Pennymac, Fairway, CrossCountry add C-suite leaders

March 11, 2024 5:50 AM

Pennymac promotes Jim Follette, Mike Hogan in technology push

Left to right: Jim Follette, Mike Hogan

Pennymac elevated two executives with the promotions of Jim Follette and Mike Hogan, who will be responsible for delivering enhanced digital capabilities through the combined efforts of servicing and technology divisions.

In the newly created position of chief digital officer, Follette will oversee technology initiatives aimed to improve the customer experience as well as expand commercial market opportunities, particularly for its proprietary servicing platform. Since joining Pennymac 12 years ago, Follette has held multiple roles across the Westlake, California-based company and was most recently its senior managing director and chief mortgage operations officer

Hogan steps up to the role of chief information officer, responsible for developing and providing a range of technology-backed mortgage solutions to customers. Before his promotion, he held the role of managing director of capital markets technology, tasked with building automated processes and strengthening infrastructure.

CrossCountry taps Rebecca Blabolil as chief compliance officer

Retail lender CrossCountry Mortgage welcomed regulatory expert Rebecca Blabolil as chief compliance officer. In her role at the Cleveland-based company, Blabolil will be responsible for shaping compliance and quality control operations as well as identifying potential solutions internally to ensure regulatory adherence.

A veteran within financial services and home lending, Blabolil has held several legal and regulatory roles throughout her career, including with Guaranteed Rate, where she also served as chief compliance officer.

Carrington promotes company veteran Andrew Taffet to CEO

Mortgage and real estate services enterprise The Carrington Cos. announced the promotion of Andrew Taffet to chief executive officer. Previously the company's chief investment officer, Taffet first joined the mortgage asset manager and provider of origination and servicing products two decades ago and will continue to oversee future growth of the Anaheim, California-based company. Taffet takes over CEO responsibilities from Bruce Rose, who will transition to chairman of the executive committee.

Fairway promotes Joy Knoch to chief strategy officer

Retail lender Fairway Independent Mortgage elevated industry veteran Joy Knoch to chief strategy officer. Knoch joined Fairway in 2011, holding various positions providing operational support across its branch network. In the newly created role, Knoch will be in charge of origination and processing, training and technology systems to streamline loan manufacturing methods at Fairway, which has headquarters in both Madison, Wisconsin, and Carrollton, Texas.

Freddie Mac names Jonathan Kunkle, Eric Wilson to lead seller engagement

Left to right: Jonathan Kunkle, Eric Wilson

Government-sponsored enterprise Freddie Mac tapped Eric Wilson and Jonathan Kunkle as new vice presidents of seller engagement for the single-family division. Both will help develop strategies and serve as a leading source of market intelligence and seller insights for Freddie Mac within their markets, while supporting broader corporate goals. Wilson heads the Eastern regions of the U.S. and Kunkle oversees the West.

Wilson most recently served as the McLean, Virginia-based GSE's senior director of sales for the Midwest region, leading teams working with 400 selling parties in the area, and brings prior business development experience from Fortune 500 financial institutions. Meanwhile, Kunkle comes to Freddie Mac from mortgage solutions provider Covius, where he held roles in sales, operations and product oversight serving clients across originations, servicing and capital markets.

Mortgage Connect names Kim Hoffman Adfitech president

Technology services provider Mortgage Connect named former Sofi executive Kim Hoffman as president of Adfitech, its third-party due-diligence affiliate located in Edmonds, Oklahoma. Hoffman will be responsible for driving technology developments and enhancing the services provided by Adfitech, including product growth to support capital markets.

Hoffman joins Adfitech after recently serving as head of mortgage operations at Sofi Bank. An industry veteran with expertise across segments in home lending, she held roles earlier in her career at Nationstar, Morgan Stanley, Sutherland Mortgage Services and Envoy Mortgage.

New American welcomes Mosi Gatling to spearhead expansion

Hand-out/New American Funding

Tustin, California-based New American Funding added Mosi Gatling to its leadership team as senior vice president of strategic growth and expansion. The appointment comes following New American's recent purchase of single-family lending assets belonging to Draper and Kramer Mortgage.

Previously a sales manager at Loandepot, Gatling specialized in originating mortgages for previously underserved populations, while also pushing for more minority representation in the lending industry. In the newly created role at New American, Gatling will work on recruitment, marketing and business strategies, with a particular focus on increasing homeownership among Black and other minority communities. She is also a regular contributor at industry events on topics involving customer acquisition and closing the minority homeownership gap.

