FSB

Cenlar Recognized by Fannie Mae as a STAR Performer in Solutions Delivery

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Cenlar FSB was recognized by Fannie Mae as a STAR Performer in the Solutions Delivery category.

Key Points: 
  • Cenlar FSB was recognized by Fannie Mae as a STAR Performer in the Solutions Delivery category.
  • The award is part of Fannie Mae’s Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards™ (STAR™) Program , which recognized 32 mortgage servicers for their competency, capacity, and overall performance.
  • For more than a decade, Fannie Mae's STAR Program has honored high-performing mortgage servicers for their loan volume and portfolio composition, and for demonstrating leading practices to improve the housing industry.
  • Honorees in the Solutions Delivery category were chosen based on their ability to resolve delinquent loans and their effectiveness at managing their collections call center.

Cenlar Appoints Seasoned Leaders to the Corporate Initiatives Group

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 26, 2024

Cenlar FSB, the nation’s leading mortgage loan subservicer, announced today the appointment of Catherine French to Senior Vice President and Head of the company’s Corporate Initiatives Group.

Key Points: 
  • Cenlar FSB, the nation’s leading mortgage loan subservicer, announced today the appointment of Catherine French to Senior Vice President and Head of the company’s Corporate Initiatives Group.
  • As Senior Vice President and Head of the Corporate Initiatives Group, Catherine will spearhead the Strategic Initiatives team, Enterprise Portfolio Management, and Strategic Sourcing and Procurement.
  • As a Senior Vice President in the Strategic Initiatives team, Julie will partner with leaders to improve and enhance operational excellence around homeowner correspondence.
  • As Vice President in the Strategic Initiatives team, Himanshu will partner with leaders to drive initiatives around Cenlar’s client facing data, analytics, and other risk-related activities.

Navalny dies in prison − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, February 17, 2024

It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner.

Key Points: 
  • It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner.
  • Authorities say Navalny, a persistent thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in prison on Feb. 16, 2024.
  • It reflected the heart of a strategy that Navalny developed over more than a decade and that I have written about since 2011.

The movement remains

  • Navalny highlighted the very real opposition to Putin and authoritarian rule that exists in Russia despite attempts to hide it from the world.
  • To achieve these goals, team Navalny – and it is important to remember that while Navalny the man is dead, the movement he sparked remains – repeatedly used elections to make the opposition visible and spark political debate.


Putin inevitably won the election, with the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission commenting that due to irregularities and abuses the winner “was never in doubt.” But nonetheless, Navalny’s efforts meant that a new opposition was in place and ready to take to the streets to fight election fraud.

Getting out of the electoral ‘ghetto’

  • Despite his arrest and conviction on fraud charges in 2013, Navalny ran for mayor of Moscow that year.
  • In the campaign, he innovated electoral politics, recruiting young volunteers who met voters on the streets and in their apartment blocks.
  • Many of the volunteers rejected the idea that they were working for him.
  • They built local organizations that attracted support and found some success in Siberian cities Tomsk and Novosibirsk, despite the endless obstacles the Kremlin placed in their way.

Return from exile

  • Navalny survived Novichok poisoning only because international pressure forced the regime to allow him to be airlifted to Germany for treatment.
  • During his recovery, Navalny used the attack on him to further his political activism and convey the regime’s growing brutality.
  • Navalny’s return to Russia under threat of arrest in February 2021 kicked off the largest street protests – in support of the opposition leader – since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Handing on the baton

  • As one respondent argued: “My civic position began to emerge.
  • They support Ukrainian refugees and war efforts and participate in tracking down children who have been taken to Russia.
  • Before his death, Navalny spoke directly to the generation of activists he inspired: “Listen, I’ve got something very obvious to tell you.


Regina Smyth does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Navalny dies in prison, authorities say − but his blueprint for anti-Putin activism will live on

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner.

Key Points: 
  • It was protest by petition – a tactic that reflects the legacy of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian pro-democracy campaigner.
  • Authorities say Navalny, a persistent thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in prison on Feb. 16, 2024.
  • It reflected the heart of a strategy that Navalny developed over more than a decade and that I have written about since 2011.

The movement remains

  • Navalny highlighted the very real opposition to Putin and authoritarian rule that exists in Russia despite attempts to hide it from the world.
  • To achieve these goals, team Navalny – and it is important to remember that while Navalny the man is dead, the movement he sparked remains – repeatedly used elections to make the opposition visible and spark political debate.


Putin inevitably won the election, with the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission commenting that due to irregularities and abuses the winner “was never in doubt.” But nonetheless, Navalny’s efforts meant that a new opposition was in place and ready to take to the streets to fight election fraud.

Getting out of the electoral ‘ghetto’

  • Despite his arrest and conviction on fraud charges in 2013, Navalny ran for mayor of Moscow that year.
  • In the campaign, he innovated electoral politics, recruiting young volunteers who met voters on the streets and in their apartment blocks.
  • Many of the volunteers rejected the idea that they were working for him.
  • They built local organizations that attracted support and found some success in Siberian cities Tomsk and Novosibirsk, despite the endless obstacles the Kremlin placed in their way.

