Career moves

The American Securitization Forum (ASF) opened a Washington, D.C. office in an effort to further its advocacy efforts on behalf of the securitization markets.

Newport Beach Calif.-based PIMCO has nabbed two bank loan portfolio managers from investment management firm Lord Abbett & Co.

StormHarbour made four new senior appointments in its Hong Kong and Singapore offices. Aaron Tan has joined as senior advisor. Tan, who reports directly to Principal and Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Officer Water Cheung, was previously a managing director and head of Hong Kong coverage, investment banking and debt capital markets at Barclays Capital. Together with other client-focused areas, Tan will be advising on and originating real estate transactions. In Singapore, Jean-Christophe Levens, Marc-Antoine Thiriez and Hugo Virag-Lappas, all former founding partners of infrastructure advisory firm called Partners in Infrastructure, have joined as managing directors, focusing on building out StormHarbour’s Asia-Pacific infrastructure finance business. All three hires report directly to Vincent Moge, principal and head of the Singapore office and Asia-Pacific sales.

SunTrust Banks late Tuesday named Jerome Lienhard president and chief executive officer of its mortgage division, the nation's 11th largest originator of residential loans.

REO services provider Default Resource hired James Zeldin as executive vice president and chief sales officer.

Former Freddie Mac chairman and CEO Richard Syron recently received a 'Wells Notice' from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which means the agency is considering filing civil charges against him related to his management of company.

Bank of America on Tuesday announced that Fernando Vicario is the head of corporate banking for emerging markets, excluding Asia, according to an internal memo obtained by ASR sister publication IDD Magazine on Wednesday.

For at least his first year as head of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), David Stevens will be barred from lobbying the federal agency that matters most to many of the trade group's members: the one he's leaving.

Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) President and CEO John A. Courson will be leaving the association effective June 1.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner defended Elizabeth Warren's role Tuesday in the ongoing settlement talks between the top mortgage servicers and the state attorneys general and several federal agencies.

Former Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd, who oversaw the GSE's huge expansion into nonprime investing and securitization, late last week received a "Wells Notice" from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicating that he may face civil charges for allegedly misleading investors about the company's financial condition.

Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking (SG CIB) hired Mark Landis to head its fixed

Denver-based asset management and structured finance firm The Chotin Group Corp. hired Paul Isherwood as chief investment officer who will oversee analysis, trading and management of Chotin’s proprietary investment portfolios.

When David Stevens took over in July 2009, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was in such dire financial straits that he says there was a real threat of the agency being temporarily shut down.

Berenson & Co. launched a debt capital markets (DCM) platform that draws on the firm's M&A advisory practice and expertise in the credit markets.

Assured Guaranty announced today that chief operating officer Séan W. McCarthy will be leaving the company at the end of the month to “pursue other opportunities.”

Janney further expanded its fixed-income team by hiring Robbie Goffin as managing director.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) said on Tuesday it hired Ralph Rosenberg as a managing director to lead its global real estate investing efforts.

Debra Huddleston joined Ranieri Real Estate Partners as managing director and head of real estate structured products.

Catherine Kissick, a well known figure in warehouse lending circles, late Friday pleaded guilty to criminal charges tied to the collapse of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW), a large Federal Housing Administration lender based in Ocala, Fla.