U.S. Bank Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Banking Elliot Jaffe said Kharkar has a strong track record of success in commercial, corporate and international banking and in serving middle-market clients.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is now under new leadership. Robert Broeksmit is now officially the MBA’s president and CEO, telling MBA members this week that he is now formally in place at the trade group.

Alterra Home Loans is making good on its commitment to increase African-American homeownership, announcing today that it will open another new branch. This brings its total of new branches up to three. One each in Dallas, Atlanta and Baton Rouge.

The trend of consolidation among appraisal management companies is about to continue, as Pro Teck Valuation Services announced this week that it bought cloud-based valuation fulfillment platform and appraisal management company Direct Valuation Solutions.

The Federal Reserve announced Monday its most significant change in staff since Fed Chair Jerome Powell took office in February. David Wilcox, Federal Reserve director of the division of research and statistics, announced he will retire at the end of 2018.

Mr. Cooper recently announced that Kelly Ann Doherty has joined its executive team as its chief communications officer. Mr. Cooper CEO Jay Bray said Doherty has been essential in evolving Mr. Cooper’s media outreach and social media channels.

As housing affordability continues to plague the industry, some companies are either downsizing or closing their doors, but not Waterstone Mortgage. It's expanding its reach, announcing the opening of a new branch in Libertyville, Illinois.

Clear Capital, a national fintech company and two-time HousingWire Tech100 award winner, recently announced it appointed Sheila Ryan to the position of chief people officer. The company also announced the addition of 116 new employees this year as part of its expansion efforts.

U.S. Bank recently announced it will promote Jodi Richard to vice chairman and chief risk officer, following current Vice Chairman Bill Parker’s plans to retire in the upcoming months. Richard is expected to transition into the new position by early October.

Mayer Brown announced it has named finance attorney Michael McElroy as a partner resident in its Washington, D.C. office. McElroy, who joins the firm after serving as the general counsel and secretary for First Guaranty Mortgage, will focus his practice on a range of matters related to the mortgage banking and consumer finance industries.