TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/1481918
M R EP O RT | 13 Wagner also comes from Caliber Home Loans after more than eight years. After 11 years in lending, he continues to excel as he exhibits his experience in finance, having formerly served as the CFO of an au- tomotive company. His background in accounting and tax preparation has allowed him to specialize in complex loan scenarios such as self-employed borrowing. "Lani and Andy are two incred- ible additions to the team," Towery said. "Their lending experience in San Diego will ensure we grow while de- livering stellar results to our clients." STEVE THOMPSON Gateway Mortgage, a division of Gateway First Bank, has promoted Steve Thompson to Regional VP of the South Texas Region. Thompson has been with Gateway since 2016 as an Area Manager in Lake Jackson, Texas, a Houston suburb. As Regional VP, Thompson will play a key role in developing new business opportunities, growing mortgage center production through- out the Texas region, and mentoring loan originators as they grow their books of business. Thompson is stepping into the role prior to the retirement of Rob Wiggins, Gateway Divisional VP for the state of Texas. "Steve has been such a strong leader on the Gateway team," said Scott Gesell, CEO of Gateway. "With his extensive mortgage production experience over the last 20 years and his leadership skills, we are excited to see how he will develop our retail team and grow Gateway's footprint." Thompson added, "Gateway's culture is like no other. Our commit- ment to strengthening families and the communities we serve is real. For Gateway, it's about helping our customers achieve their dreams. I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and help lead the Gateway Texas team into making more dreams come true!" MICHAEL CABALES MIKE TITIYEVSKY LYNETTE HALE-LEE Planet Home Lending is expanding its branch in Melville, New York, as part of its continued effort to grow operations across the U.S. with the additions of Regional VP of Sales Michael Cabales and Brooklyn Branch Manager Mike Titiyevsky. The two will lead a new team of experienced loan officers with specific expertise in the competitive New York Metro-area market. "The real estate market on Long Island has seen prices jump by more than 20% from last year, with homes moving off the market at a fast clip as buyers vie to lay down roots in this lively area," said Michael Dubeck, CEO and President of Planet Financial Group, parent of Planet Home Lending. "Planet Home Lending is building a team of local experts to help New York Metro-area homebuy- ers navigate this competitive market and to assist homeowners looking to take advantage of their growing home equity." Cabales, who will lead the new team at the Melville branch, said Planet Home Lending's vast stable of mortgage products is crucial to help- ing more homeowners and buyers in the area. "Homebuyers here have two big challenges: competition for the limited number of homes for sale and rising interest rates. Planet Home Lending has specialized home loan options for buyers facing each of those issues," Cabales said, adding that his retail team, which will soon grow to 85, aims to do $1 billion in home loan origination volume in the next 12 to 14 months. Planet Home Lending has also announced the hiring of Lynette Hale- Lee to serve as Western Regional Manager. Hale-Lee will enhance Planet Home Lending's market share by recruiting additional mortgage loan originators and opening new branches in the West. Hale-Lee is a long-time mortgage professional who brings extensive experience to her new role at Planet Home Lending having worked for numerous lenders during her career. Most recently, she was Western Regional Manager at Wintrust Mortgage for six years, and prior to that, served as President of Capstone Direct Mortgage Funding. "Planet is exceptionally and unusu- ally well-positioned to move through challenging markets now and over the next few years," Hale-Lee said regarding her decision to join the team. "It's filled with people and lead- ers who possess the ability to pivot strategically, to listen, to be altruistic, and to understand what's important to employees and borrowers in their local markets." GREGORY SMALLWOOD loanDepot, Inc. has announced that Gregory Smallwood has joined the Company as Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and Corporate Secretary, effective immediately, reporting directly to loanDepot CEO Frank Martell. Smallwood brings more than two decades of experience representing major financial services institutions in all aspects of compliance with state and federal law, corporate transac- tions, regulatory enforcement, and class action litigation. As CLO for loanDepot, Smallwood will oversee all aspects of the company's legal strategy, supporting loanDepot's fo- cus on providing exceptional service to its customers, employees, and investors. Combined with the recently announced addition of Joseph Grassi as Chief Risk Officer, Smallwood's appointment further enhances the company's robust legal, compliance, and risk infrastructure. "Our Vision 2025 strategic plan was developed with a clear emphasis on best-in-class quality, client service, and compliance, all of which are prin- ciples we consider essential for long- term growth and success," loanDepot CEO Frank Martell said. "loanDepot operates in a complex and rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environ- ment. The addition of a world-class legal talent like Gregg, who brings im- portant skills and perspective to our already outstanding legal team, will help ensure we successfully execute on our plan and deliver best-in-class experiences for our customers." Smallwood has extensive legal experience in the financial services and mortgage industries, includ- ing helping companies develop and implement legal initiatives, manage and reduce risk, execute strategic plans, and achieve revenue per- formance targets. Prior to loanDe- pot, Smallwood served as General Counsel and EVP of Caliber Home Loans. Before that, Smallwood held senior roles at Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Saxon Mortgage, GMAC ResCap, and Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corporation. He started his career as an attorney at L'Oréal Cosmetics Corporation . MCROWD "Homebuyers here have two big challenges: competition for the limited number of homes for sale and rising interest rates. Planet Home Lending has specialized home loan options for buyers facing each of those issues." —Michael Cabales, Planet Home Lending