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Movers & Shakers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 Safeguard Properties Announces VP Promotion, New Appointments Safeguard Properties announced several appointments and a promotion within its executive and management teams. Linda Erkkila is Safeguard's new general counsel. Erkkila was most recently securities and corporate governance counsel for Agilysys, Inc. Prior to that, she was VP for National City's law department and served as an associate at Thompson Hine, LLP. John Gonos is the new director of training. Gonos held several training and development leadership positions at regional and national retailers, including OfficeMax. He is a graduate of Kent State University and a member of the American Society for Training and Development. At Safeguard, he is responsible for all training initiatives for new and existing employees, including production and operational training and supervisory and leadership development. Sandy Opacich is the company's new VP of human capital. Prior to joining Safeguard, Opacich served as the director of human resources services at Medical Mutual in Cleveland. She also served as EVP of human resources for the LakeWest Group, Ltd., and as SVP and director of human resources for McDonald Investments, Inc. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from John Carroll University and her MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Jennifer Jozity was promoted to assistant VP of inspections operations. Jozity joined Safeguard in 1997 and was promoted to director of inspections operations in 2009. In her new role, she is responsible for ensuring quality work in all aspects of the inspections service line, including order entry, client relations, regional coordination, and operations. She graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in business. New Oak Appoints COO Donald McGuire will pull double duty at NewOak as COO and head of investment banking, according to an announcement from the company. McGuire has more than 27 years' experience in finance and operations, having worked in the investment banking, pharmaceutical, and technological industries. Most recently, he served as managing partner of KDM Advisors. ZVN Properties Brings in Marketing, Business Leaders ZVN Properties, Inc., introduced two new members to the company family. Jeffrey McHenry joined ZVN as SVP. McHenry has spent more than 24 years in the financial services industry, holding leadership positions at LPS Field Services. At ZVN, his primary focus is to create and effectively market new products and services for the property preservation, REO service, hazard claim repair, and inspection company. Georgie Palafox joined ZVN as assistant VP. Palafox has more than a decade of experience in strategic business development, marketing, and client relationship service. She also has entrepreneurial experience, starting up and selling three successful businesses. Prior to joining ZVN, she worked at Code Violation Services as director of business development. Palafox attended California State University. Continental REO Promotes Title Expert to Department Manager Continental REO Services (CREO) announced the promotion of Tina Costello to title department manager. Costello joined the CREO title department two years ago and possesses more than 16 years' experience in the title insurance industry. Before joining CREO, she worked as a lead title examiner for Continental Title Company. Prudential California Realty Selects Real Estate Exec for COO Prudential California Realty appointed real estate executive Leeann Iacino as COO. Iacino has extensive experience in the real estate industry, working as a top-selling agent with Moore and Company in Colorado and eventually founding Prestige Real Estate Group, an independent company that amassed more than $1 billion in sales in the Denver-Boulder area. Platinum Data Brings on Quality Control Vet as SVP Platinum Data hired quality assurance and fraud prevention expert Lisa Binkley as SVP. Binkley has more than 25 years' mortgage industry experience, spanning origination and underwriting through quality control and compliance. She was formerly director of product solutions for Equifax and EVP of operations for Rapid Reporting. Hunt Leibert Partner Named in List of America's Best Lawyers Richard M. Leibert, a partner at Hunt Leibert & Jacobson, P.C., was selected for the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the field of mortgage banking foreclosure law. Leibert is a past president and director of USFN and remains active on many committees. He also previously served as director of the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association. CONTINUED ON PAGE 33 32 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 insurance. The complaint alleges the bank knew "a very substantial percentage" of these loans—nearly half in certain months—were not properly underwritten, contained unacceptable risk, and were ineligible for FHA insurance. "Now a jury will have to weigh the facts to determine the bank's liability and the scope of the damages it must pay," Bharara said. According to the lawsuit, Wells Fargo internally identified 6,558 seriously deficient loans that it was required to self-report under the FHA program. Authorities say Wells Fargo concealed 6,320 of these improperly certified loans. Bharara maintains the bank avoided indemnification to HUD on approximately $190 million in FHA- paid claims for defaults on the 6,320 concealed loans. U.S. prosecutors seek damages and penalties for hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance claims HUD paid and expects to pay in the future for mortgages allegedly wrongfully certified. Helen Kanovsky, general counsel for HUD, said in a statement that "Wells Fargo has been a valued participant in the FHA-mortgage lending program." Kanovsky went on to say, "Unfortunately, as alleged in the government's complaint, there was a time when Wells Fargo placed profits over people, corporate results over corporate integrity, and did not consider the effect its actions would have on the FHA program as well as the overall economy. Today's complaint and others like it are necessary, not only to deter future improper acts, but to recover damages on behalf of the FHA mortgage fund and the American taxpayer." KNOW THIS The University of Michigan's measure of U.S. consumer confidence soared to a five-year high of 83.1 in October.

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