Lisa Lund is the owner of Glendale, Ariz.-based Lund Mortgage Team Inc. and current statewide president of the Arizona Association of Mortgage Professionals (AzAMP). She is a second generation mortgage broker–her father, the late Stan Lund, served as president of the organization when it was the Arizona Association of Mortgage Brokers–and her husband, Matt Oliver, serves as the chairman of AzAMP’s Legislative Committee. National Mortgage Professional Magazine spoke with Lund about her work with AzAMP and her state’s housing market.
How and why did you get involved in the profession and with AzAMP?
Lisa Lund: I worked for a family business–my father did this for 30-odd years, and he was an integral part of bringing loan officer licensing to the state of Arizona. When he retired, I felt it was my time to step up and get involved.
Why do you feel members of the mortgage profession in your state should join AzAMP?
As a broker, I feel it is important to get involved in the industry and know what affects business. You should not just sit back, but have a voice.
For our members, the number one benefit is networking. I’ve learned so much from other people in my profession. We hold luncheons and a Lender’s Fair every year, and we also provide education at discounted prices–for loan officers, it is just the price of a book and upload.
What role does AzAMP play in the legislative and regulatory environment?
When we go to Washington, D.C., NAMB has the topics to focus on, but we are there representing the Arizona mortgage profession. We have been fighting for the past couple of years about compensation differences between brokers and bankers, which we feel is not fair because brokers have to double disclose to borrowers.
What do you see as your most significant accomplishments with the association?
Providing education and speakers to our members. The greatest issue facing us now is coming up on Oct. 3 with TRID. In view of this, we’ve had speakers come into talk to our members about this, including a lawyer and a lender.
As the state affiliate for NAMB what do you feel that adds to AzAMP towards the overall agenda for the mortgage profession nationwide?
We get a voice nationally. Being here in Arizona, we can work with our local representatives. But NAMB talks to the CFPB and stays on top of the issues that impact the industry–they represent the industry as a whole. NAMB is trying to grow us so we have a bigger voice in Washington–as brokers, we don’t have that big of a voice.
In your opinion, what can be done to bring more young people into mortgage careers?
That is a good question! We talk about that a lot in our meetings. Honestly, educating young people more on how important it is to get into the mortgage industry. This is a career that they can get into help others.
How would you define the state of housing in your state?
I think the Arizona housing market is great–in fact, it is booming right now. Our purchase volume is up significantly in 2015. More people who didn’t think they could qualify now are hearing stories that their neighbors got into new homes despite having non-stellar credit or had a foreclosure before.
You can still get a good deal on a home in Arizona, and it is cheaper now to buy rather than rent. There are a lot more programs available that help people qualify for homeownership.
Phil Hall is managing editor of National Mortgage Professional Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
