MaxClass, one of the nation’s leading providers of mortgage continuing education, and the Originator Connect Network (OCN) — the nation’s largest producer of mortgage conferences — today launched a new joint venture combining a full-day live NMLS license renewal class with a chance for those students to also make connections for new products and business-building wholesale relationships.
The two organizations are producing a series of six “CE Fests” across the U.S. from August through November — peak continuing education (CE) season. The hybrid events will be located in Phoenix, Ariz.; Newport, R.I.; St. Louis, Mo.; Irvine, Calif.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Dallas, Texas.
The new CE Fest structure allows students to get their education requirements completed and meet with participating vendors — all in one day.
“Where most CE providers are shifting to being primarily focused on online education, at MaxClass we know that students still treasure the opportunity for in-person learning,” said LaDonna Lockard, a longtime CE executive and CEO of MaxClass.
“Of course, we’ve got expansive online options for NMLS licensees,” she continued. “But we can’t stop being creative in finding ways to put students together where they can learn in a supportive environment, surrounded by their peers.”
The Originator Connect Network has been producing national and regional mortgage conferences and tradeshows since 2012. In 2024, OCN signed an agreement for MaxClass to provide continuing education classes at its 25 regional and national mortgage tradeshows.
The new joint venture is different in that OCN shows traditionally feature general sessions and a tradeshow on the first day, and then offer a full-day of continuing education on the second day. In that scenario, students have to take two days out of their origination time to complete their CE requirements.
The new CE Fest structure allows students to get their education requirements completed and meet with participating vendors — all in one day.
“We like this new approach because it also allows us to still offer a robust, live CE class to students with a no-cost option,” said Alison Valvo, president of the Originator Connect Network and its parent company, American Business Media LLC. “Loan originators can get an invite code from our sponsors and exhibitors to enroll in the class for free, making this an even better opportunity for LOs this fall.”
Because the class sizes are also more limited than those of the regular OCN tradeshows, the company is also able to offer vendor companies a discounted fee to participate. “With a market that is still so unsettled, this approach allows us to offer great value to sponsors and students alike,” noted Valvo.
Lockard concurred. “We’ve been across the country and back over the past year, teaching live at OCN shows, and it’s been an incredible experience interacting with thousands of students live,” she said. “We love giving students the convenience of online continuing education, but we also want to show that we’re the leaders in live classroom education for the mortgage industry.”
Utah-based MaxClass (www.maxclass.com) is a leading provider of mortgage continuing education, pre-licensing, and compliance training. It has garnered a 100% 5-star rating on Google Reviews. The Originator Connect Network (www.originatorconnectnetwork.com) is based in Connecticut and produces more than 30 mortgage-related conferences and events annually. It is the largest producer in the U.S. of mortgage shows for originators and lenders.
