TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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M R EP O RT | 11 and underserved. Her experience in lending, operations, management, and as a board member of NAHREP [National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals] is a perfect fit for this important new position." DeLuca will lead Guild's partici- pation in organizations focused on diversity and inclusion, including NAHREP, the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA), and other industry minority groups. She will represent Guild with the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) sup- porting the Home for All Pledge, the industry's commitment to a sustained and holistic approach to address racial inequities in housing and any barriers to sustainable homeowner- ship for persons and communities of color. DeLuca joined NAHREP in Chicago in 2009, and was named to the as- sociation's Board, and later, served on its Executive Committee. She joined the Board of the Nashville Chapter of NAHREP when she moved to Tennessee and has been a certified trainer for NAHREP's Hispanic Wealth Project, The NAHREP 10, since 2019. Through the NAHREP 10, she is lead- ing efforts to provide advocacy and education to help build generational wealth within the Hispanic communi- ty. She currently serves on NAHREP'S Corporate Board of Governors and will represent Guild with NAHREP at the national and regional levels. Prior to joining Guild, DeLuca served as SVP of Federal Savings Bank in Brentwood, Tennessee, where she led a team that focused on supporting homeownership within Hispanic and Black communities. Her other recent leadership roles include serving as Area Sales Manager for more than five years with Wintrust Mortgage in Chicago, and four years as Sales Manager, Diverse Segments Specialist with Wells Fargo. "I was attracted to Guild because of its strong reputation, vision for growth and amazing leadership," DeLuca said. "Guild retains some 70% of its clients because of a culture dedicated to creating customers for life. As a Latina, I was impressed by Guild's demonstrated commitment to equity internally and externally to promote increased diversity and in- clusion throughout the broader mort- gage industry. I'm pleased to have the opportunity to contribute my skills to this forward-thinking company." JAY FARNER ANGELO VITALE BOB WALTERS TIM BIRKMEIER Rocket Companies, the Detroit-based FinTech platform company consisting of tech-driven real estate, mortgage, and financial services businesses—including Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, Truebill, and Rocket Auto—announced a series of promotions and leadership changes to further the company's trajectory of success. Jay Farner, Vice Chairman & CEO of Rocket Companies and previous CEO of Rocket Mortgage, will assume the title of CEO for Rocket Central (previously Rock Central)—the centralized hub for the Rocket Companies fintech platform. Farner will retain his role at Rocket Companies to continue driv- ing the growth of the entire ecosys- tem from mortgage and real estate to car sales and personal finance. Angelo Vitale, General Counsel & Secretary of Rocket Companies, who previously held the role of CEO of Rock Central, will now solely focus on his roles as General Counsel and Secretary at Rocket Companies. As a platform business, Rocket Companies provides services from each of its brands to clients who want help making a complex transaction easier—like getting a home loan, purchasing a car, or working on their budgeting and personal finances thanks to the recent acquisition of Truebill. In his new role at Rocket Central, Farner will drive the vision for the technology, data, product design, marketing, communications, and other services the company pro- vides—ensuring there is a consistent, seamless experience for clients across the Rocket Companies eco- system. With Farner's move to Rocket Central, Bob Walters—a 25-year veteran of Rocket Mortgage—has been promoted to CEO of Rocket Mortgage. He previously served as the President and COO of both Rocket Companies and Rocket Mortgage and will retain his posi- tion at Rocket Companies. In his time as President and COO of Rocket Mortgage, Walters over- saw the Mortgage Servicing, Client Experience Operations, Capital Markets and Technology Teams. As CEO, Walters will be responsible for the vision, strategy and the day-to- day operation of Rocket Mortgage. Rocket Mortgage also announced Tim Birkmeier, the company's Chief Revenue Officer, is broadening his responsibilities by also assuming the role of President. Birkmeier, who joined the company in 1996, is responsible for all teams and initia- tives that create top-line revenue for the company—including Mortgage Banking and the company's Partnership Channel. "Rocket Mortgage is in excellent hands with Bob and Tim, who have been instrumental drivers in the company's growth. We have worked side-by-side for decades and will continue to do so," Farner said. "Bob has a very inquisitive nature, digging deep in every process to make sure the company leverages every small advantage to live up to the ISM, or philosophy, 'The Inches We Need Are Everywhere Around Us.' Tim has worked closely with the mortgage banking team to hone our expertise in providing an exceptional experi- ence for everyone—ensuring we make good on our promise, 'Every Client. Every Time. No Exceptions. No Excuses.' I'm looking forward to seeing how they use their passions and experience to lead the business to new heights." Under the leadership of Walters and Birkmeier, Rocket Mortgage has seen explosive growth, including be- coming the nation's largest mortgage lender, the introduction of propri- etary technology including Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Logic and maintaining an industry-best client retention rate exceeding 90+%. The pair have also been directly involved with the company earning 19 J.D. Power awards over the last 12 years for client satisfaction in mortgage origination and servicing. In addition to these changes, Rocket Companies also recently announced Nicole Beattie as CEO of Amrock, following the retirement of Amrock's prior chief executive. Before joining Amrock, Beattie was an 18-year veteran of Rocket Mortgage. SCOTT HARKLESS Open Mortgage, a multichannel mortgage lender dedicated to empowering the dream of homeown- ership, has named seasoned mortgage leader Scott Harkless to the newly created position of Chief Revenue Officer. Harkless will report directly to Open Mortgage President Joe Stephenson in this pivotal role on the senior leadership team, overseeing all sales functions within the company, including wholesale and retail in both the reverse and forward divisions. "Scott's extensive experience, demonstrated leadership, and proven track record in the mortgage industry make him an ideal fit for this new position at Open Mortgage," Stephenson said. "With his addition to our talented senior leadership team, we will leverage Scott's impres- sive industry executive expertise and background to further grow and energize our retail and whole- sale platforms. In this way, he will be instrumental in expanding our foot- print in target markets where Open Mortgage can make a greater impact in the local community." Formerly a civil litigator, Harkless joined Countrywide Home Loans' strategic alliance division in 2006. After Bank of America acquired Countrywide in 2008, Harkless led its business-to-business platforms as the Executive Sales Leader. He managed joint ventures and market- ing agreements with real estate professionals and builders, as well as affinity relationships with key real estate influencers, most notably, Tom Ferry, a recognized real estate educa- tor and coach. Harkless finished off his tenure at Bank of America as the Merrill Lynch Sales Executive, driv- ing residential loan officer produc- tion through the advisory channel. In 2018, Harkless joined American Advisors Group and served as both the East Divisional Sales Executive, driving traditional and reverse mort- gage production from Utah to the Eastern seaboard, and later as the VP for Enterprise Partnerships. "Open Mortgage's dynamic and innovative culture has created an un- rivaled entrepreneurial environment where loan originators feel valued," Harkless said. "With its growing retail and wholesale footprint, focus on purchase and uptrend in reverse lend- ing, the company is well poised for MCROWD