FHFA Announces Senior Staff Changes
On December 11, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released an update titled FHFA Announces Senior Staff Changes; DeLeo Named Deputy Director Division of Conservatorship.
FHFA Announces Senior Staff Changes; DeLeo Named Deputy Director Division of Conservatorship
Washington, DC – Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Acting Director Edward J.
DeMarco today announced that Jeffrey Spohn, FHFA’s Deputy Director of the Office of
Conservatorship Operations, will retire next month. Due to Mr. Spohn’s departure,
FHFA will be combining two offices managing conservatorship-related matters into a
new Division of Conservatorship to be led by Wanda DeLeo, currently serving as
Deputy Director in the Office of Strategic Initiatives.
Spohn has led FHFA’s Office of Conservatorship Operations since its creation in
September 2008. In that capacity, he worked with executives at FHFA, Freddie
Mac and Fannie Mae as well as their boards of directors on all matters relating to the
conservatorships, including the management of business settlements on
pre-conservatorship matters such as representations and warranties. Prior to that,
Spohn was an Examiner-in-Charge at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise
Oversight (OFHEO) and spent more than 25 years with the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency, serving as a National Bank Examiner.
“Jeff’s unique contributions to the stability achieved with the two conservatorships
cannot be overstated,” said Acting Director DeMarco. “He has personally and
substantially contributed to billions of dollars of recoveries on behalf of taxpayers at
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and he has earned widespread respect for his strong
communication and problem-solving skills during these five-plus years of
conservatorship. He had previously deferred his retirement plans to help resolve
legacy business issues and every taxpayer in the country should be grateful for his
efforts on their behalf.”
Ms. DeLeo served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives, an office
created in 2012, to prepare a foundation for the future of housing finance by
overseeing implementation of FHFA’s “Strategic Plan for Enterprise Conservatorships.”
In that capacity, Ms. DeLeo has overseen the development of the Common
Securitization Platform, periodic progress reports, and annual conservatorship
scorecards. DeLeo has been with FHFA since its creation and with OFHEO since 2002.
In this new role, DeLeo will serve as FHFA’s central point of contact for all matters
related the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
“Combining OCO and OSI into a new division will enhance the already existing
coordination between these two offices,” said DeMarco. “I am pleased to have an
executive with Wanda’s experience to manage this new division and am grateful to her
for her willingness to take on this added responsibility.”
###
The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 12
Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more
than $5.5 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions.
Please click here to view the online release.
About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and based in Valley View, Ohio, the company inspects and maintains defaulted and foreclosed properties for mortgage servicers, lenders, and other financial institutions. Safeguard employs approximately 1,700 people, in addition to a network of thousands of contractors nationally. Website: www.safeguardproperties.com.