Xactus promotes Michael Crockett to chief operating officer

Verification services provider Xactus elevated Michael Crockett to chief operating officer. In his new position, Crockett will oversee the Broomall, Pennsylvania-based company's daily functions and lead credit, verification and tenant-screening teams. He will also continue to develop Xactus projects and initiatives related to data innovation and quality-control, while maintaining and improving client experience.

Crockett most recently held the title of chief data officer after serving as an executive vice president. In 2013, he joined reporting company Credit Plus, which was later acquired by Xactus, spearheading efforts to build its quality assurance division.

Embrace Home Loans appoints Buddy Hardiman president

National lender Embrace Home Loans recently announced the promotion of Ryan "Buddy" Hardiman to president. Previously its senior vice president of retail and direct sales, he will continue to lead the Middletown, Rhode Island-based company's financial services division, while adding oversight of lending operations and fulfillment to his responsibilities.

Since joining Embrace in 2008, Hardiman has taken on several roles, including project manager and vice president of sales strategy and recruiting, bolstering Embrace's teams and data analytics capabilities.

Dark Matter names Tony Fox chief of client engagement

Jacksonville, Florida-based Dark Matter Technologies, owner of the Empower loan-origination system, welcomed Tony Fox as its chief of client engagement. Previously with Black Knight, Fox oversaw an account management team in charge of maintaining Empower's performance and reliability before the company's merger with Intercontinental Exchange. With the new operator of the loan-origination software, Fox will lead client success teams to serve Empower's enterprise user base. Previously, he held the role of director of technology and business intelligence at 1st Priority Mortgage and worked in sales and operations at M&T Bank.

Neighborworks names Nakeasha Sanders-Small general counsel

Washington-based housing nonprofit Neighborworks added Nakeasha Sanders-Small as general counsel and corporate secretary. A legal veteran with professional background in public and private sectors, Sanders-Small was recently general counsel at the department of for-hire vehicles within the capital city's local government, serving as a legal advisor across operations. She held a similar interim role within Washington's department of public works and previously served as a discovery and disputes resolution attorney at McDermott Will & Emery. Neighborworks partners with hundreds of state housing organizations to create affordable housing supply and assist residents with financial counseling.

Corelogic elevates Kevin Greene to executive in real estate solutions

Housing services platform Corelogic promoted Kevin Greene to executive, GM real estate solutions. In the role he will lead client relationships, particularly with multiple listing service clients, and lead product strategy for the Irvine, California-based company's real estate business.

After working in real estate technology for several different companies earlier in his career, Greene joined Corelogic in 2016. Most recently, he headed sales for the real estate solutions division, where he formed relationships with MLS clients.

Firstfunding taps Matt Coles to oversee national sales

Firstfunding, the warehouse financing subsidiary of First American Financial serving correspondent lenders, credit unions, community banks and investors, recently welcomed Matt Coles as national sales manager. In his new position, Coles will be tasked with building sales strategies and operations for the Dallas-based company, including growing the Firstfunding team. Previously, Coles helped lead sales operations at wholesale and correspondent lenders, including Plaza Home Mortgage and Metlife Home Loans.

Quantalytix adds Michael McCay as mortgage technology head

Software and bank management data platform Quantalytix appointed Michael McCay director of mortgage technology, responsible for oversight of related digital tools. A software development specialist within financial services, McCay has recently focused on home lending operations from origination to servicing across mortgage channels. He joins Birmingham, Alabama-based Quantalytix from mortgage technology consultancy Metal Beard Tech and honed skills earlier in his career at Firstbank. McCay will continue to lead MetalBeard Tech concurrently alongside his new role at Quantalytix.

Alanna.ai hires Bob Grohol as executive sales director

Artificial intelligence technology startup Alanna.ai, headquartered in McKinney, Texas, recently welcomed Bob Grohol as executive sales director. In his new role, Grohol will be responsible for helping expand sales and development of Alanna's AI virtual assistant for title agents, which is aimed to help them communicate with all parties in the closing process. With a professional background in both technology and title industries, he previously held business development and sales positions at Ramquest Software and Erecording Partners Network. Most recently, he served as state manager for Alliant National Title Insurance, overseeing relationships with agents in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.