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What Thanksgiving Means to NMP
For me, I, like everyone else, am thankful that I have a wonderful family, great friends and a team of wordsmiths, designers and business development experts that help us deliver a product that just keeps growing (much like my waistline on Thanksgiving!). I also want to take the time to give thanks to our readers for helping us create this magazine each month by letting us know what they want to see in an industry publication.
I also need to give thanks to our thoughtful and inspiring monthly contributors. Folks like Dave Hershman, with his monthly update on the secondary market, or Charlie W. Elliott Jr. who provides his insights from the frontlines of the valuation business. How about industry leaders like Gibran Nicholas of the CMPS Institute who attended “The Future of Housing Finance” conference, hosted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve, on behalf of National Mortgage Professional Magazine. Gibran learned the sobering fact that this was nothing more than a photo-op. He does continue on with a pretty motivating message for our readers.
We also cannot forget one of the top reverse mortgage authorities in the nation, Atare E. Agbamu, who, this month, brings us the third installment of his FIT for Reverse Mortgage Lenders series. I am also really thankful for one of my longtime favorite trainers in the industry, Paul Donohue. We enjoy sharing his insights on the SAFE Act and industry training grace the pages of our publication each month. This month, Paul covers the controversial credit reports that mortgage loan originators are subject to. And how can I forget our “FHA Insider” Jeff Mifsud? Our readers are very thankful for the insights on FHA that he has shared with us over the years, and this month, he covers CLTV changes and UFMIP refunds. How about David Lykken's view from the C-Suite? I am honored to have the top mortgage banking consultant share monthly his insights on what he sees with mortgage industry CEOs, CIOs, CSOs, COOs and other C-Level executives.
Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to mention Tommy A. Duncan. Tommy has been writing his “Ask Tommy: Your QC Expert” column since we launched the magazine. He has provided some great insights on loan quality as he sees it, looking at the data from all sources of origination, from credit unions, to community banks, to TPOs, to big banks and everything in between. I thank him for his great articles and also his service to our country. While you might know him as executive vice president of Quality Mortgage Services, many don't know he is also an active duty lieutenant colonel commanding a battalion with 30 years of service and has earned multiple campaign badges.
NAMB/WEST
Our partnership with the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) as their official magazine has brought us some great insights from the frontlines. This month, we feature a message from Mike Anderson, NAMB Government Affairs Committee Chair, talking about the need to band together to fight the predators preying upon mortgage originators. Make sure you are at NAMB/WEST in Las Vegas to learn how to protect yourself from these attacks. In addition,, it will be a great event to learn how to build your business in 2011 with some of the industry’s brightest minds, including Greg Frost, Frank Garay and Brian Stevens from Think Big Work Small, and other industry leaders.
Our 40 Mortgage Professionals of the Month
Last year, the list was comprised mostly of originators. However, this year, we were more open to suggestions from individuals involved with mortgage technology, the secondary market and the servicing sector. While my roots are personally in the origination side of the business, I recognize that those individuals who bring technology, help with automation, provide access to products and give originators the ability to be competitive on pricing impact a larger pool of mortgages (literally and figuratively). So, the idea is to still highlight the originators out there who are crushing it (hat tip to Gary Vaynerchuk) and to also shine the spotlight on some of the individuals who empower these MLOs to help America with their real estate financing.
Positive vibes at this year's MBA Convention
This month's Trusted Mortgage Professional column from Greg Schroder has some positive comments on the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and its recent Annual Convention in Atlanta speculating that wholesale market is making a strong comeback. Mark Green of Top of Mind Networks attended the MBA Annual Convention to create video content for the upcoming launch of MortgageProfessional.TV. You will be able to see his footage in January 2011 on MortgageProfessional.TV. As Mark put it, "Suffice it to say, all in attendance agreed that 2011 is going to be another chaotic year in the mortgage business—and that the only thing that will stay the same is lots of change.”
Growth strategies
As you prepare your goals for 2011, be sure to check out our Special Focus on Growth Strategies for 2011. The section starts off with David Lykken sharing some of his insights from his panel discussion at the MBA Annual Conference. Following David, Marve Stockert provides a number of planning tips for 2011. Then, you can grab five strategies from Josephine Nicholas that will be sure to help you grow in 2011. Joshua Shein shares some business models to look at to see what is right for you and your organization, and this month’s focus wraps up with a piece from direct mail expert, Joy Gendusa, on three strategies to grow your business in the new year.
