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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 12 October 2025 Ombudsman since December 2014. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Boston University and a master's degree in business ad- ministration from Bentley College. FREDDIE MAC APPOINTS MATTHEW ABRUSCI GENERAL COUNSEL Freddie Mac an- nounced that Matthew D. Abrusci has joined the company as EVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, effective today. Abrusci brings more than three decades of financial services experi- ence spanning banking, capital markets and securities law. "Matthew Abrusci brings deep expe- rience across the legal spectrum, and I have no doubt he will quickly become a valued member of Freddie Mac's execu- tive team," said Mike Hutchins, President and interim CEO of Freddie Mac. Abrusci's background spans top legal positions across the financial services sector, underscoring his value as Freddie Mac takes steps to become more efficient, effective and finan- cially sound. He joins the company from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Americas, where he served as General Counsel. MUFG offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, consumer fi- nance, asset management, leasing, and others. Previously, he held senior legal positions at the Royal Bank of Canada, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, and Merrill Lynch, & Co., Inc. Abrusci received a bachelor's degree and his juris doctorate from St. John's University. Lenders/Servicers PLANET APPOINTS TIM FISHER AS SVP, NON- AGENCY LENDING Planet Financial Group, a multichannel financial services company, today announced that Tim Fisher has joined Planet as SVP, Non-Agency Lending. Fisher brings two decades of experi- ence across the mortgage industry, with a career spanning origination, capital markets, mortgage servicing rights, pri- vate issuance and mortgage insurance. He is widely recognized for his ability to build businesses, forge strong nation- al client relationships, and lead teams that deliver consistent growth. "Tim has a long history of building entrepreneurial financial services busi- nesses and cultivating deep industry relationships," said Michael Dubeck, CEO and President of Planet Financial Group. "His leadership experience and breadth of knowledge will be instru- mental as Planet continues to expand." Before joining Planet, Fisher held leadership roles at Deephaven Mort- gage and SG Capital Partners. Earlier in his career, he was a VP at Goldman Sachs' RMBS Structured Products Group and worked at Morgan Stan- ley during the formative years of the non-agency market. "Planet is an established company with a track record of growing and diversifying its multichannel business model," Fisher said. "Mike has a talent for spotting market opportunities and building teams that know how to seize them. It's like hockey—you antici- pate the play, surround yourself with the right teammates, and when the opening appears, you take the shot and score. Planet has that combination of foresight, teamwork, and execution that creates real momentum." LEADING PRODUCER BRIAN KEMPF JOINS CERTAINTY HOME LENDING Certainty Home Lending, a Rate Company, has named origination veteran Brain Kempf as SVP, Producing Area Manager. A multi-year $100 million dollar producer with over 20 years of finan- cial services and mortgage lending experience, Kempf comes to Certainty having most recently served as an SVP, Branch Manager for a leading national independent mortgage lending compa- ny. Before that, he spent over 10 years at another top national lender, where he was SVP – Senior Loan Officer and Sales Manager. Kempf has served in a number of development and origina- tion roles across the mortgage lending industry, including roles within leading global depositories and regional inde- pendent lending companies. According to Certainty EVP, Divisional Manager, Andrew Siddon, Kempf brings with him a track record of success that has followed him on each step of his journey. "Certainty continues to bring aboard great people with demonstrated records of origi- nation success, and Brian absolutely checks all the boxes in that regard," he said. "Because we support our team with the resources of a national pow- erhouse and further make a priority of empowering good people who want to spend their time focusing on serving clients, just as you'd find with any top boutique lender, Brian will be an amaz- ing fit with Certainty." "It's no longer possible to be a successful mortgage banker without the support of advanced technology, facilitating efficient processing and underwriting and leading to an overall better borrower experience. Certainty Home Lending delivers exactly that," Kempf said. "I've known much of the leadership team here for a long time, and I have absolutely no doubt that I'll M O V E R S & S H A K E R S