About Us

Kevin Harrigan joined NewRez in January 2013 and after multiple promotions was named President & CEO in March 2018. His prior professional experience includes running a multi-state, multi-channel mortgage lender (Avantor Capital, President & CEO), senior management positions at KeyCorp (Key Home Mortgage President & COO and Key Consumer Finance - SVP Risk Management) and Bank of America (Equicredit SVP). Mr. Harrigan has over 30 years of experience in financial services/mortgage, including retail, wholesale, and correspondent business channels. In addition to studies at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, he earned his B.S. in Finance/Economics from Rutgers University (1986), and an MBA from Seton Hall University (1992). 

Dan Egan has been CFO of NewRez since its inception.  Prior to New Penn, Mr. Egan was involved in start-ups at Wilmington Finance (1999-2007) and ContiMortgage (1987-1999), serving as CFO at both companies, with responsibility for all accounting, financial reporting, and local treasury functions, including loan fundings and warehouse line management.  At ContiMortgage, Mr. Egan was also responsible for mortgage pricing and for the start-up and ongoing management of a warehouse lending division that provided lines of credit to the company’s Correspondent lenders. Mr. Egan was formerly Controller for Advanta Mortgage and was an Auditor/Audit Manager with the CPA firm of Ernst & Whinney. Mr. Egan graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University in 1981 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1973 to 1977.

Dena Kwaschyn joined NewRez as our Chief Fulfillment Officer in January 2018. Dena brings to us over 30 years of industry experience, most recently serving as Divisional Senior Vice President for HomeBridge Financial Services. Her resume also includes positions at Prospect Mortgage Corporation (Senior Vice President, Head of Operations), SunTrust Mortgage (Executive Vice President, Production Operations Manager), Bank of America, and American Home Mortgage. Dena has broad-based expertise and experience in virtually every operational area in the mortgage banking business, including processing, underwriting, closing, post-closing, and credit. Dena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College, and in 2016 was named to HousingWire’s list of Most Influential Women in Mortgage Banking. 

Joe Suter joined NewRez in November 2018 as our Chief Risk Officer. He oversees multiple areas of the organization, including Capital Markets, Credit Risk & Policy, Product Development, Quality Assurance/Quality Control, and Internal Audit. With a career spanning over 30 years, Mr. Suter’s most recent tenure was serving as Chief Risk Officer of Prospect Mortgage. He has also served as a past President/CEO of PHH Mortgage Services, where he enjoyed a 25-year career in a variety of roles. Mr. Suter holds a BS from Mount Saint Mary’s University (Emmitsburg, MD) as well as an MBA from Temple University and an MAT from The College of New Jersey.

Chris Nielson joined NewRez in 2014 and was named SVP, Third Party Originations in July 2017. He bring to us over 20 years of industry experience at organizations including startup, midsize, and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to NewRez Chris was the TPO Sales Leader for Finance of America (formally PMAC). His career experience also includes positions held with other well-known lending institutions including Mortgage Lenders Network, US Bank and Lehman Brothers. Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Marist College.

A mortgage lending veteran, Rob O’Han has over 25 years of industry experience. Having started out as an Account Executive, he worked his way up within the HSBC organization into positions of increasing responsibility, including District Manager, Division Manager, Regional Vice President, and ultimately to the Executive Vice President level with oversight of more than 700 branch locations. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from the Binghamton State University of New York (1989) and has held various board positions with the American Financial Services Association (AFSA).

Lisa Schreiber joined NewRez in 2018 and leads NewRez Correspondent Lending and Non-QM. With over 30 years of hands-on financial services and mortgage industry experience, she began her career in lending as a closer and worked her way through multiple roles, leading to senior management positions. Her resume includes Sprout Mortgage, Ellie Mae, Total Mortgage Services, and Bank of America. She has also worked in mortgage consulting, and is a recognized name in the industry as a speaker at industry conferences/events and a published author in multiple mortgage publications. 

Randy VandenHouten joined NewRez in September of 2014 as Chief Financial Officer of Shelter Mortgage Company Retail division.  Mr. VandenHouten has been with the Shelter family of companies since 1998 and has extensive knowledge of this industry and the JV segment.  Most recently,he served NewRez as SVP, Finance Mortgage Origination.  Mr. VandenHouten studied at St. Norbert College where he earned a Bachelor of Business – Accounting.

Dave Haggert joined NewRez in February 2018 in the new position of Chief Marketing Officer. He most recently served as Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing at Freedom Mortgage. His resume also includes senior level marketing positions at Ocwen Loan Servicing, Ally Financial/GMAC Mortgage, and GE Financial Assurance. David brings over 25 years of financial services experience, with specific expertise in marketing, branding, and strategy. David achieved GE Six Sigma Certification and has served as a guest lecturer and panelist at various industry marketing forums/events. David earned his Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia. 

Adam Stern joined NewRez in May 2016. Originally leading the Enterprise Execution team, Adam was promoted to CIO in October 2018. He previously worked as Senior Vice President, Analytics for Prospect Mortgage where he implemented a new LOS, led a rapid application development group and focused on delivering business insights through data science and reporting. Enthusiastic about technology inside and outside of the office, Adam brings a passion to solving problems and improving the business through digital solutions. Mr. Stern is a Cum Laude graduate of Arizona State University with a B.A. in Journalism and was selected to the 2018 National Mortgage Professional Magazine list of “40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40."

Phil Italiano joined NewRez in May 2013 as our Associate General Counsel, and was promoted to General Counsel. Mr. Italiano’s experience in private practice at the firms of Blank Rome LLP and Dilworth Paxson LLP includes the representation of mortgage lenders and servicers in regulatory compliance matters, the representation of commercial lenders in commercial finance transactions, and the representation of middle-market companies in a broad array of business matters. He has also served as a Judicial Law Clerk in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. Mr. Italiano holds a B.A. in History from the University of Richmond (2004), and a J.D. from the Rutgers School of Law in Camden, New Jersey (2007). 

Bob Johnson joined NewRez in March 2012.  Mr. Johnson has worked in the mortgage industry for 20 years, and brings an extensive background in Capital Markets, the Secondary Mortgage Market, Interest Rate Risk Management, and Operational Risk Management. Prior to NewRez, Mr. Johnson co-founded First Light Capital, LLC where he worked for four years as Managing Partner of a real estate fund. Mr. Johnson also held positions at American Home Mortgage over the course of seven years, including EVP Capital Markets and VP Hedging, Trading, Sales. He started his mortgage career at ComNet Mortgage Services, working his way up to VP Secondary Marketing over his seven-year tenure there. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Richmond (1994) with a B.A., Economics and Communications.

Carl Lutz was a key member of the founding senior executive teams of both NewRez and Wilmington Finance. He is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer of NewRez Community Lending. Previously he served as the SVP, Chief Operating Officer at Wilmington Finance, AVP Underwriting Manager at ContiMortgage Corporation, and Branch President at DecisionOne Mortgage. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester (1987).

Jennifer Smith joined NewRez in November 2010 and serves as the Vice President, Corporate Communications. Her responsibilities include internal company communications to our employee population and the overall presentation of NewRez to external audiences, including public relations. Ms. Smith has over 20 years of experience in communications and corporate strategy; prior employers include Wilmington Finance, ContiMortgage Corporation, and Arthur Andersen (Business Consulting Division). Ms. Smith is a summa cum laude graduate of Villanova University with a B.S. in Economics.