President of Lennar Mortgage, Laura Escobar, was sworn in yesterday, as were several new board members
Laura Escobar, President of Lennar Mortgage, was sworn in yesterday as 2025 Chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) during the association’s 2024 Annual Convention & Expo. A 37-year industry veteran, Escobar has held leadership positions with bank-owned and independent mortgage companies, where she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking.
M&T Realty Capital Corporation (RCC) Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer, and Chief Operations Officer Christine Chandler, and Success Mortgage Partners, Inc., (SMP) Chief Executive Officer Owen Lee were also sworn in yesterday as Chair-Elect and Vice Chair, respectively.
Since 2018, Escobar has served as president of Lennar Mortgage, subsidiary of Lennar Corporation, leading a team of more than 1,100 associates in 54 locations across 26 states. She initially joined the company as a branch manager in 2002 before being promoted to senior vice president and manager of the Eastern U.S. region in 2004.
In 2016, Escobar became executive vice president, overseeing operations and production of the company's Builder Division.
Currently, Escobar serves on several advisory boards and committees, such as the MBA’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors and its MORPAC Steering Committee, as well as the TransUnion Mortgage Advisory Board, Fannie Mae AHAC, Ellie Mae Executive Advisory Board, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) Visionary Ambassador, and at the United Way’s chapter – Women United.
"Representing the real estate finance industry as MBA Chair is truly one of the greatest honors of my career," said Escobar. "With Christine Chandler’s and Owen Lee’s leadership and support, I am confident that we will make meaningful progress in addressing the many challenges and opportunities facing our industry.”
Additionally, Escobar’s philanthropic work includes supporting the Habitat for Humanity and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She is a supporter of mPower and MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach, the largest networking organization for women in real estate finance. She’s also a licensed mental health counselor who devotes much of her time working with underprivileged women.
In her prepared remarks, delivered at the MBA's 2024 Annual Convention and Expo, Escobar said, "As chair, I’m going to be focused on three main priorities. Housing supply, affordability and education. In my mind, housing supply and affordability are two of the biggest issues facing Americans today, and for our industry, education is critical."
Chandler has been a loyal employee of M&T since 1991 with more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate finance under her belt. For the past six years, Chandler has been responsible for making credit decisions for M&T RCC multifamily and healthcare transactions underwritten in the Agency and FHA platforms.
Additionally, she managed the company’s operations and its Asset Management Group and Transformation team.
Chandler, a voting member of MBA’s Board of Directors, served as 2023 Chair of MBA’s Commercial Real Estate and Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG), and was appointed to MBA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2022, as well as its Audit Committee in 2021.
Lee and his father, Vincent, co-founded Success Mortgage Partners (SMP) in 2002. Under Lee’s leadership, SMP has licensed in 42 states, has more than 600 employees, and has closed roughly $7.5 million of mortgage loans annually since 2016. Lee is also Managing Member of Title Partners, LLC., a full-service title insurance and escrow services agency.
Currently, Lee serves on the MBA’s Board of Directors, Co-Chair of its Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council, and is currently the 2023-2024 Chairman of MORPAC, MBA’s political action committee, where he has been a successful political fundraiser, helping to advance the association’s top legislative priorities.
Lee is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Mortgage Collaborative’s Technology Fund, a venture capital investment group specializing in the mortgage technology space. He also sits on the Board of Directors of TrAIned, a mortgage technology firm in Pittsburgh.
Lee holds memberships and affiliations with the State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, Lenders One, The Mortgage Collaborative, and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA).
The MBA also swore in its Board of Directors for the 2025 membership year, which consists of 39 voting members and one ex-officio member, MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit, CMB.
“MBA’s members will benefit greatly from the exemplary brain trust of real estate finance leaders that make up this year’s Board of Directors,” said Escobar. “Their vision and experience will guide our strategy and decision-making as we collectively tackle key issues such as taxes and insurance, housing supply and affordability, and other legislative and regulatory opportunities under a new Administration and Congress.”
New Board Members:
Continuing Board Members:
Tech promises efficiency, but adoption, ROI, and borrower satisfaction tell a more complex story
Enjoy access to a free NMLS renewal class when you attend an in-person event.
