NAMB soars through Philly with annual convention: 4,500-plus make annual pilgrimage to City of Brotherly LoveEric C. PeckNAMB, NAMB Annual Convention, Philadelphia, Jim Nabors II, Harry Dinham
Photo caption: The past and present of NAMB leadership were
on hand in Philly as Immediate Past President Jim Nabors II from
Ohio welcomes Harry Dinham from Texas to the role of NAMB
president
There is a lot of work ahead of us. But, I believe NAMBs
future is bright and the work that we do truly helps Americans buy
houses that become their homes.
--NAMB 2006-2007 President Harry Dinham during his acceptance
speech in Philadelphia
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers hosted its 2006
Annual Convention & Exposition in the City of Brotherly Love,
Philadelphia, from June 23-26. Chock full of education, networking
opportunities, and enough cocktail receptions and hors doeuvres to
get you through 2006, NAMBs annual extravaganza offered something
for everyone looking to enhance their business. The association
said hello to its new President Harry Dinham, bid a fond farewell
to the presidential term of Jim Nabors II and celebrated the
infancy of self-management of a roster of mortgage professionals
that currently stands at 27,000-plus nationwide.
Beating the crowds
Education was on tap for those who chose to arrive early for the
event. Thursday featured a number of NAMB-accredited courses for
those looking to meet their respective states education
requirements. As the day turned into night, early-arriving
attendees were bused to the Battleship New Jersey for the First
Magnus Financial Corporation-sponsored Pre-Conference Reception. A
brisk night on the water and picturesque sunset served as an ideal
backdrop to renew old acquaintances and forge new business
partnerships.
Friday was a day of meetings and additional education, as the
day kicked off with the annual NAMB Political Action Committee Golf
Tournament at the nearby Makefield Highlands Golf Course in scenic
Bucks County, Pa. NAMBs 2005-2006 committees gathered for one final
time to discuss their accomplishments over the past year, and a
meeting of the Delegate Council was held to discuss NAMBs
objectives for 2006-2007.
The evening concluded with the Radian Guaranty-sponsored Opening
Reception. Held at the National Constitution Center, attendees
mingled at one of Philadelphias historical treasures. It was then
back to the host hotel, the Loews Philadelphia for the Annual PAC
Auction. This year, attendees were treated to boxing matches among
NAMBs delegates as contestants donned their blow-up gloves and hit
the inflatable ring, while auctioneers J.J. Sims and Todd Williams
took bids on autographed sports, entertainment and political
memorabilia to raise money for the PAC fund.
Day two & up and running
Saturday, June 24, day two of NAMB Soars, began with an
early-morning broker workshop, presented by David Lewis from Ellie
Mae, titled 10 Ways to Generate More Leads. Lewis discussed a
number of simple ways in which to increase business, including a
number of tips for online marketing and how to better leverage your
companys Web site.
The Countrywide-sponsored General Session began with Paul Logan
of the Pennsylvania Association of Mortgage Brokers coming out as
the spitting image of Ben Franklin to share his thoughts on the
host city of Philadelphia. NAMB President-Elect George
Hanzimanolis, also from the Keystone state, emceed the General
Session, and honored the associations Double Platinum Industry
Partners. On hand to accept their honors for their generous support
of NAMB were Brian Robinett of Countrywide, Gary Baraff of First
Magnus Financial Corporation, Greg Schroeder of New Century
Mortgage Corporation and Kim Karr of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
An annual tradition of NAMB is to present a local charity in the
host city of their annual convention with a donation. This year,
Walt Scott Jr. and John Wyno from PAMB presented a check in the
amount of $7,500 to David Miller, chair of the board of
Philabundancea non-profit organization that collects surplus food
from restaurants and caterers for distribution to needy persons in
the Philadelphia region.
Jim Nabors II, NAMB 2005-2006 president, was up next to address
the association one last time as its leader. In his emotional
speech, he shared his passion for the broker industry and
recognized those who assisted him throughout his term as NAMB
president.
