Housing Commissioner Picks New Team To Continue 'Streamlining' FHA

WASHINGTON - Housing Commissioner Nicolas P. Retsinas has put a new team in place.

Mr. Retsinas has a new deputy, and he has plucked a new head for the FHA's troubled multifamily division from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's inspector general's office.

He said in a statement that the new team would push forward changes begun earlier in the Clinton administration.

"We have made significant progress over the past two and a half years in streamlining and modernizing FHA," Mr. Retsinas said. "I am reorganizing FHA's leadership team to continue that momentum."

Mr. Retsinas' new deputy is Stephanie Smith, who joined HUD in November 1993 as a special assistant to HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. Ms. Smith has been HUD's point person in its oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and is said to be one of Mr. Retsinas' most trusted advisers.

She drafted the final rule HUD published last week setting affordable housing targets for the two government-sponsored enterprises - the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.

Ms. Smith replaces Jeanne K. Engel, who left HUD for work in international community development.

Ms. Smith's oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been taken over by Conrad Egan, who had been a special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary for multifamily housing.

FHA's multifamily division is now overseen by Christopher Greer, who had been the deputy director for HUD's inspector general. Mr. Greer had been with that office since 1966.

At FHA's multifamily division, he will continue to reengineer the management of FHA's multifamily portfolio and develop new products, according to Mr. Retsinas' statement.

Mr. Greer replaced Helen M. Dunlap, who is now the acting deputy assistant secretary for operations.

In turn, she replaced Philip Salamone, who is now an acting special assistant to Mr. Retsinas and will work on reorganizing FHA's field operations.

Mr. Retsinas also announced that FHA has recently hired Kathryn Rock as FHA comptroller. Ms. Rock was the chief financial officer at one of FHA's private competitors, GE Mortgage Insurance Corp., Raleigh, N.C.

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