“Helping people obtain the American dream has always been my passion. Financial education is key, giving my clients the tools to succeed in their financial life,” says Mortgage Lending veteran, Jana Ledbetter. Given her 20-year tenure in the lending industry, Jana is familiar with all segments of the loan process – from application to closing and beyond. Educating her clients ensures they are prepared and informed to make the best housing decisions. She says, “I grew up in this business, driven by helping people obtain their dream of purchasing a home or to financially better themselves. I get to do what I love; I am very passionate about my work.”

Jana joined the MutualBank lending team in the summer of 2019, working at the New Buffalo, Michigan office at 6 West Buffalo Street. She also assists clients in Beverly Shores, LaPorte, Michigan City, and Valparaiso in Indiana.

Kris-Ann Carduff has joined Deephaven Mortgage, a full service, multi-channel, long-term investor in the non-QM space, as wholesale – vice president of business development.

Kris-Ann has more 20 years of mortgage experience and has played a central role in ABN AMRO’s Six Sigma process improvement initiative, showcasing industry best practices.

Non-QM lenders have realized tremendous growth over the last 24 months, but education challenges remain, the company says. Kris-Ann will continue to dispel the myths surrounding non-QM lending so that more creditworthy borrowers can obtain financing.

Wendy Strawn has joined the servicing department of Mid America Mortgage to its servicing department. Wendy will lead the department as Executive Managing Director of Servicing.

Since bringing our servicing in-house in late 2019, we’ve worked continuously to strengthen the department,” said Mid America Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bode.

Robin has over 25 years of experience in customer service and cash operations, including 12 years at Saxon Mortgage. She has proven success in process cost reduction, payment processing and configuration, customer service and financial reporting.

Wells Fargo announced that Muneera Carr joined the company as controller, effective January 6, 2020. “Muneera brings to our Controllers team deep knowledge and expertise that will help drive our continued transformation,” said John Shrewsberry, CFO. “She will be a tremendous and valued addition to Wells Fargo.”

As controller, she will manage corporate tax, accounting and reporting, as well as controllership activities such as financial controls and oversight policies and processes for the company’s business groups and enterprise functions.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Muneera was chief financial officer for Comerica., which she joined in 2010. She has also worked in the Office of the Chief Accountant at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and for Bank of America, SunTrust, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas and is a certified public accountant.

Nicole Sherman has been appointed to the Operating Committee as Executive Vice President, Director of Retail Banking and Digital Integration. In her new role, Nicole will lead Columbia’s nearly 150-branch retail organization. Her responsibilities include oversight of retail branches as well as the utilization of new digital services introduced to meet the needs of businesses and families throughout the Northwest. She will also be responsible for extending the NeighborHub branch concept introduced in 2018, which blends technology and digital tools with knowledgeable bankers, across the branch network. She joined Columbia in 2011, and brings more than 25 years of experience in banking to her new role. She has also served on the faculty of Pacific Coast Banking School since 2003. Prior to her appointment, she served as Senior Vice President, Greater Puget Sound Market Region Manager.

LBA Ware has brought on Silicon Valley talent Veronica Mahler as business analyst. She was hired to support the spring release of LBA Ware’s turnkey business intelligence platform, LimeGear, by supporting post-implementation client experience in partnership with LBA Ware’s client success team.

“I am passionate about helping customers accomplish their business goals and maximize the value they obtain from the tools and services in which they have invested,” said Veronica. “LBA Ware’s commitment to driving lender performance is highly compatible with my professional values.”

After 34 years at Guild Mortgage, Rhona Kaninau, Senior Vice President, Loan Administration, Partner retired in December 2019.

Rhona joined the company in 1985 and most recently was responsible for the overall operations of loan administration, managing bulk acquisition and sale of servicing as well as portfolio retention strategies. Rhona was the project coordinator in the design and implementation of an interactive voice response system and streamlined refinance program to increase portfolio retention levels.

She was able to adjust to the needs of an ever-changing portfolio and maintain high service

levels and low costs per loan. Her ability to organize, problem-solve, and effectively execute

company objectives were vital to Guild. Prior to coming to Guild, she worked for Bank of America in retail branch operations for 12 years. She is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association Loan Administration Committee and the Diversity Task Force.

She deserves recognition for her mentoring of many women over the 34 years of employment.