D2 Asset Management, LP has hired David Brickman, former CEO of Freddie Mac and NewPoint Real Estate Capital, to be their president of residential real estate. The appointment significantly advances D2’s expansion in the residential real estate sector. The residential investment business covers both the multifamily and single-family markets, and will pursue a mix of direct lending, platform investing and asset-based finance designed to increase access to affordable, quality housing.
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) awarded Smriti L. Popenoe, co-CEO, president and chief investment officer at Dynex Capital, with the 2025 Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF) Distinguished Service Award at the Commercial/Multifamily Finance Convention and Expo in San Diego. As president of Dynex Capital, Popenoe is accountable for the raising, deployment and management of the company’s capital. As chief investment officer, she oversees the company’s investment portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), loans and financing arrangements.
Greystone, a national commercial real estate finance company, has hired Jason Brown to be a managing director. Based in the Indianapolis market, Mr. Brown will focus on providing multifamily financing solutions across Greystone’s broad range of debt platforms, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD/FHA, bridge, and CMBS, and debt & equity placement services.
Quantarium has announced that Cornel Lupu is joining the company in a strategic board and leadership advisory capacity. Bringing nearly three decades of engineering and leadership expertise from Microsoft, Lupu will play a key leadership role in shaping the company’s long-term strategic vision and help Quantarium deliver next-generation technologies to the real estate and mortgage industries.
The Fay Group has appointed Jason Biegel president of its capital markets group. With over three decades of experience in the residential mortgage and financial services industries, Biegel brings a wealth of expertise in structured finance, capital markets, and leadership to the organization.
Consolidated Analytics has promoted Rudy Zabran to chief operating officer, and Steve Faulkner has been named the company’s new chief revenue officer. With a sharp focus on operational excellence, Zabran will drive the integration of proprietary technologies, streamline workflows, and deliver value to clients navigating the complexities of today’s housing market.
MISMO, the real estate finance industry’s standards organization, has announced that its 2025 board of directors will be chaired by Sage Nichols, senior vice president for collateral and risk solutions at CoreLogic. Mike Hogan, senior managing director and chief information officer at Pennymac, has been named vice chair. The board also is welcoming four new members: Bryan Doyle, managing director for capital markets at CBRE; Neenu Kainth, senior vice president and chief customer experience office at Enact; Kevin Peranio, chief lending officer at PRMG; and Kiran Sahota, executive vice president for technology at Freedom Mortgage.
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has announced that Matthew Gallant as director of member relations. In his role, Gallant will manage MBA’s portfolio of residential member companies in the Northeast region, overseeing and strengthening member engagement with key leaders and identifying opportunities for MBA to better support their business efforts.
Cousins Properties has announced that Lillian C. Giornelli will retire at the end of her elected term later this year. Cousins also announced the election of Susan L. Givens to its board of directors, effective April 1, 2025. Ms. Givens will serve as an independent director for the term also expiring at the Company’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. Ms. Givens has an extensive background in the real estate industry, most recently as a senior managing director in the real estate group at Blackstone.
The Freedom Bank of Virginia has hired Anthony (Tony) Denk as senior vice president and director of sales and production. In this key leadership role, Tony will work closely with Richard Hutchison, chief mortgage officer, to oversee mortgage production and sales. He will also be responsible for developing and executing strategic growth initiatives to enhance the division’s products and services
Founders Bank has appointed Josh Phillips as the new senior vice president of commercial lending. With over 20 years of extensive experience in banking and financial services, he brings valuable expertise in commercial lending and portfolio management. Phillips has a strong track record of managing multimillion-dollar loan portfolios and delivering excellent results for clients.
