The Mortgage Action Alliance (MAA) is a free, voluntary and non-partisan nationwide grassroots lobbying network that is dedicated to strengthening the industry's voice and lobbying power in Washington, D.C. and state capitals across America. The policies and legislation the industry faces impact our day-to-day jobs in tangible ways. We have a right and duty to join that conversation.
By the time you read this, we will have just wrapped up MBA’s 2015 National Advocacy Conference. Hundreds of industry leaders from across the country gathered at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. to learn about the legislative and regulatory issues affecting the industry, and what they could do to influence the policy and directly affects their business.
On Day Two of the Advocacy Conference, attendees put those skills into practice in face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and key policy staff. I look forward to giving you a full report about the National Advocacy Conference in a future update.
We also kicked off our inaugural “Future Leaders” MAA Campaign. The Future Leaders program is an executive leadership development program run by MBA Education that delivers a comprehensive curriculum for selected managers who have shown leadership interests and abilities. Our Future Leaders class was divided into six teams presented with the challenge to gather as many MAA sign ups as possible before their second in-person meeting during the first week of June. The first, second and third place teams will receive points toward their overall grading system, designed and run by MBA Education team, as part of their Future Leaders curriculum and experience.
Getting involved with MAA allows industry professionals to play an active role in how laws and regulations that affect the industry and consumers are created and carried out by lobbying and building relationships with policymakers. It only takes a moment to get started, and you do not have to be a member of MBA to enroll. The larger the group, the louder the voice!
If you would like to run an MAA campaign, please contact Stephanie Graham at (202) 557-2818 or [email protected] to receive an enrollment campaign kit and learn more about how you can engage your colleagues and employees in MBA’s advocacy programs.
Real estate finance industry professionals who wish to join or learn more about MAA can do so at www.mortgageactionalliance.org. If you have any questions regarding MBA’s advocacy programs, please contact MBA’s Associate Director of Political Affairs Annie Gawkowski by phone at (202) 557-2816 or e-mail [email protected].
Fowler Williams is chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Action Alliance. He is also president of Atlanta, Ga.-based Crescent Mortgage. Williams speaks regularly to financial institutions and their respective organizations on compliance, regulatory changes in mortgage lending, and assessing their overall mortgage operations to maximize income, while minimizing the risks associated in today’s mortgage lending environment. He may be reached by phone at (800) 851-0263 or e-mail [email protected].
This article originally appeared in the April 2015 print edition of National Mortgage Professional Magazine.