I love what we do, remarked Nabors. We make America a better
place every day. Jim noted the accomplishments of the NAMB
Education Committee, chaired by his fellow Ohioan John W. Drake,
and noted the availability of NAMBs online education program. He
also recognized the work of Erick Parker and Jim Pair and their
work in increasing minority homeownership through NAMBs Cultural
Diversity Committee. He thanked Government Affairs Committee Chair
Joe Falk for his tireless work on Capitol Hill on behalf of NAMB,
and recognized NAMB Vice President Marc Savitt and outgoing Board
member Kate Crawfords disaster relief efforts for the
hurricane-ravaged Gulf States areas in the summer/fall of 2005.
A good feeling is helping people buy their first home, said
Nabors. A better feeling is keeping the American dream alive.
Jim then welcomed keynote speaker Bruce Jenner to the stage.
Most know Bruce from his success as a gold medalist at the 1976
Montreal Olympics, but his message of striving for one goal and
accomplishing it left a mark on the many in attendance. A father of
10 children, Bruce urged the crowd to find the champion within, as
he chronicled his long road to Olympic gold and the many failures
that littered his path.
The day continued with NAMBs Industry Partner Presentations, a
time for supporters of the association to detail their offerings
and a time to thank the broker community for its support. Eric
Weinstein from Gold Industry Partner Carteret Mortgage presented
Compliance in the Net Branching Era; Double Platinum Industry
Partner Countrywide presented its Power Seminar; Julie Slack from
NAMB Gold Industry Partner M&T Mortgage Corporation presented
Growing Your Business Using Niche Product Solutions; and James
Cotton from Freddie Mac discussed the benefits of Loan
Prospector.
The afternoon featured additional breakout sessions, covering a
number of the industrys hot topics. Art Ski Swiatkowski from
InterBay Funding dissected the addition of small commercial lending
to a brokers residential portfolio; NAMB Past President Patty
McGill presented Reverse Mortgages: Learn to Help Seniors in Your
Community; accomplished speaker and author Gordon Schlicke
presented the 1st Metropolitan Mortgage-sponsored Lender Contacts
and Broker Liability session; PAMB President-Elect Greg Incardona
delivered his Stop the Insanity of Lead Generation: There are
Dollars in Your Database session; Ken Perry presented the
eye-opening session Protection From Identity Theft and Computer
Hackers; Bill The Coach Sparkman delivered the Right Path
Marketing-sponsored How to Recruit and Retain Top Producing Loan
Originators discussion; Jillayne Schlicke presented Marketing to
Generation X; and Gerry Glavey and NAMBs FHA Committee Chair John
Councilman presented The New FHA session.
A changing of the guard
Sunday morning began with the EquiFirst-sponsored session Selling
and Marketing While Playing Golf. Presented by Richard Brasser and
Allan Avakian from Targeted Golf, the session described the many
ways in which a simple golf outing could double as an effective
business meeting. The duo explained their FROG (Fantastic Return on
Golf) philosophy and how leads can be built during a round of
golf.
The Wells Fargo Home Mortgage-sponsored General Session II
highlighted Sunday mornings festivities, as NAMB recognized many of
its individual award winners for their accomplishments over the
past year. NAMB Government Affairs Chair and Past President Joe
Falk was presented with the Leadership Award for his service to the
association; NAMB nationwide instructor Ruth Faynor was honored
with the Distinguished Industry Service Award for her years of
service to both NAMB and the broker industry; and the three
finalists for the NAMB Broker of the Year Award were announced:
NAMB Secretary Jim Pair, Mississippi Association of Mortgage
Brokers Past President Vickie Graves and NAMB Vice President Marc
Savitt.
The associations outgoing 2005-2006 Board members, Past
President Bob Armbruster, Secretary Kate Crawford, Treasurer Allan
Daniels and Director Jane Estes, were thanked for their
accomplishments, and the new Board was announced and sworn in. Bob
Armbruster read the oath of office to President Harry Dinham,
President-Elect George Hanzimanolis, Vice President Marc Savitt,
Secretary Jim Pair, Treasurer John Porter, Immediate Past President
Jim Nabors II, and Directors Mike DAlonzo, Donald Fader, Penny
Fagan, Ted Grose, Bill Howe, J. Thad McIntyre and Donald Starks,
and the term of Harry Dinham as NAMB president officially
began.
