Service providers to the mortgage industry have been busy aligning their executive ranks as they jostle for market share. Mortgage insurance firms were prominent in recent activity.
When Curt Culver’s retirement from Mortgage Guarantee Investment Corp. took effect on March 1, Patrick Sinks settled into the former chief executive officer’s role.
Culver, however, still sits on the mortgage insurance corporation’s board of director’s as a non-executive chairman.
“We have a tradition of internally developing our CEOs, and I am proud that we have someone of Pat’s caliber and expertise to lead us” Culver said in a July 24 company statement last year. “My charge as non-executive chairman is to ensure a smooth transition and enable Pat to focus all his energy on running the company.”
Prior to taking the top spot at MGIC, Sinks was the company’s president and chief operating officer, a position he held for nine years.
In addition to this top-level transition, the company’s mortgage insurance subsidiary also saw a few more leadership changes.
In January, the insurance division headlined former CMG Mortgage Insurance Co. president Sean Dilweg as its senior vice president of government relations.
Later that month, MGIC announced promotions for Kurt Thomas and Dean Dardzinsk. Thomas, the subsidiary’s prior vice president of human resources, moved to his new position as senior vice president and chief human resources officer, and Dardzinski, the firm’s former vice president of national accounts, accepted responsibilities as the vice president managing director.
Also receiving an executive promotion was former lead account manager Elyse Mitchell. She and new-hire Robert Bates, the former director of product development for Assurant Specialty Property, will work as vice presidents of national accounts for the Milwaukee-based company.
After a 28-year stint at Freddie Mac and most recently as its chief economist, Frank Nothaft took up a new professional residence with CoreLogic Inc. As the mortgage service provider’s senior vice president and chief economist, the Jan. 26 press release stated, “Nothaft will expand the economic policy unit and enhance CoreLogic’s research tools and capabilities.”
On April 2, Stewart Information Service Corp. declared Brad Rable as its next chief information officer. Prior to his new gig, Rable was an executive partner at the Gartner Executive Programs. While at the title insurance and real estate services provider, Rable “will lead Stewart’s information technology vision, strategy and execution.”
Eighteen-year-old Ellie Mae Inc. promoted two employees, now both company officers, to head up its market growth initiatives, according to a March 25 new brief. The mortgage software solutions company listed Cathleen Gates as the executive vice president of sales and Joseph Tyrrell as the executive vice president of corporate strategy. With Ellie since February 2012, Gates formerly served as the company’s senior vice president of sales and client services. A 13-year Ellie veteran, Tyrell’s previously worked as the business’ SVP of corporate strategy.
Black Knight Financial Services LLC welcomed two new faces to its executive ranks.
On Jan. 26, the company announced Chip McAvoy as its new vice president of Emerging Products and Technology. Formerly CoreLogic’s vice president of technology solutions, McAvoy will support Black Knight’s current services such as their Paragon MLS offering and help create new tools for the company’s target market.
A few days later on Feb. 6, Ned Myers, Black Knight’s latest vice president of capital markets and government strategy, would head up the mortgage technology provider’s game plan for government service offerings and capital markets. Myers previously served as a board member for the Structured Finance Industry Group.
Blane Bauch signed on as Digital Risk LLC’s executive vice president of enterprise sales, according to a Feb. 26 news statement. At his new company, the previous chief sales and marketing officer for RECOVCO Mortgage Managment will oversee enterprise sales operations.
On Feb. 24, the U.S. Mortgage Insurers alerted media that one of its co-chairs Adolfo Marzol would retire, effective when March ended. This notification came just months after Essent Group Ltd., parent company Essent Guaranty Inc., revealed Marzol would retire, also effective March 31, as the executive vice president for the mortgage insurance provider.
The association’s other co-chair Rohit Gupta, who also holds presidential and CEO roles at Genworth Mortgage Insurance, took over as sole chair of the trade group, which s six mortgage insurance companies debuted last year.
“Adolfo was an essential figure in the formation and launch of USMI last year,” Gupta said. “He brought a tremendous wealth of experience and expertise to the industry and his many contributions will certainly extend beyond his tenure.”
