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MortgagePoint ยป Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 14 M O V E R S & S H A K E R S September 2023 Lenders/Servicers VARUN KRISHNA JOINS ROCKET COMPANIES AS CEO Rocket Companies, consisting of tech-driven mortgage, real estate, and financial services businesses Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, Rocket Loans, and Rocket Money, has announced the appointment of fintech exec Varun Krishna as the company's CEO. Krishna will succeed Bill Emerson, who has served as Interim CEO since June. Em- erson will continue in his interim role until Krishna joins the company and will remain on the Rocket Companies Board of Directors while also working with Krishna to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Krishna has more than 20 years of expe- rience building consumer platform strategies for leading global fintech companies. Most recently, Krishna served as EVP and General Manager, Consumer Group of Intuit, Inc., where he oversaw the organization's end-to- end suite of consumer and tax products and services, including TurboTax and TurboTax Live. During his tenure, TurboTax Live be- came one of the fastest growing products in Intuit's history. Prior to Intuit, Krishna served as Senior Director of Product at PayPal, where he managed the company's global consumer product team. "Varun is a visionary leader with a proven track record of helping consumers achieve financial freedom. Throughout his career, he has delivered innovative, technology-driven client experiences for complex personal transactions in large, fragmented markets," said Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman of Rocket Companies. "Varun's experience aligns perfectly with Rocket's vision, making him the ideal person to drive growth, strong performance, and operational excellence at Rocket. On behalf of the entire Board and our team members, I welcome Varun as Rocket's new CEO." Krishna added, "I am honored to join the Rocket Companies team. Rocket has a rock-solid foundation and tremendous potential, with its comprehensive ecosystem and industry-renowned technology, strong brand, and award-winning client service. I look forward to working with Bill, the Board and Rocket's exceptionally talented team members to drive the company's future success and create long-term value for our stakeholders." The company also announced that Bob Walters has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire on September 5, when he will step down from his roles as CEO of Rocket Mortgage and as President and COO of Rocket Companies. Krishna will succeed Walters at that time as Rocket Mortgage CEO and Emerson will assume the roles of President and COO for Rocket Companies. "Since joining Rocket Mortgage more than 26 years ago, Bob has built an exception- al team and strengthened our foundation to enable the company to grow in any market," Gilbert said. "His legacy as a leader and an expert in Capital Markets will leave a lasting impact on Rocket Mortgage, and I thank him for the years of dedication to our business." ARRIVE HOME PROMOTES MATT PETTIT AND TAI CHRISTENSEN Arrive Home has promoted two key executives, as company Co-Founder Matt Pettit will move from President to CEO, and Co-Founder Tai Christensen will move from Chief Diversity and Public Relations Officer to President. The changes reflect the company's growth as it connects with mort- gage lenders to provide both down payment assistance and its earned equity program to Movers & Shakers qualified borrowers. Since launching in No- vember 2022, Arrive Home has made a num- ber of inroads with lenders seeking solutions for borrowers who meet FHA guidelines but have been locked out of the housing market. "We are thrilled with the progress we've made since launching last year and are excited to introduce other credit solutions to the market in the coming months," Pettit said. Pettit has more than two decades of experience in the mortgage and fintech industry, spending most of his career in leadership roles. He serves as chair of the NAHREP Northwest Corporate Board of Governors and is committed to increasing homeownership opportunities in minority communities using carefully crafted, quality programs that bridge innovative market solutions with easy-to-use software. Through Arrive Home's technology, lend- ers have access to an array of products that can help bring new borrowers into home- ownership, including product offerings for nontraditional and Individual Tax Identifi- cation Number (ITIN) consumers. The team at Arrive Home is focused on increasing sustainable homeownership for responsible borrowers, while providing stellar customer service to their lender partners. Christensen has more than 20 years of industry experience, and serves as Chair of the American Mortgage Diversity Council (AMDC), as well as a Board Member for Axis Lift 360, a nonprofit that focuses on providing the mortgage lending industry with a more diverse talent pool of job candidates. AXIS is a free, 90-day online education program designed to help highly motivated individuals build lasting and fulfilling careers in mortgage. The Academy's mission is to address the lending industry's staffing and education gap by training a diverse pool of candidates to enter a career in mortgage in a meaningful and impactful way. The program includes professional development courses, a wellness program, mentorship, and a paid internship. A longtime mortgage professional who has dedicated much of her career to assisting creditworthy borrowers in disadvantaged communities, Christensen has won numerous industry awards. "Arrive Home has made huge strides toward its mission to help borrowers in underserved communities build genera- Pettit Christensen