A 39-year veteran of the mortgage industry, Harry Dinham took a
few moments to outline his goals as NAMB president. He wants to
increase association membership from 27,000 to 35,000 over the next
year; keep Joe Falk on as Government Affairs Committee Chair;
expand access to FHA loans; ensure that NAMB has a voice in the
final RESPA ruling set to be released by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development in the near future; and crack down on
abuses that exist with some affiliated business arrangements
(ABAs); continue the work of Bob Armbruster in the financial
literacy arena. Dinham concluded by stressing the need to attain
industry certification through the Certified Mortgage Consultant
(CMC) and Certified Residential Mortgage Specialist (CRMS)
designations and increasing cultural diversity within NAMB.
This is an exciting challenge, said Dinham. NAMB is rapidly
becoming a leading voice in our industry, and this will continue as
we strive to influence policies and practices that help Americans
achieve the dream of homeownership.
Harry then introduced General Session IIs keynote speaker,
retired U.S. Navy Commander Scott Waddle. Commander Waddle rose to
national fame when, in February 2001, he gave the order to surface
his submarine which collided with a Japanese fishing vessel,
killing nine people on board. His presentation, Failure is Not
Final! stressed that even when we have reached our lowest point in
life, we must get up and rebound to make amends and improve our
situation. His message of Get Up, Get Back, Get Down, Get Dirty was
conveyed to the General Session II audience through a series of
still images and a video clip of the tragic submarine accident that
Commander Waddle assumed full responsibility for.
Sunday continued with another series of Industry Partner
Presentations, a second installment that featured NAMB Gold
Industry Partner 1st Metropolitan Mortgages Ryan Steinert
presenting Three Secrets to Working Less and Making More; Gold
Industry Partner Decision One Mortgages Become the Mortgage Lender
for Life with speaker Brian Parsley; Income Opportunities in Small
Commercial Lending, a presentation from Gold Industry Partner
InterBay Funding LLCs Art Ski Swiatkowski; and Building Your
Business in the Changing Economy, a presentation from Dr. Scott
Anderson from NAMB Double Platinum Industry Partner Wells Fargo
Home Mortgage.
Later in the afternoon, the breakouts continued with FairPays
Bobby Johnsons session on bi-weekly payment programs; the New
Century Mortgage-sponsored Becoming an Expert in 60 Daysor Else!
presented by Chip Cummings; and a U.S. Department of Labor and wage
and hour update from Leslie Stout-Tabackman from the law firm of
FortneyScott.
Then it was time for the Fife and Drummers to lead attendees
into the Philadelphia Convention Centers exhibit hall.
Approximately 320 of the industrys top lenders, vendors and
technology providers converged on Philly for this years exposition.
Relaxation stations and food stops were scattered about as
foot-weary attendees stopped off for authentic Philly cheesesteaks
and massages at the relaxation station. Sports celebs of the past
and present were also available for meet and greets, as Argent
Mortgage hosted IRL driver Danica Patrick, Madison Equity
Corporation featured NFL legend William The Refrigerator Perry and
Fifth Third Bank hosted Major League Baseball Hall of Fame catcher
Johnny Bench.
The grand finale: Humor and honors
Monday, June 26 marked the final day of the event, with an
interesting take on the breakout session concept. Sponsored by
IndyMac Bank, the NAMB Jam event featured a game show-type
atmosphere where the crowd was split into four teams and had to
answer questions like the game show Jeopardy. Attendees took
physical challenges, such as a hula hoop challenge and field goal
kicking event, and were awarded spirit coins for their correct
answers. A great time was had by all in this early morning session
as IndyMac incorporated questions and answers about its product
line into the game.
Mondays breakouts spanned a number of industry topics, including
the National City Warehouse Resources-sponsored Warehouse is Your
Competitive Edge, presented by National Citys Joe Dunn; an
Advectis-sponsored panel discussion on technology; the 1st
Metropolitan Mortgage-sponsored Going Multi-State: Real Life
Licensing and Compliance Consideration; Federal Reserve: Everything
You Didnt Know About the Federal Reserve, presented by Herb Taylor,
vice president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve; the
Countrywide-sponsored Selling Smarter, presented by Dave
Bartels.
A good feeling is helping people buy their first home. A
better feeling is keeping the American dream alive.
