Rocket Companies announced a series of promotions and leadership changes, including the elevation of Jay Farner to CEO for Rocket Central, the centralized hub for the Rocket Companies’ fintech platform. In his new role at Rocket Central, Farner will drive the vision for the technology, data, product design, marketing, communications and other services the company provides. Taking over Farner’s previous post as CEO of Rocket Mortgage is Bob Walters, who previously served as president and chief operating officer of both Rocket Companies and Rocket Mortgage. Walters also will retain his position at Rocket Companies. In his time as president and COO of Rocket Mortgage, Walters oversaw the mortgage servicing, client experience operations, capital markets and technology Teams. As CEO, Walters will be responsible for the vision, strategy and day-to-day operations of Rocket Mortgage. Rocket Mortgage also announced that Tim Birkmeier, the company’s chief revenue officer, is broadening his responsibilities by assuming the role of president. Birkmeier, who joined the company in 1996, is responsible for all teams and initiatives that create top-line revenue for the company, including mortgage banking and the company’s partnership cannel.
Freddie Mac Multifamily announced that Steve Lineberger and Meg McElgunn were named vice presidents of production and sales. In their new roles, Lineberger will oversee the Western and Central regions while McElgunn will lead the Northeast and Southeast regions. Lineberger was formerly the company’s senior director of conventional production and sales for the Western region. He joined Freddie Mac Multifamily in 2012, having previously worked in both asset management and residential property brokerage. He earned an MBA with a focus in real estate finance from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and economics from the University of California at San Diego. McElgunn most recently served as senior director of the company’s multifamily small-balance loan (SBL) team, leading that business on a nationwide basis. She has a long history with Freddie Mac, working from 2008 to 2012 in the Central region with a focus on conventional loans, senior housing and student housing, then joined Freddie again in 2018 to focus on the SBL business. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, real estate and urban land economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Cenlar FSB announced that John Lacca has joined the company as vice president of executive client management. He will manage Cenlar’s credit union clients and work directly with CU Servnet, a credit union service organization dedicated to mortgage loan servicing. Before joining Cenlar, Lacca held multiple roles at the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union, most recently chief retail officer.
Amerifirst Financial Corp., parent company of Ameritrust Home Mortgage, announced the hiring of two mortgage industry veterans to lead a major expansion in California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Dan Manginelli and Bob Boehnlein will serve as co-managing directors of the Ameritrust division. Manginelli entered the financial-services industry in 1986 with Marina Mortgage. He is a former vice president of American Home Mortgage, and a former co-president and owner of South Pacific Financial. He most recently served as senior vice president of the retail mortgage platform for Inspire. Boehnlein, a 30-year veteran of the mortgage industry, ascended to the role of regional vice president for Prospect Mortgage and oversaw the Southern California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona markets before before being promoted to division president. He recently served as executive vice president of ClosingMark Home Loans and as district manager at American Home Mortgage for nearly a decade.
Waterstone Mortgage Corp. named Catherine Mauldin as the company’s director of strategic growth, a newly created position. In this role, Mauldin will support Waterstone’s nationwide growth strategies, including the development of existing markets along with the addition of new branches and sales team members that fit the company’s goals, business model and culture. She also will collaborate with the company’s sales leadership team to formulate recruiting plans and develop sourcing strategies to contribute to Waterstone’s corporate growth objectives. She has more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, most recently as the sales program leader for Embrace Home Loans.
Golden Empire Mortgage announced that Manuel Corral will return to the company as senior vice president of loan production.
Lenderworks named Alexandra Temple to serve as its new chief legal officer. Temple will be responsible for all legal affairs for Lenderworks, including the provision of legal counsel and the oversight of compliance, regulatory matters and risk management. She also will assist external clients in the mortgage industry as a consultant on matters of compliance and risk-management strategy. Most recently, she served as a principal with law firm Offit Kurman P.A. Prior to that, she practiced with Weiner Brodsky Kider PC. She began her career as an attorney in regulatory compliance with First Guaranty Mortgage Corp.
