What is at the root of NAMB? You … the member. Without members, there wouldn’t be an association. The professional mortgage advisor is critical now more than ever to both the consumer and the marketplace. I’m fortunate and honored to serve as NAMB Membership Committee Chair for 2009-2010. It will be a challenging and rewarding year. As your volunteer membership chair, I welcome your communication, suggestions, and insight into growing, maintaining and developing NAMB membership.
How is NAMB structured?
NAMB began in 1973, over 36 years ago. Just like many professional organizations NAMB has continued to change and evolve with the industry and with the changing times. The NAMB structure is based on an affiliate agreement with each state. The state signs an affiliate agreement with NAMB, and thereby, all members who join in the state must also join NAMB. The state then collects the dues for the national association and forwards them onto NAMB. This structure was put into place Nov. 4, 1990, per Ginny Ferguson, member of the NAMB board of directors. If there is not an affiliate state, then you can join direct with NAMB as a member-at-large.
Prior to 1990, an individual could elect to be members of the state, a member of the national association or a member of both. It was not a requirement to belong to both.
Over the years, it evolved from the separate structure to the one that is now in place. Recently, Jason Bloom, president of the Washington Association of Mortgage Professionals (WAMP), announced that their state is a long-time supporter of NAMB, and is proud to announce that they are, and will continue to, support this structure.
With the constant legislation on both the state and national front, it is now more important than ever that NAMB and the states continue to grow and support each other. NAMB is very well-respected in Washington, D.C. and is constantly testifying on behalf of the mortgage broker industry. The presence of NAMB on Capitol Hill and its national reputation is vital to the industry.
Recently, a change occurred in the state of Florida and a new state association was formed. The Florida association is now headed by Jerry Collyer of U.S. Capital Financial Services in Clearwater, Fla. You can reach him by e-mail at
[email protected]. In Florida, the official state affiliate is the newly-formed Florida Mortgage Professionals Association (FLMPA). If you are not sure of your membership affiliation, e-mail
[email protected] for clarification.
Association involvement
Being involved in your state and national association is essential. Congress and regulatory agencies are aggressively proposing new rules, laws and guidelines. The only national organization representing the mortgage professional and broker is NAMB. Day in and day out, NAMB President Jim Pair and Chief Executive Officer Roy DeLoach monitor, testify and represent your interests on a daily basis. In the very near future, NAMB will offer legislative updates as they happen. NAMB is a very respected and honored organization in D.C.
Your involvement and membership is vital to the industry, now more than ever. Please take the time to become involved in your local, state or national association. In 2009-2010, you’ll see some major changes developing from NAMB’s Communications Committee, Education Committee and Benefits Committee. The new 2009-2010 Membership Committee is fortunate enough to have involvement from professionals throughout the country. Their many skills and talents will be leading NAMB and it’s members into new areas. A big thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time!
New NAMB membership category
NAMB recently approved a new membership category, the NAMB Corporate Membership. The first official Corporate Membership was recruited by Doug Adamczyk, a new member of the Membership Committee. Doug was successful with signing up 400-plus members to NAMB and Virginia for Jacob Dean Mortgage. If your company would like to take advantage of the new Corporate Membership category, e-mail us at
[email protected]. We’ll help you and your state association enroll the entire company. There is strength in numbers at both the state and national level.
On the horizon
These challenging economic times call for new measures. On the horizon is the NAMB Blog. Mark Madsen from Top of Minds and Mark Green of MyFHABlog were instrumental in the design and development of this Blog site for NAMB. Special thanks to both Mark and Mark for their assistance!
Watch for upcoming monthly Webinars. By working with the Communications Committee, you’ll find NAMB on Twitter, Facebook and many of the social networking sites. Also, the Education Committee will be supporting membership with their great programs. At the core of all of this is membership.
Are you sitting on the sidelines? Are you concerned about your future and the future of the industry? Then get involved. With active, professional mortgage advisors, we can make a difference in the industry. Together, we will succeed.
The key is communication. Ask yourself: Is your e-mail address up to date? NAMB communicates with states and members using e-mail on a regular basis, and if your e-mail address has changed, you’ll be missing out on many of the member benefits. Send us your new e-mail address when it changes.
Are you aware of the many benefits of NAMB and your state association? Here are just a few:
► The Lending Integrity Seal of Approval
► News From NAMB
► Professional certification
► Legislative representation
► Publication with timely articles
► NYLX … check it out
► Loan modification program
► NAMB enterprises
► E&O insurance
► Educational and regulatory information from AllRegs
► NAMB’s Web site, www.namb.org
As your new Membership Committee chair, this will be a very challenging and yet rewarding year. I am personally challenging each and every one of you to become a part of the solution … get involved! Thank you to Jessica Savitz for her excellent staff support.
Please share any ideas that you may have on professional growth, development and how to improve NAMB to better serve the mortgage community. E-mail any suggestions or inquiries to
[email protected] or pick up the phone and call me directly at (858) 523-9990, ext. 202. We thank each and every person for their membership and continued support.
Together, let’s make 2009-2010 a success.
Victoria Johnson of San Diego-based Luxury Loans is Membership Committee chair of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. She may be reached by phone at (858) 523-9990, ext. 202.
