People in the News, March 6, 2026
(Sridhar Sharma, courtesy of Sagent)
Sagent Chooses Sridhar Sharma as President
Sagent, Coppell, Texas, has chosen Sridhar Sharma as president.
As president, he will lead Sagent’s fintech and mortgage servicing specialists. He’ll also work to accelerate transformation with Dara, Sagent’s end-to-end mortgage platform. And, along with Sagent’s executive team, he will lead day-to-day operations, product, technology and customer engagement.
Sharma was previously at Mr. Cooper, serving as chief innovation and digital officer.
NewDay USA Appoints Brian Montgomery as Vice Chairman of the Board
NewDay USA, West Palm Beach, Fla., has added Brian Montgomery as vice chairman of the company’s advisory board.
Montgomery was FHA commissioner twice, and under three presidential administrations (George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.) He also served as deputy secretary of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the first Trump Administration.
Additionally, he served in the executive office of the president under George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush.
Equifax Names David Smith President of U.S. Information Solutions
Equifax, Atlanta, has selected David Smith as president of U.S. Information Solutions.
He will continue to drive the business unit’s post-cloud transformation growth.
Smith has more than 25 years of experience, and joined from Truist Financial Corp., where he was previously head of consumer lending. He has also held roles at KWx and CitiMortgage.
Nordis Technologies Announces Promotions
Nordis Technologies, Coral Springs, Fla., has promoted a slate of executives.
Richard O’Rourke will serve as chief revenue officer. O’Rourke has been with Nordis Technologies for more than 30 years and was one of the firm’s first employees, steadily rising through the ranks over the years.
Bryan Ten Broek was promoted to senior vice president of business development, and has been with Nordis since 2016. He previously served as vice president of marketing and business development.
Lee Selinger has been appointed vice president of omnichannel technical operations, a new position. He has been with Nordis for nearly three decades and has been critical in building the company and managing all aspects of communications
And, Jennifer Barcelo has been chosen as vice president of client experience, a redesigned position that combines client-centric teams under one umbrella. She has been with the company since 2018, beginning as a solutions consultant.
Erin Reed Promoted at ServiceLink
ServiceLink, Moon Township, Pa., announced Erin Reed has been promoted to senior vice president of valuation.
She will continue to execute and oversee ServiceLink’s vendor panel strategy, while taking an expanded role in leading valuation customer service.
Reed has been at ServiceLink for 20 years, and has held a variety of key positions across account management, operations and client services.
Optimal Blue Adds Fuad Nasir
Optimal Blue, Plano, Texas, has added Fuad Nasir as vice president of product management for hedging and trading.
He will help guide the firm’s next phase of hedging and trading innovation with a focus on strengthening risk visibility, enhanced model oversight and equipping the capital markets teams to protect margins and execute with greater confidence. He will also work to further embed hedging strategy within Optimal Blue’s end-to-end capital markets platform.
Previously, Nasir spent nearly two decades at Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp.
Rachel Fatino Takes Correspondent Operations Post at Click n’ Close
Click n’ Close, Addison, Texas, has named Rachel Fatino as director of correspondent operations.
Fatino will lead pipeline strategy, operational performance and partner engagement initiatives to support continued growth across the correspondent channel.
She has more than 15 years of mortgage origination experience and more than a decade of management experience. Most recently she was national operations manager at Mr. Cooper and has held roles at other lenders and firms.
ATTOM Taps Kara Taylor to Be Chief Growth Officer
ATTOM, Irvine, Calif., has chosen Kara Taylor as chief growth officer, an expanded executive role.
Taylor previously served as chief marketing officer.
Her new role formalizes accountability for how revenue is created across the marketing, sales and revenue operations. She will work closely with the CEO, CFO and executive leadership to align growth strategy with financial performance.
Planet Home Lending Welcomes New Personnel
Planet Home Lending, Meriden, Conn., has welcomed Branch Manager Jeff Hill and the True Foundation Team, including Cassidy Hunter and Daymara Flores.
Hill is based in Ocala, Fla., and plans to continue growing his team and expanding the firm’s presence in Central and North Central Florida. His experience spans purchase and refinance transactions, including FHA, VA, USDA, renovation, construction and non-agency.
And, Planet has expanded its presence in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of Branch Managers Dan O’Neill and Scott Unger. They are based in Washington’s Tri-Cities region.
O’Neill and Unger bring a combined 40-plus years of mortgage experience.
O’Neill specializes in first-time homebuyers, relocation clients and move-up buyers, and Unger–a U.S. Navy veteran–is passionate about serving fellow veterans, first-time buyers and multigenerational families.
Kimberly Friesenhahn Brings Experience to Polunsky Beitel Green
Polunsky Beitel Green, San Antonio, announced that Kimberly Friesenhahn has joined its business development team.
She has more than 20 years of experience across residential real estate and mortgage lending. She was most recently director of residential real estate development at Broadway National Bank, and also has held roles at JPMorgan Chase and World Savings Bank.
She will work closely with PBG’s attorneys and client service teams.
Adriana Bates Joins Choice Mortgage
Choice Mortgage, Boca Raton, Fla., has welcomed Adriana Bates as vice president of production and talent development.
Bates will focus on recruiting and mentoring elite loan officers.
She started in the industry in 2010 and has spent her career building and leading businesses with a focus on long-term growth, strategic partnerships and client-centered service.
Liberty Bank & Trust Co. Remembers Dr. Norman Francis
Liberty Bank & Trust Co., New Orleans, announced the passing of Dr. Norman Francis on Feb. 18 at 94.
He was a founding director of Liberty Bank & Trust Co., and was chairman of the board from its inception in 1972. Liberty now stands as the largest African American-owned bank in the nation.
Francis also led Xavier University of Louisiana for more than four decades, beginning with his presidency in 1968.
