People in the News Mar. 24, 2022: Chrysalis Holdings Name Anita Kwan, Katherine Le to Board of Advisors

Chrysalis Holdings Names Anita Kwan Chair, Katherine Le Vice Chair to Board of Advisors

Chrysalis Holdings LLC, Fulton, Md., appointed Anita Kwan and Katherine Le to its Board of Advisors as chairwoman and vice chairwoman, respectively.

Kwan brings more than three decades of corporate and management experience to her new role. As CEO of ComplianceEase, Kwan established the company in automated compliance, leading to its purchase by SitusAMC Holdings in 2020. Prior to ComplianceEase, she co-founded and led Integrated Capital Group, a national San Francisco-based mortgage bank that was acquired by the Money Store in 1997 and later became a subsidiary of the First Union Corp. in 1998.

Le, who has more than 30 years of experience in finance, operations and technology, will serve as board vice chairwoman of Chrysalis Holdings and will also take on the role of leading NewDay’s correspondent lending business. She currently serves as CEO of Mortgage Service Providers, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based company that provides appraisal, verification, quality control and technology services to mortgage lenders across the country. Previously, she served as president of Stearns Lending for 16 years, where she was an integral leader in building the company into the top wholesale mortgage lender in the country.

Losses in the MBA Family: Dennis Creegan, Jeffrey Briggs, CMB

Dennis Creegan, Chief Financial Officer of Wisconsin-based Waterstone Mortgage, passed away on February 20; he was 64.

Mr. Creegan had a 35+ year career in the mortgage lending industry, including 11 years with Waterstone Mortgage. He led the Waterstone Mortgage corporate Accounting, Appraisal, Funding and Loan Delivery teams and was a key contributor to the successful financial operation of the lender’s many branches nationwide. Mr. Creegan also played a pivotal role in the growth and expansion of the company, and served as a liaison between Waterstone Mortgage and its parent company, WaterStone Bank. He was a graduate of Marquette University.

Mr. Creegan is survived by his wife of 40 years, Tina, and three children: Gina (Brian) Misiora, Danielle (Bruno) Yabuta and Nick Creegan, and six grandchildren. Funeral services took place on Mar. 4.

Jeffrey Lee Briggs, CMB, 73, of Oak Ridge, N.C., died March 17, 2022, after a lengthy illness.

Mr. Briggs was born July 29, 1948, in Columbus, Ohio. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam. For more than 30 years he served in executive roles with numerous lenders, including SunTrust Mortgage, Wendover Funding, Centerbank Mortgage and Northeast Savings. He was also active in the Mortgage Bankers Association and served as chairman of Loan Servicing Committee and Education Committees and as a member of the Residential Board of Governors. He also served as a Master Faculty Member the MBA Education School of Mortgage Banking and co-authored a book used in SOMB. He was a graduate of Franklin University.

Mr. Briggs is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughters, Jodi Gabriel (Rick), Rebecca Huminski and Ellen Thore (Kirsten Joseph); brother, Lonnie Briggs (Leslie); sister, Denise Brady (Bob); and eight grandchildren.

Stewart Title Promotes Melissa Bell to President for Oklahoma

Stewart Title, Houston, promoted Melissa Bell to Division President for Oklahoma. She will lead a team of more than 100 employees with a focus on growing the Oklahoma brand and increasing market-share through digital strategies, increased efficiencies and recruiting, while continuing to deliver title and escrow services.

Bell spent five years as a loan officer and mortgage lender before beginning a career in the title and escrow industry as an Escrow Officer with First American Title in 2003. In August 2010, Bell joined American Eagle Title, where she opened and managed an escrow office in Canadian County. She joined Stewart last year as State Escrow Operations Manager for Oklahoma.

Jon Rutila, CMB, Joins OptiFunder as Chief Revenue Officer

OptiFunder, St. Louis, named Jon Rutila, CMB, as chief revenue officer. He will lead sales and marketing functions for the rising fintech, growing the national sales team, among other duties.

Rutila brings more than 20 years of experience in mortgage lending and mortgage solutions sales. During his tenure at Altisource, he served as Vice President of Mortgage and Real Estate Solution Sales and Vice President of the Mortgage Builder Software division. Prior to that, he was National Accounts Director for First American Mortgage Services, leading sales of their analytical software services.

Planet Home Lending Launches Jacksonville Team

Planet Home Lending LLC, Meriden, Conn., opened its Jacksonville, Fla., office, hiring Branch Manager Vince Caicedo, Emily Valdes as assistant branch manager, Mortgage Loan Originators David Mumbauer and Caleb Davis and Loan Origination Assistant Vanessa Oliveras.

Caicedo is also host of a radio show, Let’s Talk Real Estate with Vince Caicedo (Hablemos a Real Estate con Vince Caicedo) heard on 92.1 FM on Mondays and Tuesdays at 5 p.m. ET

Ascendant National Title Names Andrew Howard Senior Vice President.

Ascendant National Title, Denver, appointed Andrew Howard as Senior Vice President of National Commercial Services, responsible for strategic direction, growth and performance of the company’s National Commercial Services on the West Coast.

Howard has more than 17 years of industry experience in all aspects of major commercial transactions. He has previous experience serving in commercial services management positions with WFG, Title365/Stewart Title and Commonwealth Land Title.

Ginnie Mae Taps Sam Valverde as EVP, Felicia Rotellini as Chief of Staff

Ginnie Mae, Washington, D.C. appointed Sam Valverde as Executive Vice President and Felecia Rotellini as Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the President.

Valverde was most recently Supervisory Attorney Advisor at the Federal Housing Finance Agency in the Division of Conservatorship Oversight and Readiness. In that role, he led agency-wide projects intended to support greater access to mortgage credit and affordable rental opportunities for working families. He coordinated efforts to develop a post-conservatorship regulatory framework for the government-sponsored enterprises. Prior to his service at FHFA, Valverde served as a Counselor for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Treasury Department, focusing on consumer and housing finance issues.

Rotellini brings to Ginnie Mae a deep background in corporate governance, regulation, compliance and enforcement. She has bank supervisory and financial services expertise, as well as consumer protection experience in the subprime credit markets.