CampusMBA, the education division of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), has announced that five commercial mortgage banking professionals have been awarded the Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designation at MBA's 20th Annual Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF)/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo in Atlanta. The CMBs who received their designations this year will join a group of more than 1,000 industry professionals who have proven their commitment to excellence within the mortgage banking industry.
"The Commercial CMB demonstrates the highest level of expertise, experience and dedication within the commercial real estate finance field," said Jeffrey Schummer, MBA's VP of education. "As the commercial mortgage finance industry continues to change, it is important that professionals set the bar of excellence for themselves and the industry by working toward the CMB and taking advantage of the other commercial designations CampusMBA has to offer."
The following is the list of designees who were honored:
Commercial CMB designees
►Thomas Bernaciak, CMB, Chief FHA Underwriter, First Housing Development, Tampa, Fla.
►Cristofer Brown, CMB, Commercial Mortgage Asset Manager, Summit Investment Advisors, Lincoln, Neb.
►Thomas Cooley, CMB, Senior Vice President, CB Richard Ellis, Atlanta, Ga.
►Bradley Joyner, CMB, Vice President, Mississippi Home Corporation, Jackson, Miss.
►Jay Pittard, CMB, President, EaseCap Holdings Inc., Green Mountain, N.C.
CMB candidates must amass 150 points earned through a combination of professional experience, secondary education, continuing education through MBA-sponsored events and CampusMBA courses, as well as participation in MBA at the local, state and/or national level. After accumulating the required points and passing a comprehensive written exam, candidates must demonstrate industry knowledge by passing an oral exam conducted by a panel of CMBs.
MBA recently launched its new Executive Certified Mortgage Banker program. Designed for busy professionals, this program allows candidates to substitute their real-world knowledge and experience for many of the educational requirements of the CMB program. Every candidate for an Executive CMB is required to have a minimum of 10 years of experience in real estate finance and hold a senior management position at an MBA member company. Following acceptance into the program, candidates complete a comprehensive six week online prep course guided by existing CMBs. Following completion of the course, candidates must pass a comprehensive written and oral exam.
CMB candidates have the option of choosing among the Commercial CMB, Residential CMB or Master CMB designations. The Master CMB is a combination of both commercial and residential mortgage banking disciplines, while the Residential CMB and Commercial CMB focus on their respective subfields of the mortgage industry. In order to be eligible for the CMB designation, candidates must either work for an MBA member company or be a member of a recognized state MBA.
