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12 | M R EP O RT MCROWD LENDERS KRISTY FERCHO Kristy Fercho, Head of Home Lending for Wells Fargo, has been named the company's new Head of Diverse Segments, Representation, and Inclusion (DSRI). With her extensive experience running a line of business, Kristy is well-positioned to lead this strategic function by integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) into every aspect of the company's business and delivering marketplace and workplace outcomes. Since it was launched in 2020, the DSRI function has coordinated Wells Fargo's DE&I efforts across the company—developing products and services to serve customers from underserved communities and driving DE&I initiatives firmwide. "Our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion is a long-term commitment, and we will continue to advance it under Kristy's leadership," Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said. "Her deep business experience, including her most recent role as head of our Home Lending business, puts her in a unique position to make our DE&I work even more central to how we operate as a company and to drive positive outcomes for our employees and communities." Fercho will succeed Kleber R. Santos in the DSRI role, as Santos be- came CEO of Wells Fargo's Consumer Lending Business in July 2022 after joining the company in 2020 as the company's head of DSRI. Fercho will remain Head of Home Lending while the company conducts a search for her successor, and she will transition to the Head of DSRI role fully once her Home Lending successor is named. She will join the company's Operating Committee effective immediately, and will report to Scharf in her Head of DSRI role. As EVP and Head of Wells Fargo Home Lending, Fercho leads a team of mortgage professionals in sales, operations, servicing, capital markets, portfolio management, and related business, risk management, and sup- porting functions. Before joining Wells Fargo, Fercho was at Flagstar Bank, where she served as President of the company's Mortgage Division. Prior to joining Flagstar, she spent 15 years with Fannie Mae, where she led the strategy and business performance of single- family customers in the Western United States, and served in customer engage- ment and human resources roles, including as VP of Human Resources. In addition to her role with Wells Fargo, Fercho serves the industry on the Board of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) as Immediate Past Chairwoman, and is a member of its Residential Board of Governors (RESBOG). She also leads the Affordable Housing Working Group for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (OCC) Project REACh (Roundtable for Economic Access and Change). Project REACh promotes financial inclusion through greater access to credit and capital. The project brings together leaders from the banking industry, national civil rights organizations, business, and technology to reduce specific barri- ers that prevent full, equal, and fair participation in the nation's economy. Project REACh convenes people with the ability to help solve inherent policy problems so underserved populations may have the same opportunities to succeed and benefit from the nation's financial system as others. The group identifies and works to reduce barriers to access that exist at the national or local levels to expand access to credit and capital. CHRISTOPHER LEWIS NICK DEJESUS ANDREW KELLER Planet Home Lending has opened a new branch in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, to be led by Retail Branch Manager Christopher Lewis, Retail Branch Manager Nick DeJesus, and Sales Manager Andrew Keller. "Planet's efficien- cies allow us to deliver what first-time home- buyers expect in the Lehigh Valley market," DeJesus said. The latest branch opening further solidifies Planet's strong presence in direct retail lending and comes just days after the company released its third-quarter earnings, which showed a 14.1% increase in home loan volume from the previous quarter despite the down market. "Full of historic charm, the Greater Lehigh Valley area has long been a draw for people because of its convenient location between New York City and Philadelphia, and this continues to be true," said Michael Dubeck, CEO and President of Planet Financial Group, parent of Planet Home Lending. "Lehigh County has This month, some of the industry's largest firms welcomed several new hires to expand their operations. Who's moving on and who's moving up in the industry seen home prices appreciate, posting gains of 14% in October, according to Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors' data. Planet Home Lending is equipped with the resources to help homebuyers and homeowners in this desirable market." Through its "Planet With a Purpose" social responsibility platform, the com- pany gives back to the planet, people, and local communities. In the past four years, Planet has funded the planting of nearly a quarter million trees in our National Forests, moved 70 million pounds of food to hungry families and endowed a scholarship for military service members. MIKE MELL Freedom Mortgage has named Mike Mell SVP of Wholesale Lending, overseeing a national sales team that includes regional sales managers and account executives nationwide. Mell, a 27-year mortgage industry veteran with deep expertise in wholesale lending operations, joined Freedom Mortgage in 2005, and previously served as SVP of Sales. "While there's major turbulence in our industry, especially in wholesale lending, Freedom Mortgage has the right leadership and strategy in place to help our partners weather the storm," said Stanley C. Middleman, Freedom Mortgage President and CEO. "Mike is already doing a fantas- tic job leading his team and working with mortgage brokers across the country to provide customized solu- tions to close each loan." Freedom Mortgage also an- nounced the launch of its Historically, Currently, 4EVER Wholesale cam- paign to promote the company's strength and staying power in whole- sale lending and to celebrate more than 30 years of serving mortgage brokers across the country. "We're proud some of our whole- sale partners have been working with us for over three decades," Mell said. "Our goal has always been to help build their businesses, and most importantly, close every loan on time. We also want our partners to know we have experienced professionals available to assist in closing the most complicated loans to foster expanded homeownership opportunities." Founded in 1990 and headquar- tered in Boca Raton, Florida, Freedom Mortgage is an independent mort- gage company that provides mort- gage loans through wholesale and