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Ocwen adds Claudia Merkle as director

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Mortgage servicer and lender Ocwen announced the appointment of former National Mortgage Insurance Corp. CEO Claudia Merkle to its board of directors. Merkle led National MI between 2019 and 2021 after holding several other key positions within the company, as well as at PMI Mortgage Insurance earlier in her career. She also serves as a director with Homelend. Her tenure with Ocwen began on April 1.

Merkle joins board leadership at the West Palm Beach, Florida-based company, as director Phyllis Caldwell gave notice of her plans to step down later this year. Earlier this month, Ocwen announced it would rebrand, changing its name to Onity.

CHLA taps Paulina McGrath to serve as vice president

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Community Home Lenders of America named Paulina McGrath vice president. Since 2006, McGrath has headed Republic State Mortgage as the company's president overseeing performance and growth. She is also a frequent advocate for community lenders and is a former board chair at fellow trade group Community Mortgage Lenders of America before its merger with CHLA two years ago. 

In her new leadership position with CHLA, McGrath will continue her advocacy work for independent mortgage banks and seek opportunities for the lending industry to reach and support underserved communities and first-time home buyers. 

MBA names Madisyn Rhone VP of legislative affairs

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The Mortgage Bankers Association recently welcomed Madisyn Rhone as vice president of legislative affairs. In the role, she will be responsible for advocacy of the trade group's policy priorities primarily among Democratic members of the House of Representatives. Rhone joins Washington-based MBA after holding a similar role of government and industry relations director at mortgage insurer Enact, in addition to previous analyst positions at the company. She currently also sits on a coalition board of the Structured Finance Association. 

Calque appoints Michael Bremer CEO

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Mortgage fintech Calque, provider of white-label buy-before-you-sell products to home lenders, announced the appointment of former Corelogic executive Michael Bremer to CEO. With past roles across the real estate industry, Bremer takes the helm at the Austin, Texas-based Calque after spending several years at Corelogic, where he oversaw the company's flood-insurance products before later pivoting to management of enterprise operations to ensure compliance and product scalability. His professional background also includes experience in mortgage and risk management.

Founded in 2020, Calque has signed 11 new lender partners this year in its products' expansion. 

Argyle appoints Jason Cave to board of advisors

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Verification solutions provider Argyle welcomed policy and housing technology leader Jason Cave to its board of advisors. An advocate for digital innovation within the mortgage industry, Cave most recently served as chief fintech officer and deputy director at the Federal Housing Finance Agency's division of conservatorship oversight and readiness and helped launch the agency's office of financial technology in 2022. Previously, he served at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in several roles for over two decades. 

Two Harbors adds Sanjiv Das to board of directors

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Two Harbors Investment Corp. named former Caliber Home Loans CEO and banking veteran Sanjiv Das to its board of directors as it seeks to further develop mortgage operations. Das served as Caliber CEO from 2016 to 2021 before its acquisition by New Residential Investment Corp., and he currently holds the title of president at Pagaya Technologies.

The announcement follows the real estate investment trust's announcement it would launch an originations unit. St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based REIT also owns servicer Roundpoint Mortgage.

Arrive Home welcomes Mark Tribuna as chief operating officer

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Affordable homeownership solutions provider Arrive Home named Mark Tribuna chief operating officer. He joins the Salt Lake City-based company after several previous leadership positions at mission-driven housing organizations. Earlier in his career, he held the roles of chairman and CEO at Nation One Mortgage. Along with daily operational oversight, Tribuna will be responsible for development and expansion of the social enterprise's effort to find homeownership opportunities for the traditionally underserved.

Launched in late 2022, Arrive Home also added several new employees this year to help meet demand for down payment assistance and other forms of alternative financing.  

Optimal Blue taps Sara Holtz as chief marketing officer

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Secondary markets services platform Optimal Blue named Sara Holtz chief marketing officer. In the role, she will lead all marketing and communications strategies to expand brand recognition and reach. Holtz comes to Plano, Texas-based Optimal Blue after holding a similar marketing leadership position at ICE Mortgage Technology, as well as predecessor Ellie Mae.

Previously a unit of Black Knight, Optimal Blue was divested upon the former's acquisition by ICE's parent company, and spun off into a separate business in 2023.

