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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 12 August 2025 in which the agency revised its regulatory and licensing frameworks to reflect an evo- lution in banking. These efforts included a significant rewrite of banking regulation, including implementation of the Econom- ic Growth Act, reforms to the Volcker Rule and swap margin rules, capital and liquid- ity changes, issuance of the Madden Rule, and expansion of bank powers. Under his direction, the OCC chartered the first fintech and crypto banks; recognized cryp- to-related activities as permissible; brought the largest enforcement actions in agency history; managed through the March 2020 financial crisis; and defended the agency's actions before Congress and in court. ENTREPRENEUR APPOINTED TO FANNIE MAE BOARD Barry Habib has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Fannie Mae, with a term lasting until the next annual election or until he resigns or is removed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Habib's committee assignments have yet to be determined, and he will receive compensation as outlined in Fannie Mae's 2024 annual report. A speaker and trainer for more than 25 years in the mortgage and real estate markets, Habib has personally originated in excess of $2 billion. His Certified Mort- gage Advisor (CMA) course is renowned for elevating the level of professionalism and mortgage knowledge in the industry. Some of career accomplishments include being named a three-time Crystal Ball Award winner by Zillow and Pulsenomics for the most accurate real estate forecasts out of 150 of the top U.S. economists; a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, and St. Armand Businessman of the Year in 2021. His book, Money in the Streets, was an Amazon number one best seller, and Bar- ry served as Lead Producer and Managing Partner for "Rock of Ages," one of the lon- gest running shows in Broadway history. He also produced Criss Angel's Mindfreak at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Lenders/Servicers EMBRACE HOME LOANS NAMES NEW SVP Embrace Home Loans has promoted Brian Woltman to SVP and inducted him into the company's Hall of Fame—an honor reserved for Embrace's most accomplished employees. Woltman, who manages Embrace's Basking Ridge, New Jersey branch, is one of the company's top-producing origina- tors and holds the record for the highest annual loan volume in Embrace's 40-year history. Since joining the company in 2016, he led his branch to more than $1.15 billion in funded loans and 2,500 closed loans. His personal production accounts for $640 million across more than 1,400 loans. "Brian is a leader in every sense of the word—he's grown his branch from the ground up, built an incredible team, and consistently delivered extraordinary results," Embrace SVP and Regional Manager Tim Higgins said. "His work ethic, passion for clients, and commit- ment to mentoring others make him one of the most respected professionals in the industry." Woltman was the company's top-pro- ducing loan officer for three of the past five years and has been named to the company's Chairman's Club five times. He also earned lifetime membership in the Founders Club, and has received multiple President's Club honors. "Receiving this recognition means a lot, especially knowing the caliber of people I work with," Woltman said. "I've been fortunate to build a team that shares my values—treating people right, staying focused, and doing the work the right way. This is more than just a job to us— it's about delivering an experience people remember." NEWREZ GROWS ITS COMMERCIAL DIVISION WITH NEW HIRE Newrez LLC has appointed Leslie Gillin as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), highlighting the company's commitment to accelerating revenue growth by expanding its diverse products and services and enhancing its custom- er-first platform for more than 3.7 million homeowners, which has quadrupled in portfolio size and originations market share over the past five years. As Chief Commercial Officer, Gillin will lead enterprise-wide commercial strat- egy, focusing on marketing personalization, brand awareness, end-to-end homeowner experience, product growth, and strategic partnerships. An industry veteran in finan- cial services, Leslie has held senior execu- tive roles at top global banks, such as Bank of America, Citi, and JP Morgan Chase. Leslie was President of Chase Cobrand Cards, CMO of JP Morgan Chase, and most recently, Chief Growth Officer, at AI-led fintech Pagaya. In 2024, she was recognized as a Top 25 Women in Fintech by American Banker, and received the Innovation Award from Women in Payments. "Leslie brings a proven track record of delivering growth, building iconic brands, and driving customer-centric innovation," said Baron Silverstein, President of Ne- wrez. "Her deep expertise across lending products, marketing, and partnerships will be instrumental as we continue to scale our platform and deliver value to homeowners and partners alike." PLANET HOME LENDING ADDS NEW MIDWEST SALES MANAGER Planet Home Lending, a national mortgage lender, servicer, and asset manager, has named Chris Carr as Area Sales Manager in the Minneapolis-Metro M O V E R S & S H A K E R S