TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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14 | M R EP O RT MCROWD was EVP–Head of TPO Production at First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation, where he managed the wholesale and correspondent channels. He has a strong track record as a business de- velopment leader and top producer. "We are thrilled to welcome Tom to our team at a time of growing interest in non-QM products," said John Keratsis, President and CEO of Deephaven. "He has an outstanding reputation as an inspiring leader, skilled sales strategist, and contributor to mortgage companies' revenue growth." RAY TWEEDIE Waterstone Mortgage Corporation has opened a new branch in the greater Seacoast area of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to be led by Ray Tweedie, who brings more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry, 20 of which have been in the mortgage business. "I think Waterstone Mortgage has the right approach to technol- ogy—to find solutions that streamline processes, save time, reduce costs, and execute more quickly than the competition," Tweedie said. Tweedie's team currently consists of two Senior Loan Officers, Keely Maguire and Mark Ranieri. In the com- ing months, Tweedie is looking to ex- pand his team by finding like-minded, customer-centric Loan Originators. "We look forward to work- ing with Ray and his team as they continue to serve homebuyers in the Portsmouth area and beyond," Waterstone Mortgage President and CEO Jeff McGuiness said. "Not only does Ray bring an exceptional level of mortgage knowledge, but he also has a passion for serving individuals and families who want to build wealth through homeownership. We are excited to have him join the team." JESSE SEIDEL Geneva Financial has announced the opening of a new branch in Greenwood Village, Colorado, to be led by Branch Manager Jesse Seidel. "Homeownership is more than a dream for many people, it is a place where they can raise their children and form a community," Seidel stated. "Humanizing the loan process makes that opportunity achievable and less intimidating. Through this move to Geneva, we can now better serve our communities and help them on their journey to homeownership." Based out of Greenwood Village, Seidel and his new branch will serve homebuyers throughout the state, of- fering conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, refinance, reverse, jumbo loans, condo financing, and much more. RICK HOGLE Rick Hogle has joined Cherry Creek Mortgage as CRO, responsible for management of the overall performance of Cherry Creek's retail operations. Hogle will oversee the growth and development of retail sales and production network, while supporting all the company's busi- ness channels. He will also be responsible for developing a recruiting platform to engage and enlist new talent and oversee coaching to strengthen the personal and profes- sional growth of all associates. "Rick prides himself in successfully unifying both sales and operational teams and creating an understanding that one cannot be successful without the other," said Rick Seehausen, CEO of Cherry Creek Mortgage. "We are thrilled to be bringing on a dynamic change agent who will continue to build on the unity between our operations and sales units and instill a culture and vision that aligns everyone in the orga- nization to achieve a common goal." Hogle brings a breadth of experi- ence, proven leadership and industry expertise to this role, as well as roots in retail production. He began his mort- gage career in 2001 with New Century Mortgage, where he became one of the firm's top originators in his first year and later a successful branch manager. He also served as a Branch Manager, National Sales Manager, Director of Operations, COO, and Chief Strategic Officer for Supreme Lending, where he helped the company grow into one of the top retail lenders in the nation. "I'm delighted and honored to bring both my skills and perspectives to Cherry Creek's thriving retail organiza- tion," Hogle said. "When you bring together great people, empower them with a common mission, and equip them with the tools, knowledge, and processes for success, the sky's the limit." SERVICE PROVIDERS CHRISTINA FICKS ERIK LEAVER Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) has promoted Christina Ficks to VP of Customer Experience and Erik Leaver to VP of Mortgage Modeling Analytics. Ficks joined MGIC in 2017, earning progres- sive responsibilities in the areas of technology integration and auto- mation before being named Director of Pricing Implementation in 2020. "In the past five years, Christina has played an increasingly integral role in the areas of technology integration and automation," said Sal Miosi, MGIC President and COO. "The customer has always been central to MGIC, and as our digital customer experience evolves, she is very well suited to lead the charge from this new leadership role. I congratulate her and look for- ward to her continued contributions." Having joined MGIC in 2020 as Senior Director of Risk Modeling, Leaver comes to the company with a deep background in quantitative analysis and risk modeling. "Erik has already contributed invaluable enhancements to MGIC's use of modeling tools to best serve our customers and shareholders," said Steve Thompson, MGIC's Chief Risk Officer. "I look forward to the continued capabilities he will develop in this elevated role and congratulate him on his promotion." JAMES OWENS Xactus, a verification innovator for the mortgage industry, has announced that James Owens has joined the company as CTO where he will oversee the company's technology strategy, including all technical aspects of new product development and implementation across its platforms, and direct other corporate technical initiatives, including IT and data security. "James is a passionate technolo- gist with a visionary mindset and strong track record of building high- performance teams and developing innovative technologies," said Perry Steiner, Chairman and CEO of Xactus. "He will help propel our company into the next phase of growth and enable Xactus to usher in an era of ground-breaking transformation for the mortgage industry. Our mission is to advance the modern mortgage, and James is critical to accomplish- ing that." As CTO, Owens will be respon- sible for providing leadership around Xactus' technology, maintaining infinite scalability, an agile develop- ment environment, and leading a customer-centric organization. An IT professional with nearly 30 years of executive-level experience in the financial services and software devel- opment industries, Owens previously served as Chief Architect/Head of Technology Strategy and previously CTO at OneMain Financial. Before OneMain, Owens held several senior executive consulting, sales and prod- uct roles at Black Knight Financial Services, and the first 10 years of his career included engineering, technol- ogy leadership and transformation consulting positions. "The opportunity to transform an industry is a rare chance in a career. Verification solutions and the associ- ated workflow in mortgage origina- tions has not been challenged for many years, and Xactus is making substantial technology investments to innovate, increase efficiency, and enhance transparency," Owens said. "I look forward to joining Xactus and playing a role in leading our industry's technology migration to the modern mortgage experience." Xactus is comprised of the merged family of companies that includes Credit Plus, Universal Credit Services, CIS Credit Solutions, Avantus, DataFacts Lending Solutions, and SharperLending. ELIZABETH GREEN Appraisal Logistics, provider of appraisal management technology and compliance solutions, has named Elizabeth Green as Chief Strategy Officer. In her new role, she will maintain a 360-degree view of the company, as well as direct product and services innovation. "Liz has worked for some of the