Management and Career Moves

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, today announced the appointment of Alex Sirpis as vice president of sales. In this role, Sirpis will lead the company's sales organization, refine the go-to-market strategy and drive revenue growth as FirstClose continues expanding its presence with mortgage and home equity lenders across the country.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, today announced the appointment of Adam Nicholson as director of professional services. Nicholson will lead the company's implementation operations, including project delivery, process optimization and cross-functional coordination to enhance the customer experience.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DALLAS, Texas) Benchmark Mortgage, a full-service mortgage lender and broker based in Dallas, has added mortgage marketing professional Clay McMurray as chief marketing officer. McMurray will help Benchmark Mortgage grow its national brand to new heights, bringing the company's story to life with the goal of helping as many homeowners as possible while attracting top mortgage originators. He brings extensive mortgage industry experience, having led and expanded other national brands.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the addition of Jon Wilson as Vice President of Accounting. In this role, Wilson will oversee corporate accounting, financial reporting and process optimization, supporting the company's continued growth and operational excellence.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender, today announced the appointment of Ian Kimball as president. In this role, Kimball will oversee strategic growth initiatives, operational execution and market expansion, reporting to founder and CEO Jeff Bode.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) Depth, a leading provider of consultative B2B marketing, public relations and reputation management services for technology companies serving the residential mortgage finance, fintech and regtech industries, today announced its addition of mortgage industry veterans Elizabeth Schroeder, vice president of client services, and Amy Jerina, client services manager, along with former business journalist Amber Perry, who also joins as a client services manager.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced the expansion of its sales organization with the addition of four accomplished industry sales professionals. These new team members bring deep industry experience and proven track records that will support the company's continued growth in home equity lending.

Mortgage and Finance News: (AUSTIN, Texas) FirstClose™, a leading fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, announced today the promotion of Andria Lightfoot to vice president of client success. In her new role, Lightfoot will join the sales and revenue organization and be responsible for implementation and customer success strategy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SEATTLE, Wash.) Friday Harbor, an AI-powered platform that helps loan officers assemble complete and compliant loan files in real time, announced two strategic hires today: Chris Simms has joined as head of strategic partnerships, and Gregory Buehler has joined as founding product manager. They bring over 35 years of combined experience in mortgage lending, product strategy and technology innovation.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DENVER, Colo.) ACES Quality Management® (ACES), the leading provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, today announced the promotion of two internal compliance leaders: Amanda Phillips to general counsel and executive vice president of compliance, and Savannah Prout to associate vice president of compliance.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ATLANTA, Ga.) Strategic Benefits Advisors, Inc. (SBA) today announced the appointment of Andy Clonts as director and senior benefits consultant. In this role, Clonts will be responsible for driving business growth while leveraging his extensive experience in employee benefits strategy, healthcare navigation and client engagement to deliver tailored solutions to SBA's expanding roster of clients.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close, a multi-state mortgage lender and innovator in third-party origination (TPO), announced Thursday that Tony Catanese has joined the company as regional sales manager. In this role, Catanese will lead the company's wholesale and non-delegated expansion across the East Coast, focusing on building and developing a high-performing sales team.

Mortgage and Finance News: (WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) Klingenstein Fields Advisors is pleased to announce the addition of Christopher E. Havlicek, Client Development, Managing Director, to its South Florida team. He joins John A. Pavela, CFA, Senior Advisor, Partner, and Michael S. Schiff, J.D., AEP, TEP, Client Development, Managing Director, in its offices located at 515 North Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TROY, Mich.) Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company (AMC), announced today the expansion of its national sales team with the appointments of Jim Bannister and Scott Shaw as senior sales executives. Together, they bring over 45 years of combined experience in mortgage lending, financial services and technology to the company's expanding leadership.

Mortgage and Finance News: (TROY, Mich.) Class Valuation, a leading real estate appraisal management company (AMC), announced today that Chris Flynn has joined its leadership team as chief data officer effective April 1. In his new role, Flynn will lead Class Valuation's enterprise data strategy, overseeing the development of scalable analytics, AI capabilities and automation to improve valuation accuracy, speed and transparency.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close (CNC), a multi-state mortgage lender, announced today that Kim Schenck has joined its Correspondent Lending Sales team as Correspondent Manager. In her new role, Schenck will lead the expansion of the company's proprietary down payment assistance (DPA) program, which plays a key role in helping more borrowers achieve homeownership.

