TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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14 | M R EP O RT MCROWD instead of waiting until you find a home," MacDonald said. "I encour- age homebuyers to prepare and know their borrowing limit so they can quickly make an offer. Then, they should be ready to sign a purchase and sales agreement in short order." MacDonald comes to Mortgage Network after spending over 30 years in advertising sales and manage- ment serving North Shore businesses and institutions on behalf of The Boston Globe, The Salem News, The Gloucester Daily Times, and The Daily News of Newburyport. He holds an executive MBA from Endicott College and a bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in finance from Northeastern University. MacDonald currently serves as VP of the Manchester Club of Manchester-by-the-Sea, a 503(B) nonprofit, and on the Executive Board of The Elder Brethren Association of Manchester-by-the-Sea. DARREN RUSSELL Renaissance Mortgage Capital d/b/a Renaissance Home Loans has added industry veteran Darren Russell as VP of Business Development. In his role as VP of Business Development, Russell will establish corporate alliances designed to improve customer service and reduce the firm's costs. His approach will be geo-specific, with a defined concentration on entities that mesh with the company's core values. He will also participate in developing the company's Q4 horizontal expansion strategy, a multiyear, synthesized concept driven by the headwinds faced within the industry. Before joining Renaissance, Russell was most recently with Mr. Cooper. While employed with Mr. Cooper, Russell participated in some of the industry's more complex correspon- dent strategies, like assignment of trade [AOT], co-issue, and bulk acquisition. He led the division by exceeding his peers in key metrics for the correspondent sales channel. Russell has worked for numerous large scale mortgage companies, including Pacific Union Financial LLC, First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation, and JP Morgan Chase. "Darren will create a competitive advantage and serve as a valuable organizational asset," said Jeff Mack, COO of Renaissance. "His high-inten- sity style will magnify the initiative. He will also be a critical element of our growth strategy in the southeast." SERVICE PROVIDERS DONALD H. LAYTON The NYU Furman Center announced the appointment of former CEO of Freddie Mac Donald H. Layton as Senior Visiting Fellow from Practice. Layton brings decades of financial experience to the Furman Center. Most recently, he served as a Senior Industry Fellow at Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, where he wrote extensively about the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and more broadly on housing finance. Prior to his career in academia, Layton served as CEO of Freddie Mac from May 2012-June 2019, where he championed the development of Credit Risk Transfers (CRTs), one of the most significant reforms to the housing finance system in decades. As a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Furman Center, Layton will continue to study and write about the GSEs and housing finance. His work will be published regularly on "The Stoop," and in Furman Center publications that blend rigorous data analysis with practical insights and recommenda- tions for reform. Layton will also collaborate with faculty at the Center for Real Estate Finance Research at NYU's Stern School of Business, where colleagues will benefit from his long experience in finance. Layton worked for nearly 30 years at JPMorgan Chase and its predeces- sors, starting out as a trainee and retiring in 2004 as Vice Chairman and one of its top three executives. His experience ranged from leading businesses in global capital markets, investment banking, and U.S. con- sumer banking, with extensive experi- ence as a general manager of a large financial institution. He was Chairman and then CEO of E*TRADE Financial from 2007-2009, shepherding it suc- cessfully through the financial crisis. Since 2004, he has served on several corporate boards, including being appointed to the board of AIG by the U.S. Treasury. He served as a senior advisor to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association from 2006-2008. He currently serves on the board of the Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit specializing in affordable rental hous- ing; and as Chairman Emeritus of the board of the Partnership for the Homeless, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing homelessness in New York City, after having been its Chair for nearly a decade. MARIA MOSKVER Stewart Information Services Corporation has announced that Maria Moskver has been named the new President of Cloudvirga, a Stewart-owned company and fintech provider powering digital mortgages. Moskver will lead Cloudvirga's strategic growth in building the preeminent digital mortgage automation company in the point-of- sale (POS) space and be responsible for technology investments, new products, brand awareness, and enhancing the Stewart customer experience with end-to-end mortgage services and solutions. "Maria is an industry veteran in the fintech and compliance world with more than 20 years of experience and a diverse skillset that very few other executives have," said Brad Rable, Stewart's CIO. "She leads with passion and purpose and is attentive to instilling that in others, creating strong followership and camaraderie. As a leader, she respects her team's opinions, differences, and contribu- tions, encouraging them to focus on their strengths and passions, which drives Cloudvirga's success." Acquired by Stewart in May 2021, Cloudvirga delivers intelligent POS platforms for both Loan Officers and consumers that automate operations traditionally performed in the back office to reduce mortgage origina- tion costs, improve user experience, and increase business insight in the trillion-dollar home loan market. Moskver has been with Cloudvirga for three years, also serving as Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, and CFO during her tenure. SARAH CLAEYS Mortgage Cadence, a subsidiary of Accenture, has named Sarah Claeys as its new EVP of Client Delivery. Claeys will be leading Mortgage Cadence's pre-sales engineering, solutioning and delivery teams, ensuring that prospects understand the Mortgage Cadence Platform (MCP) and its capabilities. "This is a very exciting time to join Mortgage Cadence," Claeys said. "The company has an incredibly innovative platform, and I look forward to be- ing able to work with lenders across all product and channels to deliver solutions that are tailored to best fit their needs." Prior to joining Mortgage Cadence, Claeys served as VP of Product Strategy and Delivery at Credit Union Student Choice. She also brings nearly 20 years of experience in business and product development, management, strategic planning and technology leadership from compa- nies such as Computershare US and LenderLive Network. "Sarah will be such a valuable asset as we continue to deliver MCP," said Pete Espinosa, CEO of Mortgage Cadence. "Her role covers so many critical functions, and we are confi- dent that her extensive experience in mortgage and technology makes her the perfect candidate to lead our pre- sales engineering, solutioning, and delivery teams." JENNY VIPPERMAN LenderClose has added Jenny Vipperman to its Board of Directors. Vipperman, currently Chief Lending Officer for Florida-based VyStar Credit Union, brings 15 years of experience in lending and financial services to her new role with LenderClose. "Our growth goals are aggressive, and that calls for an experienced set of directors who are highly attuned to market conditions affecting borrow- ers, financial institutions, and the end- users of our technology," LenderClose CEO and Founder Omar Jordan said. "Jenny's perspective as a long-time lending professional who cares about the industry's impact on borrowers certainly fits that bill. She shares our vision for transformational technology