People in the News, September 8, 2025
(Michael Blair, courtesy of Livegage)
Michael Blair Appointed Livegage COO
Livegage, Holmdel, N.J., has appointed Michael Blair as chief operating officer.
Blair will oversee operational strategy, product development and client engagement initiatives.
He has more than 30 years of mortgage industry experience, most recently serving as COO at LoanCare. He has also held executive roles at Cenlar and KeyBank.
Sagent Adds New VPs
Sagent, King of Prussia, Pa., announced Art Calhoun as vice president of strategic partnerships and Kim Warnica as vice president of product marketing.
They will help grow market share and ecosystem partners for the Dara by Sagent platform.
Calhoun was previously with Wells Fargo as executive director of vendor oversight. He has more than two decades of experience in the industry.
Warnica joins after roles at companies including New American Funding, Homepoint and Rocket Mortgage.
Insellerate Welcomes Christopher Meerschaert
Insellerate, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., has added Christopher Meerschaert as director of customer success.
Meerschaert has more than two decades of experience, including with customer strategy, sales enablement and operational excellence. He will, among other responsibilities, be tasked with helping financial institutions unlock the full potential of Aithena, Insellerate’s AI platform.
He has held roles at firms including Citi, Growth Works Ventures and Quicken Loans.
First American Title Appoints Tara Smith EVP of Enterprise Growth, Multi-Brand Strategy
First American Title Insurance Co., Santa Ana, Calif., has named Tara Smith executive vice president of enterprise growth and multi-brand strategy.
She will have enterprisewide responsibilities for driving growth and multi-brand strategies, and serve as executive sponsor of the company’s Leadership Forum, which helps develop successors for senior leadership roles.
Smith has been at First American since 2024; she was previously with a title insurance underwriter. She has more than two decades of leadership experience.
Brian Kempf Joins Certainty Home Lending
Brian Kempf has joined Certainty Home Lending, Dallas, a Rate company. He will serve as senior vice president, producing area manager.
Kempf has extensive experience in the industry, serving as a senior vice president at multiple companies.
He will be based in the Washington, D.C., area and focus on the lender’s mid-Atlantic region.
Planet Home Lending Expands With Addition of Corbin Leach
Planet Home Lending, Meriden, Conn., has added Corbin Leach Sr. as a mortgage loan officer, expanding the company’s footprint in Tennessee.
Leach is licensed in Tennessee and Georgia.
He also specializes in guiding first-time homebuyers through every step of the mortgage process and pointed to Planet’s diverse product lineup for its ability to meet the needs of buyers in the area.
