Two Outs, Man on Second Base: NAMB President-Elect A.W. Pickel Takes His Practice SwingsMichael SimonNAMB, A.W. Pickel, HUD, Mel Martinez, Armand Cosenza Jr.
If the National Association of
Mortgage Brokers were a baseball team, they would currently be
facing relief pitcher U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Mel Martinez on the mound, AARP at shortstop,
and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
(ACORN) in left field. That being said, NAMB President-Elect A.W.
Pickel has the unique distinction of being on deck while one of the
greatest battles in association history plays itself out, and like
a critical World Series at-bat, his performance will depend both on
his own ability and the batters before him, namely President Armand
Cosenza Jr.
I feel like Armand has kept me very much in the loop and has
done a phenomenal job in his tenure as President. Im counting on
him solving all the problems for me. Though tongue-in-cheek, A.W.
is relatively confident that a finalized version of the
problemsHUDs Proposed Rule, for those who arent keeping scorewill
be published by spring. But if it is not, that only tells me that I
have that much better of a shot in my term to communicate with HUD
to make the Rule meaningful to both our industry and the public.
And, as if Armand were to hit a ground-rule double, Pickel will do
whatever it takes to bring him home, with the help of the NAMB
Board of Directors. We are operating off of a game plan, and the
entire Board is actively involved and actively against this Rule.
We wouldnt allow the burden to be carried on one persons shoulders.
That would be a bit presumptuous of us.
Thus far, the fight has certainly been a team effort. I think
that the efforts of the Mortgage Broker to take time out of their
day, to write letters, give money and basically just be involved
with the grassroots efforts are commendableI couldnt be more proud
to be in an association like this.
Its that very pride which will carry A.W. through the next 15
months, past HUDs wild pitches and well into the extra innings. I
think we need to expand our membership to those brokers who are not
currently members, but are still reaping the benefits of our hard
work. These non-dues-paying members, as Pickel calls them, are
peppering the crowd and, while criticizing every bad play that NAMB
makes, offer little else in the way of support. I think what we
need are fair laws that do not prohibit business, but rather
encourage responsible lending. It may be Alan Greenspan who lowered
the rate, but it was Allen Schmidt of Wichita, Kansas who wrote the
loan. Im willing to bet that there are hundreds, if not thousands
of other responsible Mortgage Brokers who are keeping our economy
going. At this critical juncture of the game, NAMB couldnt hope for
a better man to be stepping up to the plate. I believe in the
Mortgage Broker, I believe they are the best option for the public,
and therefore Im more than happy to serve my time.
With their backs against the walls, A.W. Pickel is confident
that NAMB will pull out that clutch hit that will put them ahead on
the scoreboard for good. We will not go down easy, and frankly, I
dont think were going down at all.
