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J. C. Lowenberg III has been hired as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Prime Income Asset Management LLC, Dallas, and two Dallas-based real estate investment firms for which Prime manages real estate.The other companies are American Realty Investors Inc. and Transcontinental Realty Investors Inc. Mr. Lowenberg was most recently CFO at RealLinx Inc., a provider of application and high-speed broadband services. The three real estate companies also announced that Scott Lewis has been hired as vice president and chief accounting officer. The companies can be found online at http://www.primeasset.com, http://www.amrealtytrust.com, and http://www.transconrealty-invest.com.

Southwest Securities Bank, Arlington, Texas, has hired Arthur Ochoa to start a single-family mortgage banking operation."We believe the single-family mortgage business will further diversify the bank while adding an important new source of revenues," said Dick Driscoll, chief executive of Southwest Securities Bank. Mr. Ochoa started as a loan officer at Bankers Life Mortgage before opening his own mortgage company in 1987, Southwest said. After seven years he sold the company and returned to Bankers Life, which was soon renamed Principal Residential Mortgage. Mr. Ochoa then opened a number of markets across the state for Principal. In his new role, Mr. Ochoa will open offices for Southwest Securities Bank in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs of Arlington and Hurst, as well as in Granbury, approximately 50 miles away. There are plans for further expansion, the company said.

Mark E. Yale has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer of Glimcher Realty Trust, a retail real estate investment trust based in Columbus, Ohio.The appointment of Mr. Yale, 39, will take effect Aug. 30. Mr. Yale was most recently manager of finance and CFO of Storage USA, a division of GE Real Estate, Memphis. Glimcher can be found on the Web at http://www.glimcher.com.

Freddie Mac has announced that a FleetBoston executive will be the mortgage giant's new chief operating officer and that 15-year veteran Paul Peterson is stepping down.Eugene M. McQuade will replace Mr. Peterson as president and COO. He will also serve on the board of directors, if approved by shareholders at the company's annual meeting in November. Mr. McQuade, 55, joined FleetBoston Financial Corp. in 1992 and became chief financial officer in 1993. He was promoted to president and COO in 2002. Bank of America completed its acquisition of FleetBoston in April. Mr. Peterson said he is preparing to move on to other interests, and he will serve as a senior consultant to help with Mr. McQuade's transition. Freddie Mac is recovering from a $5 billion accounting scandal and management shake-up. The company is desperately trying to repair and update its financial reporting and accounting systems so that it can file timely financial reports again. Freddie Mac chairman and chief executive Richard Syron said Mr. McQuade has a demonstrated expertise in financial services and "superb leadership skills." Freddie Mac can be found online at http://www.freddiemac.com.

Eric S. Burgoon has been named president of mortgage banking at Republic Bank, Farmington Hills, Mich., according to the bank's holding company, Republic Bancorp Inc.Mr. Burgoon will be charged with expanding the bank's mortgage business in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio by adding experienced loan officers and using other business incentives, the parent company said. Mr. Burgoon has more than 15 years of experience in the banking and mortgage industry. The company can be found online at http://www.republicbancorp.com.

Thomas E. Thompson has been promoted to president of Real Estate Partners Inc., a real estate investment and management services company based in Irvine, Calif.Mr. Thompson, who was previously executive vice president and broker of record for the firm, replaces Dawson Davenport, who will remain with the company as chairman and chief executive officer. The company said it is involved in negotiations to add over $200 million in property to its holdings, most of it multifamily property. The company can be found on the Web at http://www.realestatepartnersinc.com.

Nicolas V. Chater has been named chief financial officer of HomeBanc Mortgage Corp., a subsidiary of HomeBanc Corp., an Atlanta-based real estate investment trust.Mr. Chater was most recently CFO for eight years with several business units of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, a management and information technology consulting group. He will succeed Steve McClellan, who will move to the parent company to help build its organizational structure as a public REIT, the company said. HomeBanc recently completed its initial public offering.

David C. Ward has been hired as executive vice president and Southwest regional investment director for Post Properties Inc., an Atlanta-based real estate investment trust.Before joining Post Properties, Mr. Ward was a founding partner of San Gabriel Residential Inc., a Dallas-based multifamily development and investment company. He was also a divisional president and managing partner at JPI Partners Inc., where he was responsible for multifamily development, construction, and management for three regional offices in Texas and Florida. Post Properties, which specializes in developing and operating upscale multifamily communities, can be found online at http://www.postproperties.com.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Timothy Muris says he is stepping down on Aug. 15 now that President Bush has signaled his intention to appoint Deborah P. Majoras to be the new chairman.By announcing his intention to make a recess appointment, the president "ensures the FTC's ability to continue its strong record of competition and consumer protection," Mr. Muris said. During Mr. Muris' tenure, the FTC successfully pursued several predatory lending cases that resulted in large settlements, including a $215 million settlement involving Associates First Capital Corp, Irvine, Texas. Earlier this year, Chairman Muris announced his intention to step down in August, but a Democratic senator has held up Ms. Majoras' confirmation by the Senate. By making a recess appointment, the president can bypass the Senate, which is on recess until Sept. 7. Ms. Majoras has worked in the Justice Department's antitrust division. The president also announced his intention to appoint Democrat Jon Leibowitz to an FTC panel.

David C. Imig has been named president of LandAmerica Tax and Flood Services Inc., Richmond, Va., where he will succeed the retiring Dale Quarto on Oct. 1.Mr. Imig joined the company (formerly known as Lereta Corp.) in January 2003 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He has more than 30 years of experience in the lending industry, including stints as senior officer and loan service manager at Washington Mutual Bank, GE Capital Mortgage, Citicorp Mortgage, and Travelers Mortgage, LandAmerica said. LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., the parent company of LandAmerica Tax and Flood Services, can be found on the Web at http://www.landam.com.