In August, the VA told HousingWire that Bell was taking on the role of deputy executive director after serving as executive director of the VA’s Loan Guaranty Service (LGY) since 2022.
Bell, a U.S. Navy veteran, joined LGY after 15 years with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Before that, he managed Bank of America’s VA loan portfolio for seven years and worked at several lenders after starting his mortgage career in college in Tennessee, according to his bio.
“Bell leveraged his industry experience to reduce loan closing timeframes for VA-guaranteed loans and implement modernization of systems. Under Mr. Bell’s tenure, the program excelled, increasing VA’s market share from 1% to 12%,” his bio reads.
At the VA, Bell helped steer the agency’s home loan program through major policy shifts, including a new foreclosure prevention bill to replace post-pandemic relief measures.
Bell was also instrumental in developing the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, which attempted to prevent foreclosure actions against military members who were experiencing financial hardships tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VA did not return HousingWire‘s request for comment in time for publication. A formal obituary has not been released.