--NAMB 2005-2006 President Jim Nabors II, during his farewell
address in Philadelphia
The lively Branch Network Smackdown panel discussion, sponsored
by Carteret Mortgage and moderated by NAMB Past President Joe Falk,
featured a no-holds barred discussion on the pros and cons of
branch networking. Eric The Enforcer Weinstein from Carteret
Mortgage and Daniel Knuckles Jacobs from 1st Metropolitan Mortgage
took the vantage points of branch networks competing for the
brokers business, while J.J. Sims from ABC Mortgage represented the
Neanderthal brokers point of view and NAMB Treasurer John Porter
played the part of a correspondent lender. Both branch companies
stressed their quality control and low overhead, while Sims and
Porter countered with their entrepreneurial points of view.
The final day of NAMBs exposition wrapped up Monday afternoon,
as attendees sauntered into the exhibit hall for many of the booth
raffles and a second day of networking. As deals were closed and
new business partnerships were forged, a Jeep Liberty, iPods, PSPs,
a Segway, plasma televisions and travel vouchers were raffled off
around the exhibit hall.
Black ties and evening gowns were the dress code for the NAMB
Soars-concluding, InterBay Funding-sponsored Gala Dinner &
Showcase, and Express Financial Services-sponsored Casino &
Cabaret that closed out NAMBs stay in Philly. The evening began
with the presentation of the Presidents Awards of Merit, bestowed
upon those who assisted and contributed to the presidency of Jim
Nabors II. Honored this year were George Hanzimanolis, John W.
Drake, Erick Parker, D. Ritch Workman and Kate Crawford. Harry
Dinham then took the podium and welcomed to the stage Karl Young,
chief operating officer of NAMBs Affiliate Company of the Year,
First Magnus Financial Corporation, and Walt Scott Jr., past
president of the Pennsylvania Association of Mortgage Brokers, who
was named NAMB Volunteer of the Year for his efforts promoting the
association.
It was then time to honor NAMBs state affiliates. Sponsored by
Freddie Mac, the State Affiliate of the Year honor is bestowed to
three affiliates that have exhibited the most membership growth and
have done the most for their communities. This year, the Maine
Association of Mortgage Brokers won State Affiliate of the Year in
the Red Division (an NAMB state affiliate with 300 members or
less), the Mississippi Association of Mortgage Brokers won the
State Affiliate of the Year in the White Division (301-599
members), and the Oregon Association of Mortgage Professionals was
honored in the Blue Division (600-plus members).
The accolades continued as NAMB Broker of the Year Marc Savitt
took the stage to accept his award and check in the amount of
$5,000 from Fannie Mae. With 20-plus years of mortgage experience,
Savitt has made considerable accomplishments within NAMB and the
mortgage industry. As the former West Virginia Association of
Mortgage Brokers president and a member of both of the Fannie Mae
(W.Va.) Advisory Council and the Fannie Mae (Southeast regional)
Advisory Council, he was instrumental in drafting West Virginias
original mortgage broker licensing law, and participated in the
drafting of two proposals to the West Virginia Legislature.
Marc deserves to be Broker of the Year because of all of his
work for NAMB throughout the years, said NAMB President Harry
Dinham. He will continue to make worthy contributions to our
industry, and we are very proud to recognize him with our highest
honor. The evening wrapped up with the comedic musings of David
Brenner. A veteran of the stage and screen, and native of
Philadelphia, Brenner shared his humor and entertaining look at
life and politics with the Gala Dinner & Showcase crowd and
segued into the evenings final event, the Casino & Cabaret.
Attendees trekked back across the street to the host hotel, the
Loews Philadelphia, for an evening of chance at the Express
Financial Services-sponsored gaming tables.
Lessons learned
Broker feedback has been on the positive side when discussing the
NAMB 2006 Annual Convention. With comments ranging from, It offered
a little something for everyone, to Thanks to NAMB for providing
this one-stop shop of industry knowledge, NAMB continues to top
itself each year.
And, if you were in Philly this year and like myself, purchased
an umbrella due to all the rain, pack it away for next year because
NAMB will take over rainy Seattle in 2007, Thursday-Monday, June
21-25 when NAMB Reigns for its 2007 Annual Convention &
Exposition.
NAMB has a responsibility to lead, not follow.
--NAMB Government Affairs Committee Chair Joe Falk, during the NAMB
Press Conference in Philadelphia
