In 2014, SWBC, which has been providing insurance, mortgage and investment services to financial institutions for four decades, acquired Equi-Trax Asset Solutions and Quality Valuation Service and combined the expertise of those companies with its own LendingXpress platform, creating SWBC Lending Solutions. The new company is designed to meet all the settlement service needs involved in originations and default management.
“SWBC saw a market opportunity to build out a vendor services company given the CFPB vendor oversight directives and consolidation in the industry,” said Ted Robinson, CEO of SWBC Lending Solutions.
Guided by its unswerving commitment to compliance, SWBC set about hiring some of the best talent in the compliance field, including Chuck Mureddu, who had been managing partner with QVS. Mureddu, who has more than 30 years of experience in mortgage lending, including appraisal management, enterprise risk, loss mitigation and whole loan exit strategies, joined SWBC as senior vice president and chief valuations officer.
Mureddu’s deep background in valuations was crucial to the company’s compliance efforts, which include seminars for many of its customers centered on valuations. In addition, the company continually monitors all federal and state regulatory changes and its partners’ compliance activities to ensure that their products are also compliant.
“Highly seasoned appraisal and financial industry executives who are passionate about delivering high quality valuation products and services manage SWBC LS,” Mureddu said. ”Our valuation group was founded on the principles of quality, transparency, and integrity.“
Those qualities were recently recognized by Morningstar Credit Ratings, which ranked SWBC LS in August.
“SWBC Lending Solutions’ organization benefits from a comprehensive quality control- and performance-driven culture arising from a solid training regimen, comprehensive and client-specific policies and procedures, internal performance monitoring and reporting, and proactive vendor-management protocols,” Morningstar noted in its ranking.
The ranking distinguishes SWBC LS from other valuation providers and also benefits its clients.
“The Morningstar rating is very important to our clients who securitize pools of loans that are sold, as these pools often carry a Morningstar rating as well,” said Guy Taylor, president of SWBC LS. “The buyers of those pools can rest assured that the underlying securities’ valuations are accurate to reflect the pricing of the pool.”
Not content with its present success, SWBC Lending Solutions continues to discover new opportunities to serve the mortgage industry.
“We will look for ways to grow our business both organically and through acquisitions — and at the same time improve our operational procedures,” Taylor said.
Edward “Ted” Robinson, CEO
Edward “Ted” Robinson is the founder and CEO of SWBC Lending Solutions. Robinson’s duties at SWBC Lending Solutions include providing overall strategic direction, partnership identification and structure as well as all aspects of customer sales. Prior to founding SWBC Lending Solutions, Robinson was the chief marketing and sales officer for SharperLending. In addition, Robinson has held executive positions in publicly traded telecommunications and technology companies.
Guy Taylor, President
Guy Taylor, president of SWBC Lending Solutions, most recently served as CEO and founder for Equi-Trax Asset Solutions LP. Equi-Trax Asset Solutions was founded in 2008 and was acquired by SWBC Lending Solutions in 2014.
Taylor has worked actively in the mortgage banking industry for 30 years and has served as a senior executive with various organizations, including Aurora Loan Services, a Lehman Brothers Company, Bank of America and NationsBank. He previously served two terms on the board of directors for the California Mortgage Bankers Association and is a founding organizer of American Riviera Bank.
Chuck Mureddu, SVP/Chief Valuation Officer
Chuck Mureddu has more than 30 years of combined mortgage lending experience, including appraisal management, institutional risk, loss mitigation, and whole loan exit and securitization strategies. Most recently, Mureddu was the managing partner of Quality Valuation Services, now part of SWBC.
Prior to QVS, he held senior-level positions as director of valuation risk and chief appraiser for Net Bank, Resource Bancshares, Bfirst Residential and Fleet Mortgage Company. Mureddu also owned and operated Alden Appraisal Group Inc. in Newport, Rhode Island.
Mureddu is a Practicing Affiliate of the Appraisal Institute and is a certified general appraiser in four states. He has been qualified as an expert witness for U.S. District and U.S. Bankruptcy Courts and served as a subject matter expert for the appraisal qualifications board.
