Amerifirst Home Mortgage today announced that Matt Jones has joined the company as senior advisor – capital markets. Jones will advise on capital markets strategy and execution and lead the company’s government affairs efforts. Before joining Amerifirst, he served as senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and previously as senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Prior to his service in the Senate, Jones worked in residential policy for the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Newrez has hired Mike Smeltzer as senior vice president of Non-QM Lending. Smeltzer will be responsible for managing non-QM origination production across all of Newrez’s origination channels. Additionally, he will also oversee implementing unique, scenario-specific program usage to assure loans are closed in accordance with appropriate guidelines and prepared for securitization. He brings more than 22 years of underwriting management experience to his new role. Prior to joining Newrez, he served as chief credit risk officer at Angel Oak Home Loans. He also has previous experience in underwriting at other leading institutions such as SunTrust Mortgage, Fannie Mae, Real Estate Mortgage Network, Just Mortgage Inc., Taylor Bean and Whitaker.
Planet Home Lending has hired Caleb Mittelstet as executive vice president, National Production, Distributed Retail Sales. He has more than two decades of experience leading and growing distributed retail channels, most recently as executive vice president of sales at Summit Funding. During his career, he has also had retail leadership positions at Pacific Union Financial, CMG Financial and PrimeLending. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, magna cum laude, from Oklahoma State University.
Guaranteed Rate has named Rachel Saylor Brown as branch manager and vice president of mortgage lending to expand the company’s presence in the Tampa Bay area. Brown will oversee Guaranteed Rate’s Tampa branch, serving borrowers and building relationships with business partners in the region. Brown joins Guaranteed Rate with six years of mortgage industry experience, including as sales team manager at AmeriFirst and branch manager at Movement Mortgage.
DLP Real Estate Capital has promoted Scott Meyers to president of DLP Lending. Meyers has over 18 years of experience in real estate, mortgage note investment, servicing, and investment lending. He previously served as senior vice president of sales for DLP Lending. Under his new leadership role, he will drive the company’s growth with innovative lending products and membership programs for DLP’s clients and Elite Housing Operators. As part of his role, he will oversee the launch of the DLP Lending Affiliate Program, partnering with local lenders to help amplify their businesses with DLP Funding and the utilization of DLP’s Elite Execution System operational tools.
Stavvy has announced a series of leadership hires. Amy Huchthausen, new chief impact and culture officer, is stepping down from her role as commissioner of the NCAA’s America East Conference. She holds a BS from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Kara Banosian, chief marketing officer, joins Stavvy after holding several roles at LogMeIn, most recently serving as vice president, acquisition marketing. Banosian holds a BS from Bentley and an MBA from Boston College. Beth Lehman, head of compliance and consumer protection, corporate counsel, has held a number of key legal and compliance positions, including as chief compliance officer and counsel at Fiduciary Trust International, and as advisor to KPMG Advisory, Navigant Consulting, and State Street Global Advisors. Lehman previously served as Senior Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She holds a JD/MBA from Suffolk University Law School. Patrick Bausemer, head of digital strategy, joins after nearly a decade at Rapid7, most recently leading a team responsible for growth marketing. Bausemer earned his bachelor’s from Champlain College. Kyle Stephenson, head of solutions and partnerships, and Mark Witte, head of growth, both previously served on the leadership team of NotaryCam.
Equity Solutions USA has announced the appointment of Michael Kirk as its new CEO. Michael has been part of the valuation industry for over 24 years, most recently as senior vice president, strategic valuation initiatives for the Accurate Group. Michael has also held key valuation roles for three lenders, including chief residential appraiser for Huntington National Bank.
