After recently locking in founder and Chairman of the Board Anthony Hsieh as its permanent CEO, loanDepot has brought back into the fold two key tech executives who “were instrumental in scaling the company during its first decade of growth.”
Both of these mortgage tech veterans worked with Hsieh to develop loanDepot’s mello platform. The proprietary technology is designed to accelerate loan approvals, reduce paperwork, and enhance customer experience in mortgage lending.
One of the newly hired returning employees is Dominick Marchetti, who will serve as chief digital officer. He’ll lead loanDepot’s overall digital transformation and strategy, according to the company, and is responsible for driving “improved operational outcomes and competitive advantage.”
Marchetti is a serial entrepreneur who founded his first mortgage company in 1996; he was loanDepot’s CTO from 2015 to 2019. Marchetti then joined Rate to help drive product innovation initiatives before launching his own mortgage tech strategy and consulting firm, Mezzo.
“The return of these two brilliant and proven technology trailblazers ... marks a pivotal moment for the company and a return to our roots of innovation.”
—Anthony Hsieh, CEO, loanDepot
“The rapid acceleration of AI is bringing significant changes to our industry, and this is an exciting moment to join a leadership team with the knowledge, longevity, and vision to embrace those opportunities,” Marchetti stated in a release.
Also returning to loanDepot is the company’s new Chief Innovation Officer Sean DeJulia, who began his career in software engineering at Empower, now Dark Matter Technologies, a provider of mortgage loan origination and servicing solutions. During his subsequent tenure of nearly a decade at loanDepot, DeJulia was director of applications architecture and then founded Lodasoft, which works with mortgage lenders to streamline manufacturing workflows, improve operational efficiency, and reduce client cost and risk.
He was also once a mortgage originator himself, which gained him insight into loan origination, processing challenges, and customer experience, loanDepot noted.
In his new role, DeJulia is responsible for driving innovation throughout the loan manufacturing process across all loanDepot’s production channels, “with a strong focus on the top of the funnel.”
“The opportunity to return to loanDepot and apply all that I’ve learned over the course of my career was something I just couldn’t pass up,” DeJulia contended. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work,” he added, stating he’d like to see loanDepot regain market share “”and return to our heritage as a true mortgage innovator.”
‘Unique But Complementary Strengths’
The two new appointments “underscore Hsieh’s commitment to leveraging technology as a growth driver and competitive differentiator” for loanDepot, according to the company. “The return of these two brilliant and proven technology trailblazers — each with their own unique but complementary strengths — marks a pivotal moment for the company and a return to our roots of innovation,” Hsieh stated in the release.
Hsieh noted his work with Marchetti and DeJulia as they built the technology “that defined loanDepot’s early reputation and growth, so I know firsthand what they’re capable of.” Hsieh called the two former executives’ return “a force multiplier that will accelerate our digital transformation in both the near and long term.”
In the coming three months, Marchetti and DeJulia will evaluate the resources needed to develop next-gen tools and capabilities for loanDepot.
Hsieh Permanent CEO Again
loanDepot had been in something of a leadership limbo since early March, when then-CEO Frank Martell announced he was stepping down. Hsieh, who founded the company in 2009 and served as its CEO from 2009 to 2022, filled the gap as interim CEO while the company engaged an executive search firm to identify a permanent one.
loanDepot said at the time that if a permanent CEO was not appointed before Martell’s resignation took effect June 4, 2025, Hsieh would continue as interim CEO until a new CEO was appointed. Martell has since begun a new role as president and CEO of SmartRent, a smart home/ smart building automation company.
As noted, Hsieh has now officially been named loanDepot’s permanent CEO, with the company issuing a release to that effect last week on Monday, July 28.
Capping off its chief executive search, loanDepot pointed out that Hsieh:
- Is a proven mortgage thought leader with a track record of success;
- Will focus on returning the company to profitability, gaining market share, and “leapfrogging the industry with new technical capabilities”;
- Will lead loanDepot’s adoption of artificial intelligence; and
- Intends to add top-tier executive talent to his leadership team.
On that latter point, it appears Hsieh is already making good on the stated intentions.
'Highest Levels' Of Lending
“I am thrilled to return to the helm of the company that I, along with many members of Team loanDepot, built from the ground up,” Hsieh stated. “There’s a unique energy that comes from being a founder ... and above all, my focus is to drive profitable growth and regain the market share that we built in the first 12 years of our company.”
“We will return to competing at the highest levels,” contended Hsieh.
Given the return of Marchetti and DeJulia and some of their comments, the company looks to have its sights set on leveling-up the mello platform. In a new ad on Facebook targeting top-producing loan originators, loanDepot already claims mello “is not just a platform, it’s a mindset” and can help LOs “lead — and win.”
In the ad, the company touts the platform’s:
- Desktop and mobile speed, performance, and functionality;
- Cloud-based infrastructure;
- Integrated video marketing;
- Digitally sourced income and asset info;
- Automated text and email lead follow-up;
- Automated customer journeys;
- On-demand marketing assets; and
- “Real time” analytics.
loanDepot [NYSE:LDI] shares have been trending upward, trading at $1.69 on Monday, July 28 and rising nearly 14% to $1.92 yesterday, Aug. 5, fluctuating somewhat today to $1.86 as of 2:30 p.m. ET.
The company will announce its Q2 2025 financial results tomorrow, Aug. 7, 2025, after market close and will host an earnings call/ webcast at 5 p.m. ET.
