California Housing Finance Agency Welcomes Tony Sertich as Its New Executive Director

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tony Sertich is the new Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency after he was appointed to the position by Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday.

Sertich, who most recently served as the Assistant Deputy Director over the Division of State Financial Assistance at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, is no stranger to CalHFA, serving as the Agency’s Financing Risk Manager, Director of Multifamily Programs and Director of Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance between 2005 and 2018.

Following his first stint at CalHFA, Sertich was State Controller Betty Yee’s top housing advisor from 2019 to 2022, a role that included serving as the Controller’s designee on the boards of the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

“Mr. Sertich knows CalHFA and, even more importantly, knows the state’s housing finance ecosystem from nearly every perspective,” said CalHFA Board Chair Jim Cervantes. “With CalHFA and its sister agencies moving into a new era under the umbrella of the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, Mr. Sertich’s experience and expertise will be invaluable.”

Sertich will take over as head of an organization that has a central role in helping the state address its housing policy goals. CalHFA helped 7,000 first-time and first-generation homebuyers in the last fiscal year and financed more than 2,700 affordable housing units with its lending and bond issuance in that same period. The Agency is also administering disaster mortgage relief and supporting housing counseling and recently received the highest credit rating in CalHFA’s 50-year history.

“With CalHFA’s financial strength expanding its ability to adjust to the dynamic housing market, and California’s housing finance system reorganization opening up even more ways to create much-needed housing opportunities, this Agency will be able to shine in the coming years,” Sertich said. “I’m excited to be part of CalHFA’s growth.”

“I look forward to Tony’s leadership as we continue our important work,” added Chief Deputy Director Rebecca Franklin, who has been CalHFA’s top executive for the last 10 months. “With CalHFA celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, Tony is the perfect leader to guide the Agency into the next half century.”

The California Housing Finance Agency was created in 1975 with the goal of helping more Californians find a place to call home. CalHFA has helped more than 233,000 low- and moderate-income homebuyers with $43.5 billion in first mortgages and used $12.8 billion in financing for the construction and preservation of more than 85,000 rental housing units throughout the state. CalHFA is a self-supported state agency that doesn't rely on taxpayer dollars for its operational costs but is currently administering various state and federal resources on behalf of the state through targeted programs. For more information on CalHFA programs, and how we are investing in diverse California communities, visit www.calhfa.ca.gov or call toll free at 877.9.CalHFA (877.922.5432).