TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/1481918
14 | M R EP O RT MCROWD BEN MACNEIL Ben MacNeil has been promoted from Sales Assistant to the role of Loan Officer at Mortgage Network's Burlington, Massachusetts branch. MacNeil is currently licensed to assist borrowers in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Florida with their home financing needs. MacNeil is a Burlington native and went to Burlington High School. He also attended Middlesex Community College and UMass Lowell's Manning School of Business, where he earned a degree in business finance. "If you're thinking about buying a home, don't let the market discourage you," MacNeil said. "The timing will never be 100% perfect—it's all about assessing your current situation and your goals and determining what works for you." Mortgage Network's Burlington Branch Manager Billy Pierce added, "We're proud to have Ben on our team as a Loan Officer. As a Sales Assistant, he impressed us all with his work ethic and his passion for helping borrowers. We know that he'll be just as attentive to his borrowers' needs and goals in his new role and will have great success." CHRIS SMITH JOHN UTSCH Waterstone Mortgage Corporation has opened a new branch in Tampa, Florida, to be led by Regional Manager Chris Smith and Branch Manager John Utsch. Smith has 30 years of experience in the mortgage lending in- dustry, with the most recent 22 years spent in management/lead- ership roles. "From a support standpoint, the technology we have seen at Waterstone Mortgage is incredible," Smith said. "Technology is key for a quick and smooth loan process. Everyone at Waterstone Mortgage bends over backwards to help in any way they can—and with very quick re- sponsiveness and a can-do attitude." Combined, Smith and Utsch have helped clients achieve their home- ownership goals for more than 50 years. "Waterstone Mortgage also of- fers many loan products, such as the Single Loan Close Construction Program (with down payments as low as 5%), Conventional, Jumbo, VA, FHA, USDA, IHDA First-Time Homebuyer loans, medical profes- sional loans, in-house bank statement programs, and investment loans for single-family homes," Utsch said. "These allow us to serve custom- ers that have a variety of needs and goals." Aside from Smith and Utsch, the new Tampa team consists of 23 loan originators and loan support staff members (including sales lead- ers Nathan Dahlin and Matthew Landgraff), Office Manager Lauren Smith, and a team of three processing assistants led by long-time Processor Cindy Manley. MICHAEL PUORRO Michael Puorro has joined the Basking Ridge, New Jersey, branch of Embrace Home Loans as Producing Sales Manager. With more than 17 years of mortgage industry experience, Puorro spent the past nine years as a top-producing originator at Caliber Home Loans, where he originated $383 million in loans over the past three years alone. "Michael is a fantastic addition to the Embrace team," said Steve Adamo, President of National Retail Production for Embrace Home Loans. "The Basking Ridge branch is already a force to be reckoned with, and with Michael and his team now on board, I'm looking forward to great things." Brian Woltman, Basking Ridge Branch Manager, added, "We're thrilled to have Michael join our of- fice. Michael's years of success in the mortgage industry, his track record of being a top originator, and his wide network of real estate contacts will give Embrace an even bigger presence in the New Jersey market. I'm delighted to combine forces with someone of Michael's caliber." A Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and VA lender, Embrace originates non-conforming loans, including jum- bo and other unconventional loans. SERVICE PROVIDERS MELISSA CIRCELLI JOE GREALISH Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF), a provider of title insurance and transaction services, has announced Melissa Circelli will join the company as Chief Human Resources Officer. Building on more than 25 years of experience leading and managing human resources for several companies, Melissa joins FNF and assumes responsibilities related to human resources, benefits, talent acquisition, employee onboarding and relations, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. "With over 21,000 employees across 1,300 locations, Melissa brings the extensive experience needed to help in managing all aspects of cor- porate and field human resources for FNF," said Tony Park, CFO for Fidelity National Financial. "We are a unique company with diverse employees across various regions of the U.S. and Canada and, as such, we put a premium on the acquisition of top in- dustry talent and the retention of our essential workforce. We are excited to have Melissa continue our efforts to take care of and engage the most important part of the company—our employees." Prior to joining FNF, Melissa held human resource leadership posi- tions with Cigna, Volvo Commercial Finance, and Fortegra Financial, and most recently, served as Chief HR Officer at Black Knight Financial Services. FNF has also announced the appointment of Joe Grealish as President, Eastern Operations. Grealish will assume management re- sponsibility for all direct commercial, residential, and ancillary operations in the Eastern United States and for FNF's direct title operations through- out Canada. Grealish will also lead many key initiatives for the company, including a focus on talent acquisition and recruiting, and the acquisition of key title companies in the East to expand the FNF family of title compa- nies' direct footprint. "In his 35-year career, Joe has proven himself at the operational, re- gional, and division levels," said Mike Nolan, CEO in FNF. "Joe has direct operational experience in the West, Midwest, Southeast, and East markets and has a deep understanding of not only our management philosophy, but also the title industry. I look forward to continued growth under Joe's leadership." DAN CATINELLA Total Expert has announced that Dan Catinella has joined the company's executive leadership team as Chief Lending Officer where he will work directly with Total Expert's customers and prospects to address industry pain points and respond to financial trends to ensure the company is positioned to keep modern lending at the heart of all short- and long-term business goals. He will also help identify and develop high-impact inno- vation strategies that promote modern lending best practices for customers using the platform. "Dan is a trusted force in the mortgage industry, and his passion for modernizing the lending experi- ence and creating lifelong customer relationships will make him a powerful addition in helping our clients deliver purposeful customer journeys," said Joe Welu, Founder and CEO of Total Expert. "Dan's extensive expertise in supporting technological efficiency for all business channels in a fast-changing digital landscape makes him a perfect fit as we double down on our commit- ment to deep industry expertise." Prior to joining Total Expert, Catinella spent seven years with Finance of America, where he drove both sales and operations support through digital innovation and core digital platform strategies. While serving as Chief Digital Officer, he also worked directly with the Total Expert team to implement the platform at Finance of America and manage adoption through support and training. Previously, Catinella was Director of Information Technology at Gateway Funding before it was acquired by Finance of America. "My career has always been at the intersection of lending and technol- ogy," Catinella said. "Having worked with Total Expert for over six years at Finance of America, I know the value the platform provides and believe Total Expert is a natural fit for me to make a significant impact in the industry. I'm excited for the opportu- nity to support lenders nationwide as