TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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M R EP O RT | 13 LENDERS CHRISTOPHER GUERIN National mortgage lender American Financial Resources (AFR) has announced that longtime executive Christopher Guerin will step into the new role of EVP of Origination and Business Development. Guerin brings to the new role nearly 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry. "As AFR continues to be a success- ful leader in the mortgage industry, I'm eager to step into this new role and push the company forward while improving processes to benefit our customers," Guerin said. "Coming from the retail division of AFR, there are a lot of synergies between what our own loan officers and third-party originators go through, and by focus- ing on streamlining processes and improving communication, AFR will be able to better serve our custom- ers and partners, no matter the storm. AFR's reputation of serving the masses will never waver, and I am looking forward to working alongside the team to continue to create these unique programs that fill the gaps in today's competitive market." Prior to joining AFR, Guerin spent nearly 15 years at eLEND, rising through the ranks to the position of VP of Originations. He also spent time at Superior Lending and got his start in the industry in 2004 at Champion Mortgage. "Chris has embodied AFR's values throughout his career and we're confident that our future is bright with him spearheading efforts," said Richard Dubnoff, CEO of AFR. "At AFR, we always want to ensure that our customers and partners know we're here for them, now and in the future, and there's no doubt that we have the team in place to drive the company forward." BRENDA HEDEEN Open Mortgage has selected Brenda Hedeen, CPA, as its new CFO to spearhead the firm's finance and account- ing operations. "With her impressive skill set in financial planning and analysis, as well as her affinity for passionate and fearless leadership, Brenda's addition to Open Mortgage will ensure the acceleration of our current momen- tum of success," said Scott Gordon, Founder and CEO of Open Mortgage. "Tony's diligent service has led the company through a season of rapid growth and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we move into the next phase of expansion, his more than 30 years of leadership experi- ence in legal, compliance, and finance will continue to be invaluable to our legal infrastructure." As a member of the Chief Executive Team, Hedeen will report directly to Open Mortgage President Joe Stephenson and will leverage her background in analysis and fiscal planning to create a companywide analytical infrastructure. Most recently, Hedeen served as On Q Financial Inc.'s CFO. Prior to working for On Q, Hedeen was promoted to CFO of Mann Mortgage from her previous positions as Assistant CFO and Controller. Additionally, she has held roles in private and public accounting, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). BRIAN MAUGHAN Fidelity National Financial has announced the appointment of Brian Maughan to EVP, Chief Innovation Officer. In his expanded role, Maughan will analyze trends and market disruptions, search for emerging market and technology opportunities, and direct investments into new and existing initiatives. He will also drive business and technical innovations throughout the FNF enterprise to increase revenue and profits while expanding competitive advantages. "We look forward to Brian taking on this expanded leadership role within FNF," said Mike Nolan, CEO of Fidelity National Financial. "While FNF has always taken an innova- tive approach to growth and market leadership, Brian's new focus will help FNF to aggressively identify and invest in new solutions, joint ventures, acquisitions, and ground-breaking ini- tiatives that will continue our leader- ship and dominance in the market." After leading the product manage- ment and marketing of an early-stage startup that helped establish digital signatures technology, Maughan joined FNF, where he has spent the last decade advancing technol- ogy initiatives, sales and marketing efforts, and real estate technology investments across the FNF enter- prise as CMO. Along with FNF's CDO, Jason Nadeau, Maughan has led the strategy and successful development of FNF's transformational digital initiatives and solutions. LAURA BRANDAO Equity Prime Mortgage (EPM) has announced the addition of Laura Brandao as Chief Growth Officer, tasked with unifying every department at EPM, as well as grow the brand and company. Former President and Partner with American Financial Resources (AFR), Brandao joins EPM as a shareholder and part of the executive team. In addi- tion to her new role with EPM, Brandao is an active participant in many of the industry's trade groups, including Chair of the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) Visionary program, Chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association of New Jersey's (MBA-NJ) Women's Committee, Chair of Women with Vision, a Board Member with Mortflix, and is a Mortgage Executive Coach, as well as a three-time, best-selling author. "I'm excited to start this new adventure with EPM of empower- ing people more," Brandao said. "As Chief Growth Officer, it is my hope that we make a bigger impact on the mortgage industry together. Thank you all for your support and love. We look forward to serving, supporting, and celebrating with you." JEFF RAICH First Community Mortgage's (FCM) Wholesale Division has named Jeff Raich Regional Sales Manager, bringing more than 25 years of broad-based experience in mortgage lending, focused on Third-Party Originator (TPO) lending, to his new role. "Jeff is a great fit for our growing team," said Retta Gardner, EVP of the a Mortgage Boutique Division at FCM. "He is an easy-going, proven leader with a solid reputation for building and running strong sales and operations teams and has an in-depth knowledge of our industry." FCM is a wholly-owned subsid- iary of First Community Bank of Tennessee and includes Wholesale, Correspondent, and Retail divisions. "I am excited by the expertise and energy within First Community Mortgage's Wholesale operation and look forward to hiring Account Executives across the United States in three channels—broker, delegated correspondent, and non-delegated correspondent—strengthening the or- ganization across the 46 states in which it originates mortgages," Raich said. HUGH BLEVINS Planet Home Lending LLC has announced its expansion into the Lone Star State with the addition of its newest branch in San Antonio, Texas, to be led by Retail Branch Manager Hugh Blevins. Blevins has nearly 15 years of mortgage lending experience, having spent time at Movement Mortgage, Synergy One Lending, Hometown Lenders, and The Mortgage Firm Inc. prior to joining Planet Home Lending. "I like having the variety of loans that Planet Home Lending offers at my disposal to help the consumers in this market," Blevins said. "We want people to know we are here for them." The new San Antonio team's local expertise will be enhanced by Planet Home Lending's personal digital mortgage assistant, Skymore by Planet Home Lending, which consum- ers can use to apply to get a home loan from anywhere via a mobile device. Borrowers and real estate agents can track loan progress 24/7, reach out to their Loan Officer with questions, and submit paperwork electronically. TOM DAVIS Tom Davis, a veteran mortgage industry executive, has joined non-QM/nonagency lender Deephaven Mortgage as Chief Sales Officer, charged with expanding Deephaven's footprint and market share across the United States. Davis, who is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has more than 20 years' experience helping partners with their agency and non-QM/ nonagency needs. Most recently, he MCROWD