Lenders bring in veteran executives to strengthen performance and build out national retail operations
Two mortgage firms are bolstering their leadership benches with new senior vice presidents focused on optimizing production and expanding retail operations.
Tim Whittier (pictured left) has joined SWBC Mortgage Corporation as senior vice president of production optimization, while Jeff Hutchinson (pictured right) has been named senior vice president of retail production at AnnieMac Home Mortgage. Both roles center on improving performance across loan production channels and expanding operational capacity.
Whittier brings over 30 years of mortgage experience, beginning in 1992 as a loan officer. He has since held roles including regional manager and president of an independent mortgage bank ranked among the top 50 nationally. He also previously served as president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Metropolitan Washington (MBA/MW).
At SWBC, Whittier’s new role includes working with marketing, training, and sales departments to implement strategic plans focused on production performance, loan officer development, and long-term growth alignment. His responsibilities involve optimizing sales execution, improving partnership strategies, and advancing product knowledge across teams.
“Tim brings a unique blend of operational insight and motivational leadership that will be instrumental in elevating our teams,” SWBC Mortgage CEO Susan Stewart said in a media release. “His innovative coaching techniques and extensive industry knowledge will be key in helping grow our region and drive long-term success.”
Momentum Group
AnnieMac Home Mortgage has hired Jeff Hutchinson to lead retail production and announced the official co-founding of Momentum Group, a national retail growth division created by Hutchinson, Ian Aubourg, and Rick Dionne.
Hutchinson has more than two decades of mortgage industry experience and is the founder of Hutchinson Mortgage Recruiting (HMR), a mortgage recruiting firms. HMR will continue to operate independently, though Hutchinson is now shifting his primary focus to AnnieMac and Momentum Group’s national buildout.
Momentum Group launched quietly in 2024 and has since grown to nearly 100 members. The group is projecting more than $600 million in loan volume for 2025. It is structured as a national retail unit focused on scalable production growth and operational efficiency, the company said.
“Partnering with Jeff has been a long time in the making,” said Momentum Group cofounder Ian Aubourg. “We’ve shared a vision for years about how mortgage should be done—efficiently, ethically, and with a deep respect for the people in the trenches. AnnieMac gives us the foundation to execute on that vision.”
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