Logan Finance names Ryan Rathert chief of staff

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Wholesale and nondelegated correspondent non-QM lender Logan Finance recently appointed mortgage veteran Ryan Rathert chief of staff to help direct the company's further growth and expansion. With experience at several leading mortgage companies, including Wells Fargo and Mr. Cooper, Rathert previously served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the wholesale mortgage channel at Stearns Lending. He is also a former CFO at Panorama Mortgage Group.  

Axia hires Dan Shanahan as president of retail sales

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Bellevue, Washington-based Axia Home Loans announced the appointment of Dan Shanahan as president of retail sales. Shanahan will be responsible for leading the national lender's production team to continued sales growth and driving expansion. The mortgage veteran comes to Axia from Huntington National Bank, where he held positions helping to build sales strategy, business planning and relationship development. In his most recent role at Huntington, he held the title of mortgage retail division manager. 

Richey May welcomes back Tyler House to lead mortgage data analytics

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Richey May, the technology consulting firm serving home lending and other financial industries, welcomed the return of Tyler House who will serve as director of data analytics in the mortgage banking practice. House previously spent a decade in the Denver-based company's mortgage banking audit and advisory units, responsible for analysis and design of data tools. In his new leadership role, House will be in charge of continued development of Richey May's analytics and benchmarking products, ensuring they perform to client expectations. 

Before returning to Richey May, he held the title of strategic finance manager at SoFi Technologies, where he designed the financial framework for its home lending business unit and also held key roles at Wyndham Capital Mortgage.

Planet Home adds sales leaders Doug Long, Andy Insua, Matt Kingsborough

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Left to right: Matt Kingsborough, Andy Insua, Doug Long
Meriden, Connecticut-based Planet Home Lending boosted sales operations with recent hires of Doug Long, Matt Kingsborough and Andy Insua. The company appointed mortgage veteran Long to senior vice president, divisional sales manager, a role in which he will be responsible for growing retail market share. Long recently served as a Southeast divisional president at Union Home Mortgage and Amerifirst. Previously, he was president of national lending at Prospect Mortgage and a co-founder and CEO of Pinnacle Financial.

Planet Home also added Kingsborough and Insua as regional sales managers to drive expansion in the Western and Southeastern U.S., respectively. Kingsborough most recently held the role of multistate regional area manager for Homebridge Financial and served in a similar position at Prospect. Insua's mortgage career includes leadership roles at Fifth Third Bank and later, Amerifirst, where he spearheaded efforts to reach Hispanic home buyers. 

The Money Store taps Coleen Bogle to head marketing

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Hand-out/The Money Store®
The Money Store, the national lender based in Florham Park, New Jersey, appointed industry veteran Coleen Bogle as chief marketing officer. In the role, Bogle will be in charge of building brand recognition, expanding the scope of marketing services and attracting mortgage talent to join the firm. She comes to The Money Store after recently holding the same leadership position at Draper & Kramer Mortgage, where she directed national marketing strategy.

MCS elevates Tracy Hager, Jeff Connell in mortgage services

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Lefft to right: Tracy Hager, Jeff Connell
MCS, the national property services provider based in Lewisville, Texas, recently announced the promotions of leaders in its mortgage unit. The company appointed Tracy Hager as chief relationship officer — mortgage services and Jeff Connell senior vice president.  

Previously senior vice president of mortgage operations, Hager will continue developing relationships with regulators, investors and other property preservation stakeholders, while overseeing multiple teams. Connell, formerly first vice president of mortgage operations, steps into his new position, responsible for property registrations and compliance within the division.

Click’ n’ Close adds Polly Cracchiolo to TPO team

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Wholesale and correspondent lender Click' n' Close hired Polly Cracchiolo as account executive  on its third-party originator sales team. As a specialist in government and conventional lending, she will be responsible for helping the Addison, Texas-based lender grow its wholesale business in 2024. She joins the company after prior tenures at First Guaranty Mortgage, Mr. Cooper, Banc Home Loans and Kinectra Federal Credit Union.
Spencer Lee
Reporter, National Mortgage News
Career advancement Career moves Industry News
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