TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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14 | M R EP O RT MCROWD more than 15 years of experience and brings a wealth of financial knowl- edge as the company continues its growth. He will play a key role in the company's next stage of develop- ment. With his background in finance, capital markets, and technology, Qminacci brings a visionary perspec- tive and leadership to EPM's finance divisions. Most recently, Qminacci served as SVP of Mortgage for Ocwen Financial Corporation. Prior to Owen, he held leadership roles at Flagstar Bank and Stearns Lending, as well as Assistant VP, Corporate FP&A with Nationstar Mortgage. He holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and a Master of Applied Economics from Southern Methodist University. "The work we put in may not necessarily be something we will see immediate benefits from, but it will strengthen our foundation and help those that follow us," said Eddy Perez, CEO & President of EPM. "With Majed Qminacci, we know that we will leave our industry and this organization better. We could not be more thrilled to have Qminacci join the EPM team." EPM was founded at the height of the mortgage crisis in Atlanta, Georgia, and is licensed in 50 states. DAVE SEVIGNY Mortgage Network, Inc. has opened a new office in North Haven, Connecticut, to be led by 25-year industry veteran, Branch Manager Dave Sevigny. Sevigny will lead a staff of 12 mortgage professionals to serve homebuyers and homeowners throughout the state. "We are thrilled about the new lo- cation," Sevigny said. "Geographically, North Haven is the perfect spot for us to expand our presence in Connecticut and cover the Middlesex, Fairfield, New London, and Lower Hartford areas." Mortgage Network is a privately held independent mortgage company in the eastern United States, with 35 branch offices and is licensed in 27 states. The company offers a flexible menu of agency direct, portfolio, and jumbo solutions and is backed by its proprietary, award-winning tech- nology and a commitment to help mortgage professionals grow their business. "While demand for homes remains strong, sales have leveled off a bit since interest rates began rising earlier this year," Sevigny said. "That means first-time buyers aren't run- ning into as many bidding wars as they did a few months ago. It's very fortunate that Mortgage Network lends direct to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae, which helped us serve a larger number of borrowers at the beginning of COVID-19 than the typical lender. We also have great relationships with local credit unions and small banks, so we're better able to get the financing our customers need." SERVICE PROVIDERS CAROL CRAWFORD FirstClose, Inc., a fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders, has added Carol Crawford has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer, where she will lead strategy and manage execution for brand development, integrated marketing and multichannel communications planning to enhance awareness of FirstClose and increase demand for its fintech offerings. Crawford brings more than 20 years of experience in mortgage and financial services marketing and leadership. Most recently, she served as Senior Director at ICE Mortgage Technology, where she was respon- sible for business strategy and product marketing for ICE's AIQ and TPO Connect solutions. Prior to ICE, Crawford was the Chief Marketing Officer of ClosingCorp, where she led the account management and marketing teams and set the company's go-to-market strategy for nearly eight years. Earlier in her career, Crawford held Senior Marketing roles at both CoreLogic and First American. "Carol is a highly accomplished and visionary leader in data and technology marketing and sales with a proven track record of creating ef- fective campaigns that drive revenue growth," said Tedd Smith, CEO at FirstClose. "She is both a hands-on executive and a well-respected, collaborative team leader and will be a significant factor in FirstClose's continued growth and its product and market expansion." KARA ELGIN PAUL C. HAMMANN Agents National Title Insurance Company, an Incenter firm serving independent title agents nation- wide, has announced the addition of Kara Elgin as Central States Underwriting Counsel and Paul C. Hammann as Pacific Northwest Agency Manager. Elgin, who will be working from Kansas City, Missouri, has more than 15 years of experience as an attorney, and was previously an Underwriting Counsel with Alliant National Title Insurance Company. In addition to her home state of Missouri, she will be covering Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. She earned a J.D. from the University of Missouri- Kansas City School of Law and completed undergraduate studies in political science at the University of Central Missouri. "Kara's strong experience in the title insurance and real estate indus- tries is extremely helpful to Agents National. Her knowledge will enable us to be even more responsive as opportunities present themselves," said Candi Slobodnik, Central States Regional Manager/Underwriting Counsel, Agents National. Hammann, who is based in Seattle, has more than seven years of title industry experience, most recently as Account Manager/Agency State Manager with First American Title. In his newest role, Hammann will be responsible for Agents National's growth in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, where he will be expanding agency appointments and forg- ing new joint ventures/alliances. He holds an M.Ed. from the University of Washington and a B.A. in business administration and Management from Seattle Pacific University. "Paul is a talented relationship builder and problem solver who puts people first. He is the perfect fit for our growing and service-obsessed team," said Mark Batis, Southwest Agency Manager, Agents National. ROSS GLOUDEMAN Xactus has named Ross Gloudeman General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, where he will be responsible for providing leadership around Xactus' legal and compliance strategies. "Throughout 2022, Xactus has continued to enhance our product offering and streamline workflows. By bringing in Ross, who has over 15 years' legal and compliance experi- ence on the tech services side as well as the lending services side, we are furthering our commitment to successfully navigate the regulatory environment as we work to advance the modern mortgage," said Perry Steiner, Chairman and CEO of Xactus. "His holistic view of financial services, and especially mortgage, will go a long way toward helping us modern- ize compliance strategies for the quickly evolving mortgage landscape where fintechs like Xactus are gaining ground and transforming the industry while traditional approaches are fall- ing behind." In this role, Gloudeman will con- tinue to strengthen Xactus' regulatory compliance framework and manage its legal and compliance initiatives, implementing improvements, and administering changes as regula- tory developments for the credit and mortgage industries require them. Prior to joining Xactus, Gloudeman, whose expertise is in dealing with unique regulatory issues that face businesses, was General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Azimuth GRC, a RegTech company specializing in regulatory compliance and testing solutions. He also held executive roles in legal, risk, and compliance at Home Point Financial Corporation, a multichannel mortgage originator and servicer. Gloudeman also served as Executive Risk and Compliance Officer for Walter Investment Management Corporation and Chief Compliance and Regulatory Counsel for Black Knight. "We're excited to welcome Ross as he is a strong addition to our execu- tive leadership team and one that is key to our ability to engage with regulators as we seek to transform the mortgage process in a way that benefits the lenders that use our services, the consumers seeking home financing solutions, and the wider industry," said Shelley Leonard, President of Xactus.