Mr. Cooper, PHH Mortgage, Guaranteed Rate announce new hires

Mr. Cooper promotes Kurt Johnson to chief risk and compliance officer

Non-bank mortgage servicer Mr. Cooper promoted Kurt Johnson to executive vice president and chief risk and compliance officer after five years serving as chief credit officer. He’ll replace Steve Covington, who is set to retire in June. Before joining Mr. Cooper — then Nationstar Mortgage — in 2015, Johnson was an EVP at OneWest Bank.

“Kurt is one of the most credible risk and policy experts in our industry, and I am confident he will continue to build upon the relationships the team has established with regulators and government officials in his expanded role,” said CEO Jay Bray. Headquartered in Dallas, Mr. Cooper has about 4,500 employees around the country.

PHH Mortgage hires Andy Peach as SVP

Non-bank mortgage originator and servicer PHH Mortgage, an Ocwen subsidiary, brought on Andy Peach as senior vice president of correspondent lending. Peach came over after an 8-month stint in the same role at Mr. Cooper and has over 30 years experience in the industry, including as the CEO of Waterstone Mortgage.

“[Andy] has a wealth of experience and his hiring helps to solidify our commitment to growing our correspondent lending business, which is an important component of our overall growth strategy,” said PHH's chief growth officer George Henley. Based in Mount Laurel, N.J., the company employs about 2,100.

Verity Global snags Binoy Mohan for VP

Verity Global Solutions, an outsourcer of mortgage business processes and technologies, hired Binoy Mohan as the vice president of operations. Prior to joining Verity, Mohan served as a banking operations director at Concentrix and IGATE as well as VP of SLK Global Solutions.

“Binoy's deep experience with both large global corporations as well as boutique outsourcing firms in the mortgage and banking services industry will help us accomplish our mission,” said CEO Sam Mehta. Founded in San Antonio in 2016, Verity now has offices spanning six states and in India.

BSI Financial adds Michael Bugbee as VP

The mortgage-focused financial services company BSI Financial hired Michael Bugbee as the vice president of client success. Across the past two decades, Bugbee’s previous work came in various roles at Mr. Cooper, Freddie Mac and the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.

“Michael’s depth of knowledge and expertise in the agency and specialty servicing space is consistent with our core value of providing a world-class client experience,” said senior VP Allen Price. The Irving, Texas-based BSI has almost 250 employees across its three locations.

Hunton Andrews Kurth promotes Serena Mentor to partner

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Law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth promoted Serena Mentor to partner from counsel. Mentor specializes in structured finance and securitizations in HAK’s New York office and is a committee participant on the Structured Finance Industry Group and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Previous to her time at HAK, Mentor worked for Wells Fargo Bank as senior capital markets counsel. Headquartered in the nation’s capital, the practice has been running for 120 years and has over 1,000 lawyers around the globe.

Guaranteed Rate expands, promotes Dianne Crosby

Retail lender Guaranteed Rate expanded on its Northern California presence by opening a new branch in Montclair. Dianne Crosby, in her sixth year with the company, was named area manager. Previously, Crosby spent nearly 12 years at RPM Mortgage — rebranded from LaSalle Mortgage Services in 2012 — as a loan consultant and advisor.

“Dianne has been a real catalyst for increasing our business. The region at large has quadrupled its loan volume in the last four years,” said regional manager Ryan Ogata. Headquartered in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate has over 850 offices and 10,000 workers across the U.S.

BlackFin brings on former Fed chief Scott Hannah as principal

BlackFin Group, a management consulting firm for the mortgage banking sector, named former Federal Reserve chief business architect Scott Hannah as principal. Hannah worked within the Fed’s information technology division for six years and is the second former Fed exec to join Blackfin in as many weeks.

“We now have a very capable team that can help any bank or mortgage lender create a roadmap that will guide them into the future and then help them implement that plan for success,” said CEO Keith Kemph. Founded in 2019, Blackfin is a small firm operating out of Laguna Hills, Calif.

Deephaven Mortgage names Shelly Griffin as SVP

Non-QM lender Deephaven Mortgage added Shelly Griffin as senior vice president of client development. It’s a homecoming for Griffin, as she worked at Deephaven from March 2014 to July 2020. In between, she served as a regional sales manager with First Guaranty Mortgage and director of the mortgage market at Nomis Solutions.

“Shelly embodies Deephaven’s vision of an evolving mortgage industry, aligning itself to a broad range of homebuyers, from first time purchasers to investors and entrepreneurs,” said CEO John Keratsis. Based in Charlotte, N.C., Deephaven is celebrating its first decade in business.

Mr. Cooper, PHH Mortgage and more announce leadership hires, promotions