TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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12 | M R EP O RT MCROWD LENDER SERVICER RON KRUEGER Sprout Mortgage has announced that Ron Krueger has joined the company as VP, Correspondent Lending, based in Southern California. Krueger, 57, joins the team to lead the effort to deepen relationships with its Correspondent clients on the nondelegated and delegated side. He joined Sprout in this newly created position in December 2019 and reports to Shea Pallante, EVP. "Ron is a seasoned veteran who embraces Sprout's core belief of putting its people first," Pallante said. "This news underscores Sprout's commitment to bring together the best talent in the industry." "I am excited to join Sprout with its commitment to innovation and focus on quality non-QM solutions that can help grow loan officers' production and provide superior service to their sellers," Krueger said. Krueger comes to Sprout from Deephaven Mortgage, where he served as VP, Client Development, for non-QM products. Prior to that, he was SVP, Branch Expansion, at Synergy One Lending, setting up and building its non QM/ non-agency production division. Krueger graduated from the University of Redlands, with a degree in Business Management. DAN MUNFORD loanDepot announced the opening of its first Utah location and the appointment of Dan Munford, a local mortgage industry veteran, to serve as Branch Manager. The strategic move marks the 223rd retail site for the nation's second largest nonbank lender as the Company continues to expand its brick and mortar presence nationwide, with plans to open more locations across the state and assemble top local talent. "We have assembled an outstanding team of local experts who are here to serve as trusted resources for Salt Lake City and surrounding community residents," said Alec Hanson, loanDepot's SVP of Production. "We pride ourselves with delighting our customers at every step of the mortgage process, and we look forward to assisting Utah families with their dreams of homeownership." loanDepot's expansion into Utah is another example of the Company's ongoing commitment to serving its customers in the way they would like to be served, whether that be in person or online. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, loanDepot quickly became the nation's second largest nonbank lender thanks to its customer-centric focus and its sweeping investment in its proprietary mello™ technology. The Company also debuted the mello smart loan, the industry's first end-to-end fully digital loan that uses artificial intelligence to significantly reduce and, in some cases, eliminate the paperwork involved in the loan process. Munford, who will oversee the Salt Lake City lending store, has more than 27 years of mortgage experience serving the Utah market. He has built a reputation for his expertise in lending, coaching, mortgage product, and program knowledge and industry outlook. Joining him on the Utah team are Home Loan Strategists, Matt Harrison and Justin Williams; Loan Officer, Russ Wakefield; Internal Loan Consultant, Nicole Sorensen; and Production Assistant, Jessica Cole. "I look forward to helping my team make an impact in the communities of Salt Lake City and beyond," said Munford. "We are confident that our local expertise and our technology will make an impact for prospective home buyers." MIKE RAWLS Mr. Cooper Group named Mike Rawls as the CEO of Xome Holdings LLC., the company's real estate services subsidiary. Rawls will transition operational leadership for the servicing segment to Tony Ebers, Mr. Cooper's EVP and COO. Xome's prior CEO, Rayman Mathoda, will remain with the company as a strategic advisor. "Given Mike's track record with our servicing business, he is in a unique position to help Xome achieve its full potential as a leading integrated services provider for the mortgage industry. Mike has led our servicing and originations businesses in his tenure with Mr. Cooper," said Jay Bray, Chairman and CEO, Mr. Cooper Group. Bray added, "Mike has led our servicing and origination businesses in his tenure with Mr. Cooper. He understands the process and complexities in these businesses and will work with clients to reduce pain points and deliver a better client experience." "Mike has done a tremendous job growing and transforming the Mr. Cooper servicing organization as we've worked to create franchise value for our customers," said Tony Ebers, COO, Mr. Cooper Group. "I am very excited to work more closely with our servicing team as we continue to focus on enhancing the experience for our customers, giving them a seamless and rewarding experience across their homeownership journey." Rawls said of the appointment, "I'm excited to be working with the very strong team in place at Xome. The focus of the organization will remain on This month, some of the industry's largest companies saw significant changes to their corporate lineups. Who's moving on and who's moving up in the industry delivering best-in-class performance at the highest levels of service to our partners. In addition, we are going to continue to actively listen to our clients and build integrated and innovative solutions that move the marketplace." Rawls previously served as the EVP of Servicing for Mr. Cooper Group, where he held operational responsibility for the company's entire servicing portfolio. Rawls joined Mr. Cooper in 2000 and was named EVP of Servicing for the company in 2015. Previously, he held key leadership positions in both servicing and originations. MICHELLE RICHARDSON Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc., one of the nation's leading wholesale and correspondent mortgage lenders, announced that Michelle Richardson has joined the company as SVP of Treasury and Finance. In this role, Richardson will be responsible for Plaza's Treasury department, including warehouse relationships, cash management, and the company's Corporate Funding department. She will report to Mike Fontaine, Plaza's COO and CFO. Richardson joins Plaza from loanDepot where she was the VP of Treasury for the past seven years. During her tenure at loanDepot, she established the company's enterprise treasury function and oversaw all settlement and funding activities for the organization. Earlier, Richardson held finance positions with Icon Residential, T-Force, and IMPAC Mortgage. "We are excited that Michelle is joining our management team," said Fontaine. "She is a seasoned finance professional with deep experience across the full range of treasury, corporate finance, and funding functions. We know she will be a critical contributor to Plaza's ongoing success." Richardson earned her MBA and BA from University of Phoenix. In addition, she is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP). ROBERT TRUITT Amerifirst Home Mortgage, a division of Amerifirst Financial Corporation, announced the appointment of Robert Truitt as CFO. Truitt joined the company on January 1 and is based at the company's headquarters in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Truitt most