TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/94724
BILL GARLAND. A sea- soned mortgage executive has arrived at Decision Ready, with the company adding Bill Garland as EVP of strategic relationships and business develop- ment. Garland has years of experience in leadership positions, serving most re- cently as SVP of ISGN Lending Solutions, where he managed client relations and business development for IT services. Prior to that, he held SVP positions at Fiserv Lending Solutions and Fidelity Hanson Quality. "Bill Garland brings a wealth of experience in the mortgage servicing business to Decision Ready, par- ticularly in the area of strategic relation- ships," says Ravi Ramanathan, founder and CEO of Decision Ready. JOHN L. MACFARLAND. Joining Stewart National Title Services as a national business development represen- tative, John L. McFarland is teaming up with the company to facilitate the addition of new commercial business, with particular focus on initiating business in the Midwest. Boasting more than 25 years' experience in the real estate industry, MacFarland has held sales and management positions with regional and national real estate companies. "I am extremely pleased to welcome John to our team," said Tom Konkel, SVP and national sales director for Stewart. ANDREW POLLOCK. Following the announce- ment of Rushmore Loan Management Services' pending acquisition of ICON Residential Lenders, the latter company has gained a new CEO, with Andrew Pollock appointed to the leadership role. Prior to joining ICON, Pollock served as president and chief administrative officer at First California Mortgage Company, and he has also been the president and CEO of First Franklin, a Merrill Lynch subsidiary. Pollock's experience extends to mort- gage banking, wholesale mortgage originations, mergers and acquisitions, and leading quick growth initiatives. NICHOLE GUTHNECK. New York-based Guaranteed Home Mortgage Company, Inc., announced a new leader for its web-based plat- form, Guaranteed Direct. The company, a national residential mortgage investment and banking firm, appointed Nichole Guthneck as division leader for the unit. Before join- ing Guaranteed, Guthneck was the VP of lending and operations for Access Mortgage Services. Guthneck served Access for more than a decade, and she has also previously acted as a branch manager for three separate mortgage companies. KEITH E. HARVEY. Retiring from Massachusetts-based United Financial Bancorp, Inc., after 28 years of service, Keith E. Harvey has announced his de- parture from his roles as chief operating officer and EVP. During his career with United Financial, Harvey led the expan- sion of the company's retail deposit and operations division, as well as growing the bank's franchise efforts from just eight branches to 22. United Financial's current chief lending officer and EVP, J. Jeffrey Sullivan, will succeed Harvey as COO following his transition at the end of 2012. KRIS KATOA. The National Association of Mortgage Field Services (NAMFS) re-elected VP of White Van Real Estate Services Kris Katoa for a third term as a member of the company's board of directors. Katoa was elected to the 2012–2014 directorship for NAMFS, a trade association representing the mortgage field service industry. She has been a member of NAMFS for more than 13 years, previously serving two terms on the organization's board and on the committee for its 2011 National Conference. Currently at White Van, Katoa is responsible for client relations and vendor management. JAMES MELEONES. Clayton Holdings, LLC, has selected James Meleones to serve as senior managing director of commercial real estate services. An industry vet- eran of more than 30 years, Meleones will oversee all aspects of Clayton's commercial real estate practice, such as loan-level due diligence, loan and port- folio valuation, and portfolio oversight and strategy, among other tasks. Prior to his appointment, Meleones worked at Bank of America for 15 years, serving as national underwriting manager for the bank's commercial mortgage-backed securities business. CYRUS POURAGHABAGHER. Transitioning from his previous career as a senior executive for Goldman Sachs, Cyrus Pouraghabagher has co-founded Kingsguard Advisors, L.P. While with Goldman, Pouraghabagher led the firm's mortgage derivatives and non-agency residential mortgage- backed securities trading desks, and he was instrumental in navigating the firm through the credit crisis as lead manager of Goldman's subordinate credit risk across residential mort- gages. Pouraghabagher and his partner officially launched Kingsguard on November 1. NIMA OREIZY. California-based Platinum Data has an- nounced the appoint- ment of a new executive leader, citing the compa- ny's efforts to maximize the scalability of its platforms. Platinum, a provider of comprehensive collateral valuation technologies, named Nima Oreizy as the company's chief technol- ogy officer. Prior to accepting his new role, Oreizy worked with Platinum for more than a decade while serving as the lead developer of eBuilt, an informa- tion technology and services company. Oreizy noted, "From my years working for Platinum, I've witnessed them to be a forward-looking company." STEFAN SWANEPOEL. As Keller Williams Realty, Inc., launched its expan- sion into international markets in Indonesia and Southern Africa, Stefan Swanepoel joined the company's transfer team. Swanepoel, a New York Times bestselling author, will assist Keller Williams with oversight, in addition to speaking about topics related to leadership and personal development. According to a recent release from the company, Texas-based Keller Williams plans to continue its growth abroad, with pending opera- tions in Jakarta, Indonesia; and Pretoria, South Africa. NIKUL PATEL. Tree.com, Inc., and LendingTree, LLC, are welcoming a new senior leader to their ranks. The entities recently announced Nikul Patel has been appointed as SVP of products. Prior to joining Tree.com and LendingTree, which is a business of Tree.com, Patel accrued more than 16 years' industry experience in technology and product management. Most recently, Patel was the COO and VP of products for Home- Account.com. "I am extremely excited to be a part of the LendingTree team, which has a remarkable brand and powerful resonance," Patel noted. Editor@TheMReport.com. Know someone moving up in the industry? email us at THE M REPORT | 21