United Wholesale Mortgage has hired Desmond Smith, a former Fannie Max executive, to be its chief growth officer as the wholesale firm attempts to usurp Rocket Mortgage as the nation’s top lender.

Smith comes to UWM after a stint at Fannie Mae as the senior vice president and chief customer officer for single family business. He’s also worked at the FHA, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, and Capital One Home Loans over the course of a 30-year career in mortgage lending.