Former Freddie CFO Lands at First American

Former Freddie Mac (FRE) CFO Anthony “Buddy” Piszel has been named chief financial officer and treasurer at the First American Corp. (FAF), after leaving the ailing GSE in late September amid a management shake-up after the mortgage giant was taken over by its regulator. Piszel’s new responsibilities include overseeing First American’s financial reporting group, capital markets activities and investor relations, the company said in a press statement. Piszel spent a year and a half as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Freddie Mac. His background also includes two years as chief financial officer for Health Net, Inc. and more than a decade in senior financial positions at Prudential Financial, Inc., including senior vice president and corporate controller, chief financial officer of the individual life insurance business and chief financial officer of the asset management and retirement business. During his tenure at Prudential, he also played a leading role in transforming Prudential from a private company to a public, SEC-registered company. Piszel’s extensive background also includes serving as an audit partner with Deloitte & Touche and two years as a practice fellow with the Financial Accounting Standards Board. “The experience and insight Buddy brings to First American will be invaluable as we continue our efforts to maximize our operational results and effectively manage our capital,” said Parker Kennedy, chairman and CEO at First American. Piszel, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University, also serves on the board of directors of RehabCare Group, Inc. and is chairman of that company’s audit committee. Write to Paul Jackson at [email protected]. Disclosure: The author held no relevant positions when this story was published. Indirect holdings may exist via mutual fund investments. HW reporters and writers follow a strict disclosure policy, the first in the mortgage trade.