Mr. Cooper adds to its executive ranks

Mr. Cooper Group named former Wells Fargo Home Lending executive Ranjit Bhattacharjee and former Piper Sandler analyst Kevin Barker to its leadership team on Tuesday.

Bhattacharjee will officially join Mr. Cooper on May 6 as its executive vice president and chief investment officer. He will be responsible for oversight of capital markets and correspondent lending, reporting directly to chairman and CEO Jay Bray. Barker’s hiring for the role of senior vice president of corporate finance is effective immediately.

“Ranjit’s deep knowledge of capital markets and correspondent lending and Kevin’s extensive understanding of the mortgage industry will undoubtedly bring new ideas and insights to Mr. Cooper,” Bray said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome these two new leaders to our team as we continue to grow and scale our business.”

Bhattacharjee has 20-plus years of experience in mortgage and capital markets. He most recently served as executive vice president and head of capital markets and correspondent lending at Wells Fargo Home Lending. He also previously worked in senior leadership roles at Citi Mortgage and Caliber Home Loans.

“I have long admired Mr. Cooper’s success in the mortgage industry and the company’s impressive growth over the years,” Bhattacharjee said in prepared remarks. “I am thrilled to be joining the executive team in May.”

Barker, meanwhile, joins Mr. Cooper with nearly two decades of experience covering mortgage and consumer finance. He was previously with multinational financial services company Piper Sandler as its managing director and senior equity research analyst. Barker led a team of analysts in the mortgage origination and servicing sectors, among other tasks.

“I am truly excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Mr. Cooper and deeply honored to join such a successful and well-respected team that I have had the privilege to follow for more than 10 years,” Barker said in a statement.

The executive leadership additions were announced a day ahead of Mr. Cooper’s first-quarter 2024 earnings report. The company, which is one of the nation’s largest home loan servicers, earned a profit of $500 million in 2023. It also acquired Home Point Capital and Roosevelt Management Co. while managing the fallout from a cyberattack late last year.