Appraisal Management Leader Solidifi Names Mark Critchfield and Tony Laurito Vice Presidents of Business Development

Former Fidelity and United Guaranty VPs join next-generation appraisal management services company to help continue its dramatic growth

CHICAGO, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ - Solidifi U.S., the leading "full-fee" appraisal management services provider, announces that industry veterans Mark Critchfield and Tony Laurito have recently joined the company in the newly created positions of vice president, business development. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Critchfield is responsible for developing new strategic lender relationships as well as working with existing Solidifi clients in the 11 western states. Laurito is based in the New York area and will be working with new and current strategic lender clients as Solidifi continues its impressive growth in the mortgage industry.

Mark Critchfield joins Solidifi from Fidelity National Financial, where he was vice president and regional sales director for the company's entire suite of services, including appraisal, non-traditional property valuations, flood services, title and escrow. Prior, he spent several years with Fidelity National's Service Link/ATM Corporation unit in a key business development role. He has over 15 years of experience in lending, title, settlement services and mortgage insurance, and was the recipient of numerous awards in his various capacities.

Tony Laurito brings over 20 years of mortgage production and executive experience to Solidifi, most recently from an 11-year career with mortgage insurer United Guaranty, where he served as regional vice president of production and managed a sales team covering 14 states on both coasts. Earlier, he held lending and management positions with Bank of New York, First Fidelity Bank and Norwest Financial.

"Tony Laurito and Mark Critchfield join us at a great time," says Griff Straw, president of Solidifi U.S. "We have been experiencing phenomenal growth with our 'full-fee to appraisers' business model thanks to the higher quality valuation services it produces. "We needed additional senior industry professionals with top qualifications to help us continue to grow at this record pace." Straw reports that Solidifi has tripled its business since the beginning of the year and expects volume to double again within the next few months.

"Timing is everything," Laurito agrees. "Solidifi was designed from the ground up with all the quality-focused features that are now becoming mandatory under Dodd-Frank, and more. Lenders partnering with Solidifi to manage their appraisal process don't have to scramble to comply with the new rules, and at the same time they no longer have to sacrifice quality appraisal work when working with an AMC," he notes. "I am very much looking forward to helping clients find an immediate solution for their valuation concerns in the critical appraisal area."

Critchfield observes that the technology platform he found at Solidifi sets a new standard for the appraisal management industry. "Its capabilities are tremendous, with tracking and quality management metrics that give lenders and appraisers information they've never had before," he says. "Not only does it eliminate the cumbersome, people-intensive tasks that consume time, it vastly reduces costs so that we can pay full fees to appraisers and still avoid the consumer price increases that most other AMCs will be trying to sell to customers under Dodd-Frank," Critchfield says. "Solidifi brings a true competitive advantage to our clients."

About Solidifi

Solidifi is a leading provider of property valuation services to the North American financial services industry. Solidifi provides customers with a flexible service platform for procuring collateral valuation from marketplace vendors and appraisers, with complete transparency and data to make "incredibly smart decisions". Named among Mortgage Technology Magazine's "Top 50 Service Providers" for 2010-11, Solidifi currently serves leading global financial institutions and is located in Chicago and Toronto. Additional information about Solidifi is available at www.solidifi.com.

SOURCE Solidifi Inc.