasurer for seven years before becoming CFO two-and-a-half years ago, Wachovia said. The company can be found on the Web at http://www.wachovia.com.

Joseph A. Pensabene has been named executive vice president and chief servicing officer at Residential Capital LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of GMAC Financial Services. Mr. Pensabene, who will operate from Fort Washington, Pa., has been with ResCap and its predecessor companies for 12 years. He previously served in various executive positions in corporate finance, servicing, and lending, most recently as a senior vice president and managing director of consumer services operations, the company said. Before joining ResCap, Mr. Pensabene held senior positions at Alliance Bank and Deloitte & Touche LLP.

James Jones has been named executive vice president of operations at Grubb & Ellis Co., a real estate services and investment firm based in Santa Ana, Calif. The company said Mr. Jones will be responsible for its merger integration efforts, operations, research, and the Grubb & Ellis Affiliate Program. Mr. Jones was most recently with CB Richard Ellis, where he held the same title and was responsible for strategic planning, operations and financial management, process enhancement, and facilities. Before joining CBRE in 2004, Mr. Jones spent nine years at Gateway Corp. and Western Digital Corp. in a number of operations and marketing roles, Grubb & Ellis said.

RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure marketplace based in Irvine, Calif., has announced the promotion of Michael Keane, its chief technology officer for the past three years, to fill the newly created post of chief product officer. Mr. Keane will focus entirely on feasibility analysis, development, and implementation of new products for RealtyTrac, the company said. A search for a new CTO is under way. Since the company's inception in 1996, Mr. Keane and his team have delivered first-in-the-industry innovations such as a patent-pending integration of aerial photography into the company website, RealtyTrac said. The company can be found online at http://www.realtytrac.com.

The Florida State Legislature has no mortgage brokers as members, but five members of the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers hope to change that with their candidacies. Four of the five candidates spoke at the group's annual convention in Kissimmee, Fla. Nancy Detert, who had been term-limited out of the state House of Representatives and ran second in a Republican primary for an open seat in Congress, is seeking election to the state Senate. She proposed using state affordable housing trust fund money as a soft second mortgage to help "work force people" qualify for a mortgage. The other four broker candidates are seeking seats in the state House, including D. Ritch Workman, the current FAMB president. Mr. Workman said he is running as a small businessman who is fed up with intrusions into business by federal and state legislators and regulators. The other candidates are Debbie Mayfield, Rafael Perez, and Terry Lynn Sanchez.