Return from exile

  • Navalny survived Novichok poisoning only because international pressure forced the regime to allow him to be airlifted to Germany for treatment.
  • During his recovery, Navalny used the attack on him to further his political activism and convey the regime’s growing brutality.
  • Navalny’s return to Russia under threat of arrest in February 2021 kicked off the largest street protests – in support of the opposition leader – since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Handing on the baton

  • As one respondent argued: “My civic position began to emerge.
  • They support Ukrainian refugees and war efforts and participate in tracking down children who have been taken to Russia.
  • Before his death, Navalny spoke directly to the generation of activists he inspired: “Listen, I’ve got something very obvious to tell you.


Regina Smyth does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Ameriprise Financial, Along with its Employees and Advisors, Donated More than $16.5 Million in 2023

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) and its employees and advisors donated more than $16.5 million through corporate grants, individual donations and gift matching in 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) and its employees and advisors donated more than $16.5 million through corporate grants, individual donations and gift matching in 2023.
  • Throughout the year, Ameriprise employees and advisors logged nearly 63,000 volunteer hours supporting causes and organizations that help build strong communities.
  • In addition, the company continued its longstanding partnership with Feeding America, providing more than 124 million meals to people facing hunger.
  • Ameriprise Bank also provided liquidity to the Twin Cities area residential mortgage market with a $10 million investment in a low and moderate-income mortgage-backed security in 2023.

Press release - MEPs condemn continuous Russian efforts to undermine European democracy

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 9, 2024

In a resolution adopted on Thursday with 433 votes in favour, 56 against and 18 abstentions, Parliament expresses its complete outrage and grave concern about the continuous efforts by Russia to undermine European democracy through various forms of interference and disinformation.

Key Points: 
  • In a resolution adopted on Thursday with 433 votes in favour, 56 against and 18 abstentions, Parliament expresses its complete outrage and grave concern about the continuous efforts by Russia to undermine European democracy through various forms of interference and disinformation.
  • At the same time, the resolution also points to other cases of MEPs knowingly serving Russia’s interests including through fake electoral observation missions to Russian occupied territories.
  • The resolution also notes that Russian interference in Catalonia would be part of a broader Russian strategy to promote internal destabilisation and EU disunity.
  • Parliament also calls on the relevant judicial authorities to undertake effective investigations into the connections of MEPs allegedly associated with the Kremlin.

The Eurosystem policy response to developments in retail payments

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Retail payments are undergoing profound changes that are reshaping the European payments landscape.

Key Points: 
  • Retail payments are undergoing profound changes that are reshaping the European payments landscape.
  • The retail payments ecosystem and consumers’ attitudes and preferences are evolving and influencing one another.

Cenlar SVP of Default Operations Ingrid Jaschok to Speak on Panel at MBA Servicing Solutions Conference & Expo

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240206674266/en/
    Cenlar Senior Vice President of Default Operations Ingrid Jaschok to Speak on Panel at MBA Servicing Solutions Conference & Expo (Photo: Business Wire)
    The session will discuss the numerous risks and challenges associated with protecting and preserving our nation’s most prized assets, residential housing, which could impact future homeownership and fulfillment.
  • As SVP of Default Operations, Ingrid oversees all of Cenlar’s business segments within the default servicing portfolio including early and late-stage default.
  • Prior to joining Cenlar, Ingrid was Senior Director and Senior Vice President of Default Servicing at Flagstar Bank.
  • Before Citibank, Ingrid was Executive Vice President of online auction operations at Auction.com where she managed merchandising to transaction servicing processing.

Philip Morris International Received Fourth Consecutive CDP ‘Triple-A’ Rating for Climate, Forest, and Water

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

For the fourth consecutive year, Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) has received a “triple-A” rating from CDP for its disclosures on climate change, forests, and water security—placing PMI among the world’s leading companies in environmental transparency and action.

Key Points: 
  • For the fourth consecutive year, Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) has received a “triple-A” rating from CDP for its disclosures on climate change, forests, and water security—placing PMI among the world’s leading companies in environmental transparency and action.
  • PMI’s efforts to halt deforestation, moving to zero net deforestation in managed forests by 2030, have further been recognized by CDP, which placed the company on its Forests A List for the fourth consecutive year.
  • “External recognition from organizations like CDP encourages us to continue our transformation journey and commitment to sustainability.
  • We are pleased PMI has received CDP’s ‘triple-A’ distinction for the fourth consecutive time,” said Scott Coutts, Senior Vice President of Operations.

Cenlar Promotes Several Senior Leaders and Appoints a Vice President

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Our Promoted Senior Leaders Include:

Key Points: 
  • Our Promoted Senior Leaders Include:
    Owen Amster, to Vice President and Controller.
  • Prior to joining Cenlar, Owen held multiple roles at KPMG, most recently as Senior Manager in the New York Financial Services practice.
  • Nick joined Cenlar in November 2020 as Vice President of Executive Client Management.
  • Prior to coming to Cenlar, Nick held executive level leadership roles at U.S. Bank, most recently as Senior Vice President of Consumer, Small Business and Commercial Default.