Equator has announced the addition of two senior executives, Anna James as vice president of marketing and Chuck Harkins as director of operations. The addition of these two executives is part of the company’s plan to further serve its client base and the marketplace; grow market share among lenders, servicers and real estate agents; and further solidify its position as industry’s leading default servicing technology provider.
James, who brings more than 15 years of marketing experience to her post, will lead the company’s marketing efforts, building on Equator’s eight years of success as a preferred provider of default servicing solutions to the industry’s leading lenders and servicers. Prior to joining Equator, James was an independent marketing consultant, whose clients include both global retailing and consumer apparel brands. In her multiple executive positions with Windermere Services Company, a real estate franchising company supporting over 300 franchises, 5,000 real estate agents, she grew the print and online direct mail program to $1.2 million in sales per year, and helped make it the most visited independent website in the real estate industry at that time. Her career includes positions with Tamarac Inc., Amazon.com, and Zip2 Corporation.
New Director of Operations Harkins will be responsible for managing Equator’s growth from an operational perspective and ensuring that the company’s policies, procedures, and processes are consistent with the expectations of its clients. Harkins brings 18 years of experience in the mortgage and real estate industries to his post. He was previously executive vice president and chief risk officer at Occasio Rescap, a California-based real estate investment firm that specializes in distressed residential assets in California and Arizona. At Occasio Rescap, he oversaw and implemented initiatives such as a comprehensive pricing model for valuing distressed assets, investor reporting, and policies and procedures for the acquisition, due diligence, and settlement of trades. Harkins has held several executive positions in lending operations and capital markets with Option One Mortgage Corporation in Irvine, Calif., where he was responsible for credit policy, valuation, product development, risk-based pricing and performance analytics.
“From government modification and refinance programs to shadow inventory, the servicing segment is facing challenges it couldn’t have imagined five years ago,” said Chris Saitta, chief executive officer of Equator. “Equator’s end-to-end default management platform arms companies with the capabilities to face those challenges head on. There is a great opportunity for us here and we are confident that Anna and Chuck will play a big role in helping us further our growth and expansion.”
