Carmel, Indiana-based financial services provider Merchants Capital appointed Naureen Dhanani as Executive Vice President of Credit and Operations, a newly established role reporting directly to the president and chief executive officer.
Dhanani will oversee Merchants Capital’s Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA credit and closing teams, including the chief appraiser. She will ensure seamless collaboration across Merchants’ platforms and with external stakeholders, manage key agency relationships and resolve credit and production-related challenges alongside borrowers, originators, underwriters and agency counterparts.
Dhanani brings more than a decade of experience in affordable housing finance to Merchants. Most recently, she served as a senior manager at Freddie Mac Multifamily, where she led a high-performing team responsible for more than $6 billion in annual originations, addressing critical affordable housing needs nationwide.
Dhanani’s career is distinguished by her drive to innovate; she designed mission-aligned loan products under FHFA’s Duty to Serve, modernized underwriting processes and expanded impact financing in underserved markets. Her collaborative approach with Optigo® lenders, capital markets teams and housing sponsors has consistently delivered meaningful results. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Innovation, Leadership and Management, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Economics and Humanitarian Affairs from James Madison University.
