MBA Promotes 3 To New Leadership Positions

Three veteran employees of the Mortgage Bankers Association have been named to new positions at the industry trade group.

Heather Messam has been promoted to vice president and controller. In her elevated role, Messam will manage the accounting and financial operations of MBA and its subsidiaries.

Justin Wiseman has been promoted to vice president, managing regulatory counsel. In his elevated role, Wiseman will lead MBA’s Regulatory Policy team and oversee the association’s work on legal issues and trends, agency rulemakings, and regulatory compliance.

Joel Kan has been promoted to vice president, deputy chief economist. In this role, Kan will be responsible for leading MBA’s economic and mortgage market forecasting and will continue his responsibilities of analyzing key data trends in the real estate finance industry.

MBA said Messam’s increased responsibilities will include establishing and managing the accounting and financial operations of MBA and its five subsidiaries in a manner that ensures accurate, timely, and reliable financial information for all internal and external users, reflecting MBA’s financial position in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Messam will also prepare briefing materials for MBA’s Audit and Investment Committees and its Board of Directors and will serve as Treasurer for the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO). 

Since joining MBA in 2001, Messam has served in various ascending roles, most recently as Associate Vice President and Controller. Prior to MBA, she was an accountant at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Wiseman has served in various ascending roles since joining MBA in 2012, first as associate regulatory counsel and director of loan administration policy before being promoted in 2017 to associate vice president, managing regulatory counsel. Wiseman oversees the association’s legal and regulatory issues for loan production, servicing, pending rules and legislation, and leads the amicus brief program.    

Before joining the MBA, Wiseman clerked for the federal District Court in the Middle District of Tennessee and worked with the Center for Strategic and International Studies on European and Transatlantic security issues.

In his new role, Kan will continue to lead all of MBA's macroeconomic and housing market forecasts and oversee the production of MBA's industry surveys, including the Weekly Applications Survey, Builder Application Survey, and the Mortgage Credit Availability Index. Kan presents regularly on the economy and housing market at MBA and industry events, and is interviewed and quoted frequently in national, local, and industry media outlets including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Axios, HousingWire, and National Mortgage News.

Kan has held various ascending roles since joining MBA, starting as a survey specialist in 2006 to most recently in 2015, when he was promoted to associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting.