Rocket Pro has announced the departure of Mike Fawaz as executive vice president of strategy, growth and partnerships. Fawaz is stepping away after nearly 15 years with the organization, where he played a pivotal role in serving the independent mortgage broker community since joining the wholesale channel in 2017.
Sagent has appointed Sridhar Sharma as president. Sharma, who previously served as chief innovation and digital officer at Mr. Cooper, brings deep technology and mortgage operations experience to the role. He will lead the company’s global team of fintech and mortgage servicing specialists as Sagent rolls out Dara, its new AI-enabled end-to-end mortgage platform.
Rate has added seven loan officers from Movement Mortgage. The group — Gabriel Carter, Katie Blake, Brandon Kelter, Alexandra Hunt, James Golotko, Jason Buchanan and Scott Miller — made the move in December. They join the Chicago-based lender to leverage its technology platform and operational infrastructure as they scale their origination businesses across California and Florida.
Union Home Mortgage has appointed Renee Hildebrand as national vice president of mergers and acquisitions. Hildebrand brings more than 25 years of mortgage industry experience to the role, having previously supported growth and acquisition initiatives at lenders including Guild Mortgage, Cardinal Financial and Caliber Home Loans. In her new position, she will lead the company’s expansion strategy by identifying and securing acquisition and partnership opportunities.
Brokers First Funding has appointed Frank Nese as managing director and head of Western sales, and Lito Gonzales as regional vice president of West Coast sales. Nese brings more than 30 years of mortgage industry experience to the newly created role, having previously held executive positions at New Century Financial Mortgage Corp. and Carrington Mortgage Services. Gonzales, who has nearly three decades of wholesale lending experience, will join Nese in expanding the company’s non-QM sales footprint across the Western region.
Planet Home Lending has added John Rinaldi and Paul Butuc as regional sales managers in Melville, N.Y., with the goal of expanding the company’s footprint in the Northeast. Rinaldi, who began his mortgage career in 1996, brings extensive leadership experience across wholesale and retail lending. Butuc has more than 24 years of experience specializing in loan structuring and complex credit scenarios.
Evergreen Home Loans has tapped Dana Klarr as an area manager. Based in Arizona, Klarr has more than 30 years of mortgage lending experience with the company. In the new role, she will focus on recruiting loan officers and branch managers while overseeing expansion efforts across the Southwest.
ServiceLink has promoted Erin Reed to senior vice president of valuation. Reed, who is celebrating her 20th year with the company in 2026, has held various key positions across account management, operations and client services. In her expanded role, she will lead valuation customer service while continuing to oversee the company’s vendor panel strategy.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has appointed six new members to its Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee. The newly appointed members are Clayton Camblin, Brad DeHays, Steve Ervin, Todd Kopstein, Andrew McCoy and John Weldy. The appointees join the 21-member Federal Advisory Committee to provide diverse perspectives from across the housing, finance and construction sectors.
Stacey Solutions founder Tim Stacey has been recognized by the National Association of Mortgage Brokers as a Mortgage Broker of the Year honoree for 2024 and 2025. Based in Vacaville, Calif., Stacey operates through the wholesale mortgage channel, providing education guidance to homebuyers and homeowners, including veterans and active-duty service members across California.
