Career moves

Dechert hired Lawrence Berkovich as counsel in its finance and real estate (FRE) group. He was most recently special counsel at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.

Oak Hill Advisors hired Chris Cereghino as a managing director in its client coverage team. Based in New York, Cereghino is responsible for business development and relationship management at the firm along with a team of other professionals.

Ginnie Mae's MBS program has experienced unprecedented growth the past two years and now the agency wants to nearly triple its allotment for salaries to $30 million, allowing it to hire additional staff while reducing its dependence on outside contractors.

Federal prosecutors have ended their criminal investigation of former Countrywide Financial Corp. (CFC) chairman and CEO Angelo Mozilo, after deciding that his actions managing the nation's largest lender did not constitute criminal behavior, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times.

The Treasury Department has tapped a former Wall Street managing director to be in charge of the research, markets and regulation arm of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Jay Hohman is a leaving StormHarbour Partners where he was director with the primary responsibility for the sale of fixed-income products to institutional investors.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform late Wednesday issued a subpoena, asking Bank of America to hand over all documents related to Countrywide Financial's 'Friends of Angelo' (FoA) program by March 7.

BTIG has expanded its high yield and distressed desk analytics group by hiring Elie Radinsky and Mark Palmer.

Bank of America hired former Saxon Mortgage CEO Tony Meola as a default servicing executive in its mortgage division.

Kondaur Capital Corp., an active player in the nonperforming loan market, Monday slashed its staff by 39%, saying it is having a hard time finding enough available product to purchase.

Information provider CoreLogic said that Anthony "Buddy" Piszel has resigned as the firm's CFO effective immediately.

Jean-Pierre Mustier, the former head of corporate and investment banking at Societe Generale, will join UniCredit as deputy general manager and CIB chief, the Italian lender announced Thursday.

BMO Financial's capital markets group has hired three senior fixed-income professionals to continue the expansion of its global and U.S. fixed-income institutional sales and trading groups.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) appointed Scott Eichel has been appointed global head of securitized products and head of U.S. credit for its markets franchise within its global banking and markets unit.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) Friday named Michael Krimminger, a close aide to Chairman Sheila Bair, as the agency's new general counsel.

Credit Suisse hired Dale Westhoff as the global head of structured products research. Westhoff. who will be based in New York, will focus on MBS, ABS and other structured products.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan hired Conrad Bahlke as a partner in the derivatives and commodities group in New York.

Sallie Mae appointed Paul Thome as president of the Sallie Mae Bank. He has 37 years experience in banking and financial services leadership. He was most recently Sallie Mae’s senior vice president of business finance and procurement.

Michael Callen, executive chairman of bankrupt bond insurance holding company Ambac Financial Group, announced his resignation Friday afternoon.

BNP Paribas said on Monday its corporate and investment banking group unveiled an official institutions coverage team for the Americas that will be headed by Timothy Bitsberger, a former U.S. Treasury Department official and treasurer of housing giant Freddie Mac.