TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/134983
local edition a na ly t ic s Se r v ic i ng Or ig i nat ion SERVICING "The demand for housing and rate environment along with tightened loan criteria creates an opportunity for servicers to right the wrong within their portfolio. In turn, the movement gives way to specialized servicers and other innovative organizations with a focus on building real estate portfolios at discounted rates," he said. "The current trend of diversification in the servicing industry creates an opportunity for ZVN to substantially grow its field services business." "ZVN can be the single point of contact for servicers in need of a flexible partner offering a complete menu of services aimed at protecting, securing, and repairing the asset," he continued. Wingspan Lender Services announced it is expanding its operations to Florida, changing industry standards in the process. ServiceLink Welcomes Industry Veteran s e c on da r y m a r k e t Mike Zwerner joins the company as SVP of corporate development. PENNSYLVANIA // In Pittsburgh, ServiceLink, an endto-end origination, servicing, and default solutions provider for mortgage lenders and servicers, named Mike Zwerner as SVP of corporate development. In his new role at the company, Zwerner will direct the marketing and communications teams, oversee expansion of key partner relationships, assist in the development and oversight of corporate business development, and help facilitate divisional strategic synergy and execution. "ServiceLink has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years, and we are aggressively focused on expanding our market reach and offerings," said Kevin Coop, EVP of enterprise strategy at ServiceLink. "With this growth comes a need for additional seasoned leadership, and Mike's experience in the areas of corporate strategy, business 56 | The M Report development, and marketing will make him an invaluable member of our senior management team." Zwerner is a veteran sales and management professional with more than two decades of industry experience under his belt. He most recently served as SVP of business development and marketing for Interthinx, where he was responsible for the company's overall corporate strategy, merger and acquisition activities, strategic partnerships, and oversight of its marketing and public relations activities. His prior roles include VP of business development for Sysdome, VP of sales and marketing with Homestore, Inc., and director of business development for PointCast, Inc. "ServiceLink has a stellar reputation, and its senior leadership team is well-respected within our industry," Zwerner said. "I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible, forwardthinking organization, and I'm looking forward to contributing to ServiceLink's continued growth and expansion into new and existing market segments." Wingspan Expands Operations to Florida Company aims to change the industry norm with employee structure. FLORIDA // In Dallas, Wingspan Lender Services announced it is expanding its operations to Florida, changing industry standards in the process. Rather than hire remote underwriters who work from home, the company is using W-2 employees who work either in Wingspan Portfolio Advisors' offices in the Dallas area or in the company's Melbourne, Florida, facility, which it recently acquired from JPMorgan Chase. "Having the working groups together in our facilities brings a missing component to the mortgage processing and underwriting value proposition," explained Jim Gallagher, SVP of Wingspan Portfolio Advisors and executive in charge of Wingspan Lender Services. "Collaboration and a centralized environment are critical to a topflight offering, we have found." Gallagher's team vets underwriting candidates using a two-part testing process that includes questionnaires, case files, and in-depth interviews in Wingspan's offices. Wingspan Lender Services also requires a minimum of three years' underwriting experience (within the last five years) to ensure current knowledge and quality work. In addition, Wingspan Portfolio Advisors has made rapid scalability one of its core competencies to meet the demands of clients' special servicing and borrower outreach needs over the years, bringing hundreds of trained employees online in a matter of weeks. Wingspan Lender Services has taken the same route, developing a strategic reserve that allows the company to deploy 30 to 35 experienced workers within 30 days if necessary. "Our system allows accelerated training, and our hires are already vetted and documented for experience, so we can move fast," said president and CEO Steven Horne. "We are planning for the same kind of exponential growth Wingspan Portfolio Advisors has experienced over the last few years and are leveraging the Melbourne, Florida, professionals that came to us in February's acquisition of that facility. "Lenders with immediate needs no longer have to settle for remote workers," he added. "They can see the people for themselves and learn firsthand what technology, testing, and training can do, right in Wingspan's offices."