Freddie Mac has appointed Heidi Mason as executive vice president and general counsel, the enterprise said this week.
Mason has 25 years of experience in mortgage lending, financial services, consumer protection and securities law, Freddie Mac said. She will assume general counsel responsibilities from executive vice president and chief administrative officer Jerry Weiss, who has served as interim general counsel since March 2021.
Mason will join the company on March 7, while Weiss will continue serving as Freddie Mac’s chief administrative officer.
“Heidi brings deep expertise in areas across the legal spectrum, including in mortgage lending, servicing, credit access, and regulatory matters, among others,” Freddie Mac CEO Michael DeVito said. “I have no doubt she quickly will become a valuable member of Freddie Mac’s executive team.”
DeVito also thanked Weiss for his “invaluable service to the Board of Directors and senior management as interim general counsel, where he led the company through a number of complex legal, regulatory, business, and governance matters.”
Mason joins Freddie Mac from ElevateNext Law, a majority woman-owned law firm, where she served as a partner and provided legal, consulting, and regulatory compliance services to financial services companies across the United States.
Previously, Mason spent 17 years at Wells Fargo, serving as executive vice president and senior deputy general counsel. During her tenure at Wells Fargo, Mason led the legal support for its consumer businesses. She formerly served as head of the corporate legal team, where she oversaw enterprise-wide legal support of corporate governance, employment law, and a host of other areas.
Mason received a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and her juris doctorate from Georgetown Law Center.
Freddie Mac provides mortgage capital to lenders. Since its creation by Congress in 1970, it has made housing more accessible and affordable for homebuyers and renters in communities nationwide.
