Radian announced that CEO Rick Thornberry has decided to retire in December after serving as the mortgage insurer’s top executive since 2017. The Radian board has appointed Mike Weinbach as CEO-elect, effective June 1. He will become permanent CEO and a board member on Aug. 13, with Thornberry serving as a strategic adviser until his retirement date. Weinbach is a 30-year veteran of the mortgage and investment banking industries, including serving as president of Mr. Cooper Group, CEO of consumer lending at Wells Fargo and chief executive at Chase Home Lending.

Planet has tapped Brandon Latman as chief operating officer of servicing and default operations for its servicing channel. A two-decade mortgage veteran with experience in servicing, originations, capital markets and operations, he previously held senior roles at Mr. Cooper and Rocket Mortgage, most recently serving as head of default at Rocket.

Planet also announced the hiring of Tracy Hochrine as branch manager of its new San Antonio location. Hochrine, who is affectionately known as “Mortgage Mama” in professional circles, worked as a loan originator for more than eight years at Gateway Mortgage and has built a strong presence serving military families in Texas.

Polunsky Beitel Green, a law firm supporting the residential mortgage industry, announced the promotion of Peter Idziak to principal. Idziak, who has been with the firm for nearly seven years, specializes in regulatory compliance and consumer financial law, with expertise in an alphabet soup of federal mortgage laws (including RESPA, TILA, ECOA, FCRA, FDCPA and HMDA) as well as program requirements for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Housing Administration.

Click n’ Close has hired 20-year mortgage banking veteran Amy Azorandia as chief compliance officer. Most recently serving as senior vice president of mortgage compliance and systems at Firstrust Bank, Azorandia previously held positions at GMH Mortgage Services and has served in leadership roles at both the Mortgage Bankers Association and The Mortgage Collaborative.

Click n’ Close also announced the strategic engagement of Christy Soukhamneut and Launch Point Advisory Group to support the expansion of its Whole Loan Trading division. Soukhamneut, a three-decade veteran of mortgage banking who currently serves on the board of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Texas, will help grow the company’s secondary market presence and whole loan trading opportunities across its government and specialty loan programs.

Rate announced that Arizona-based loan originator Kelsey Marquardt has joined the company following a brief stint at Universal Lending and a five-year tenure at NFM Lending. A former real estate agent who brings a dual perspective to mortgage lending, Marquardt is licensed in seven states located in geographically disparate areas across the U.S.

Lower announced the hire of Paul Zinn as executive vice president of retail lending and divisional manager, responsible for expanding the company’s retail presence. The founder of The Rising Tide Collective, an advisory service for independent mortgage banks and brokers, Zinn worked at AnnieMac Home Mortgage for 13 years as senior vice president of business development.

CrossCountry Mortgage has hired Raena Pinchuk as a sales manager serving northern Idaho and Pacific Northwest markets. Based in the Gem State, Pinchuk has more than 15 years of mortgage industry experience.

Merchants Capital announced the addition of April Moreland as senior vice president, GSE chief underwriter, based in the company’s office in Washington, D.C. Moreland, who recently served as director of specialty products at Citibank Community Capital and previously held progressively senior roles at Freddie Mac, will focus on operational consistency and underwriting transparency as Merchants expands its government-sponsored enterprise platform.

Mortgage services provider ServiceLink has added Ryan Reaves as a vice president and national sales executive within its default division. Reaves will be responsible for managing client relationships across a range of business segments, including field services, default title and valuation, auctions and servicing support.

Mortgage subservicer LoanCare announced the hiring of Ramie Word as executive vice president of client relations. Word has upward of 25 years of mortgage servicing experience, including more than 20 years at Mr. Cooper.

Fraud prevention company Default Analytics announced the appointment of Keith Kemph as president. The former president and CEO of BlackFin Group will be charged with leading company strategy in the evolving space of shadow loan fraud detection in the mortgage banking industry.