Mortgage and Finance News: (LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.) Alliance Group is proud to announce four significant promotions within its leadership team, reinforcing the company's commitment to excellence and growth. Additionally, two talented new team members have joined the organization, bringing valuable expertise to support Alliance Group's expanding initiatives.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BOULDER, Colo.) Floify, the mortgage industry's leading point-of-sale (POS) solution, today announced the appointment of Sol Klein as head of client experience and business operations. Klein, a seasoned mortgage technology executive with extensive experience in customer success and implementation, will lead initiatives to help clients maximize the value of their investment in Floify's platform.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) Mobility Market Intelligence (MMI), a leader in data intelligence and market insight tools for the mortgage and real estate industries, is pleased to announce the promotion of Kortney Lane-Schafers to Vice President of Growth & Client Advocacy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (DES MOINES, Iowa) Conterra Ag Capital has announced the January 2025 appointment of Jake Espenmiller as President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding company founder Paul Erickson. Following a carefully planned and seamless 2-year succession strategy, this leadership transition marks a significant milestone for Conterra, reinforcing its commitment to providing innovative financial solutions to farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses across the United States.

Mortgage and Finance News: (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's leading network of independent mortgage lenders, banks, credit unions, and service providers, is proud to announce the appointment of Jodi Hall as its new Chief Executive Officer and President.

Mortgage and Finance News: (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology backed by time-tested loan origination software and leadership, today announced the appointment of Brad Vasto as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Vasto steps into the role as Sean Dugan, the outgoing CRO, prepares to assume the position of CEO in April 2025, succeeding current CEO Rich Gagliano.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ADDISON, Texas) Click n' Close (CNC), a multi-state mortgage lender serving consumers and mortgage originators through its wholesale and correspondent channels, today announced Jeff Raich has joined the organization as a national sales director in correspondent lending.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PLANO, Texas) Optimal Blue today announced two key executive promotions that will position the company to deliver innovation faster across the company's entire capital markets platform, and to further expand the company's network of partners. Erin Wester has been promoted to chief product officer and Mike Vough has been promoted to head of corporate strategy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced that Sean Dugan, the company's chief revenue officer, will succeed Rich Gagliano as CEO effective April 2025. Gagliano, who launched Dark Matter in 2023 following over a decade of leadership at its predecessor, Black Knight Origination Technologies, will step into the role of executive chairman.

Mortgage and Finance News: (HOUSTON, Texas) NotaryCam®, a Stewart-owned company and a pioneering provider of remote online notarization technology for real estate and legal transactions, today announced the appointment of Sam McPherson as the new Head of Customer Success. In this role, McPherson will oversee customer relationships, focusing on delivering an exceptional client experience while driving retention and advocacy.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BUFFALO, N.Y.) LenderLogix, a leading provider of mortgage point-of-sale and automation software for banks, credit unions, independent mortgage banks, and brokers, today announced Ben Head has joined the company as an account executive responsible for expanding LenderLogix' market share.

Mortgage and Finance News: (ST. LOUIS, Mo.) Informative Research, a leading technology platform that delivers data-driven solutions to the lending community, announced the appointment of Steve Schulz as the new executive vice president of product management. This strategic addition highlights Informative Research's commitment to driving innovation and enhancing its product offerings to better serve its clients.

Mortgage and Finance News: (BOALSBURG, Pa.) EnergyCAP, the leading provider of energy and sustainability enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, today announced the appointment of Shawn Lankton as Chief Executive Officer. This decision reflects the Board's continued and growing optimism across the spectrum of growth opportunities ahead for EnergyCAP.

Mortgage and Finance News: (PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.) All Injuries Law Firm is proud to announce the addition of Jenna Sutter, Esq. to our top team of attorneys. A member of the Florida Bar Association since 2022, Ms. Sutter brings a passion and energy for helping people with personal injury claims, and protecting the rights of Florida's workers.