TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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M R EP O RT | 13 RYAN RATHERT Panorama Mortgage Group (PMG), a multibrand national mortgage company headquartered in Nevada, has announced that Ryan Rathert has joined the firm as Chief Financial Officer, effective immedi- ately. In his role, Rathert will lead PMG's financial activities including account- ing, financial planning and analysis, tax, investor relations, internal audit, and treasury—while keeping in mind the overall strategy and growth goals to hit the company's financial metrics. As a financial executive with more than 15 years in the mortgage leadership role, Rathert brings vast insight to problem solving and prides himself on simplifying challenges. He spent the last eight years with Stearns Lending in a variety of posi- tions, the past four as COO/CFO of the Wholesale Mortgage Channel. His previous roles included but are not limited to Production CFO, Head of Private Label Operations, and several senior finance and business support roles for Stearns Lending, Wells Fargo, and Mr. Cooper. "Anything is possible when you have the right people behind you, and I am beyond thrilled to announce that Ryan is one of those people. His expertise in production finance with a pure joy of serving others is a fantastic fit for Panorama Mortgage Group. Ryan has a proven record of developing top grade teams by investing in the next generation of mortgage professionals, and I look forward to his contributions as our new Chief Financial Officer. I could think of no one better to work with our brand presidents, while providing mentorship to the core team," said Sarah Gonzalez, PMG President and Chief Operations Officer. DARREN SHAFFER Churchill Mortgage has announced the addition of Darren Shaffer as CTO where he will oversee Churchill's enterprise technology platform and services, leading the design, creation, and implementation of world-class systems. He will oversee the entire technology team, including 18-year company veteran Dan Jones who was recently promoted to Churchill's CIO. "Our company has worked with Darren on a few projects in the past, and we were instantly impressed with his attention to detail, positive attitude, and wealth of experience in developing superior tech systems," said Matt Clarke, COO of Churchill Mortgage. "We're confident he's the right person to have at the helm as we elevate the overall user experi- ence and technology platforms at Churchill to new heights." In his new role, Shaffer will focus on spearheading a digital transforma- tion that provides a seamless, person- alized user experience for borrowers, loan officers, and operations staff. He plans to build upon the company's existing partnerships and continue the evolution of a unified loan ap- plication experience with complete transparency from whatever device the borrower chooses. "Churchill's vision and foresight for how it can best revolutionize the borrower experience aligns with where I believe our industry is head- ing. The decision to join was an easy one," Shaffer said. "The dedication to people, authenticity, culture, and education flows through every aspect of the company, which will enable Churchill to successfully maneuver through this next phase of growth and evolution. The foundation for success is already in place, I'm just here to make our technology services a key differentiator for both our team members and customers." Over a career that spans more than 30 years, Shaffer has developed more than 117 enterprise systems, some with millions of users world- wide. He has held senior technology positions at companies including WalMart Information Systems, Oracle, Navidec, Microsoft, and most recent- ly, served as CTO in the mortgage industry. He is a six-time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award winner and holds numerous certifica- tions in both Microsoft's NET and Oracle's Java enterprise technology platforms. JUSTIN SLAY Geneva Financial has announced the opening of a new branch location in Hartwell, Georgia, to be led by Branch Manager Justin Slay. "We are very excited for this new phase for our branch with Geneva Financial," Slay said. "The top-notch level of service that Geneva is known for will partner well with the high bar that I set for helping my customers navigate through the largest financial transactions of their lives." Based out of Hartwell, Slay and his team will serve homebuyers through- out the state, offering conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, refinance, reverse, jumbo loans, condo financing, and much more. Founded in 2007 by Aaron VanTrojen, Geneva Financial is a di- rect mortgage lender headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, with more than 130 branch locations in 46 states. Slay has been helping customers obtain their home ownership dreams for over 15 years, and strives to ensure that his customers complete the transaction feeling well-informed and confident that they made the best financial decision possible when purchasing or refinancing. NATALIE VERRETTE Champions Funding, a nationwide Non-QM & Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) wholesale mortgage lender, has appointed Natalie Verrette as President and COO, who will be tasked with advancing its mission of expanding options to an underserved market through its flagship loan programs. Verrette brings extensive experi- ence growing all areas of mort- gage production, operations, and fulfillment for large-scale mortgage lenders. She served as part of the management team at The Money Source (TMS) as EVP of Operations/ Originations before taking on the role of SVP at AmeriSave Mortgage Corporation. "I am honored and humbled to be named President and COO of Champions Funding and lead the team of Champions to give borrowers a new option that doesn't exist with agency loans," Verrette said. "We are uniquely poised to serve diverse cus- tomers through our CDFI certification and flagship programs." JON WHITTINGTON Nations Lending has named 29-year industry veteran Jon Whittington, CMB to oversee the com- pany's expansion to the Hawaiian Islands. As Regional Manager, Whittington will focus on growing Nations' retail footprint and production volume, and report to Western Divisional Sales Manager Nino Saso. Whittington came to the state in the late 1980's and has been a fixture in the lending industry ever since. He previ- ously served as President at Compass Home Loans (Compass Hawaii), a joint venture launched in 2014 between Stearns Lending and Locations, a major Hawaii real estate firm. "It was the culture and the size of the organization that attracted me most," Whittington said. "Nations is well-capitalized and large enough to sell exclusively to the agencies on all agency products. It also retains 98% of servicing of the total volume it originates. Add to that the entrepre- neurial spirit of its leadership team and, as one of my former colleagues now working at Nations put it, you get the 'unicorn of mortgage banking firms.'" Nations' first location will be in the Kaka'ako neighborhood of Honolulu, in what will be a newly opened office upon local licensing approval. From there, Whittington plans to add branch offices in strategic locations as opportunities dictate. PAUL YARBOROUGH Cherry Creek Mortgage has appointed Paul Yarborough VP of IT Operations, where he will oversee Cherry Creek's technology infrastructure and strategy. Yarborough will be tasked with developing and maintaining Cherry Creek's IT strategies and budget to support the firm's business goals and objectives, while improving data security and risk management. He will also explore new technology and oversee the architecture and ongoing support of Cherry Creek's network, server, and communications infra- structure to enhance its technology performance. "Paul is a technology leader with remarkable organizational skills and MCROWD