March 2025
NAMB Honors Women Members 4
Meet NAMB’s People 6
Lisa O’Connor, Florida
NAPMW: First for Women 8 by Annette Watkins
A Notable Woman in Finance History 10 by Jilly MacDowell
NAMB’s Regulatory Priorities 12
LRC Agenda Still TBD 14
President’s Letter
JIM NABORS, CMC, CVLS, CREV, CFMP
Dear Members,
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s a good time to look at women of the mortgage industry & their influence on helping people achieve the American Dream of Homeownership.
Whether it be financing, sales or involvement in association management, women have made tremendous strides. That being said, there is still room to improve, and NAMB promotes the goal that each originator deserves to be treated equally & with the respect they’ve earned.
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers is the voice of the mortgage industry, representing the interests of mortgage professionals and homebuyers since 1973.
When I came into the industry it was predominately male, with women facing significant barriers to entry. If it all, they served as processors. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), enacted in 1974 & expanded in 1976, aimed to combat discrimination in lending practices, including gender-based biases. Prior to the ECOA, women were often required to have male co-signers to obtain credit, let alone being able to originate a mortgage loan. I was part of the first training class at Transamerica Financial in Ohio that included women and, in that class, they became the first managers, district managers & even area property managers.
Today, the landscape has shifted considerably. Women now comprise approximately 56% of all mortgage originators, surpassing their male counterparts. But only 32.5% of women own their own mortgage brokerage firms. The journey for women in mortgage origination reflects significant strides toward gender parity yet underscores the need for continued e orts to achieve equality.
IN THIS ISSUE
Plaza Home Mortgage 5
Rocket Pro 7
Arive 9
Social Media Honey 10
Lead Hackers 11
LO Success Builders 11
EPM 13
Direct all inquiries to NM editor & publisher Jilly MacDowell: magazine@namb.org
When you look at NAMB, which has been in existence since 1973, only five of its 43 presidents have been women. Diane Warfield Kelly led the way in 1991. She was quickly followed in 1995 by Patricia K. McGill, who put more emphasis on legislative issues, and in 1997 by Janice Hix, who recognized the need for NAMBPAC. Unfortunately, there was a gap — until Linda McCoy in 2021. She founded the Inspire Women’s Mentoring Group & linked NAMB with the International Mortgage Brokers Federation (IMBF). She was soon followed in 2023 by Valerie Saunders, who now serves as our Chief Executive Strategist and has grown our membership & increased our industry relationships to record numbers.
NAMB has benefited from these women taking the helm of our great association and guiding it in new directions that we hadn’t even begun to think about. But the work is not done. We need to constantly look for opportunities to recognize their talents & promote them into positions where they can continue to lead us to great heights.
March is Women’s History Month & I can’t think of an industry that has benefited from women’s talents more than ours. Women make the American Dream come true every day. For that, America is grateful.
Respectfully, Jim
Cele ates WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
NAMB is grateful for this opportunity to recognize some of our amazing women members.
LAURA BRANDAO
CEO, Lighthouse Advisors
Scottsdale, AZ
NAMB member since 2010
NAMB Expanding Lending Opportunities
Committee member
How does NAMB membership help you? It’s a game-changer for mortgage professionals at every level, providing invaluable advocacy, education & networking opportunities. Being a NAMB member means being part of a powerful, supportive community that fuels your success while ensuring the industry remains strong & independent. Why did you choose mortgage? The mortgage industry chooses us because it’s not just about loans — it’s about changing lives. A home is more than just four walls — it’s security, stability & a foundation for building generational wealth. Empowering people to achieve their dreams fuels me & allows me to create ripples of success that extend far beyond a single transaction. I’ll always be passionate about it.
What motivates you in your current position? At Lighthouse Advisors, we don’t just consult — we light the way. The mortgage industry has given me so much. I’m dedicated to giving back, elevating others & leaving a lasting impact.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Continuing to lift others up — coaching, speaking, writing — to empower the next generation of industry leaders & foster a ripple e ect of success, impact & innovation. More growth. More innovation. More impact.
REBECCA HILL, CVLS
Owner, Toto Processing
Murrieta, CA
NAMB member since 2022
NAMB Membership Committee member
What was your first paying job? Serving at Kountry Kitchen, a local breakfast joint in my small hometown of Ramona, Ca.
Why did you choose mortgage? Mortgage chose me but I love it because it has di erent problems to solve everyday. What motivates you in your current position? Helping single women in the homebuying process.
Describe a work highlight. Closing a reverse mortgage so a homeowner could die peacefully in her home.
If you could have a career doing anything else, what would it be? Teaching & mentoring.
Your healthiest habit? Quiet time every day BEFORE my day starts.
Nonprofit cause you’re passionate about? Spaying & neutering your pets. I support four spay & neuter clinics every year from my business.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Supporting women owned businesses with 10 cats & 5 dogs.
LAURYN DUNN, CVLS
Veteran Mortgage Advisor, Rate, Inc.
San Luis Obispo, CA & Columbus, OH NAMB member since 2023 OAMP board member
Why did you choose mortgage? Time freedom, financial freedom — and I LOVE helping people & the real estate industry.
If you could have a career doing anything else, what would it be? I have thought about this many times, and there is nothing I would rather do with my career. (My husband & I have a small farm, so I suppose I could say that I would be a farmer.)
How does NAMB membership help you? Access to important trainings, certifications & events, and it connects me with other mortgage professionals. The Certified Veteran Lending Class is an opportunity that every LO should take — it provides a wealth of information on all things VA.
What motivates you in your current position? Serving Veterans at a higher level & providing education to overcome industry myths surrounding the VA loan is my passion.
What was your first paying job? I worked at a background investigations company.
What’s your favorite hobby? Spending time with my family & children. Hiking, exploring outdoors & working out.
Favorite business app?
Instagram & Facebook — if you don't have a business presence on social media, are you really a loan o cer?
NM
Meet NAMB’s People
LISA P. O’CONNOR, FLORIDA
Lending
Coordinator, Coastline Federal
Credit Union
NAMB Conference Committee Chair; NAMB member since 2015
How does NAMB membership help you? Networking with other mortgage brokers & lenders, education on programs, products & market updates, legislative updates, and ultimately increasing our business!
What motivates you in your current position? I love helping people! Whether it is help on purchase transactions, the satisfaction of getting people into a new home is the best feeling! Or helping families strategize on how to best financially reach their goals for lower rates, lower payments or consolidating debt. Whenever you can assist someone to better their life, they're happy & that makes me happy!
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
generous individuals with their time, knowledge & experiences. Always anxious to see others succeed & willing to share any information, processes/procedures or best practices that made them successful. They’re not just mentors but friends for life.
What was your first paying job? Lion Country Safari – I was an amusement park ride operator & mechanic.
What else could NAMB o er its members? Continue to provide education in all areas of the country, on all levels of experience & programs.
Why did you choose mortgage? I was hired into the business as a receptionist in 1986, moved up to mortgage loan processor & closer, became a wholesale AE for over 20 years, now a retail LO & processor.
Describe a work highlight. Qualifying for Leader's Club with Chase Wholesale for 7 years in a row! This recognition represents the top 15 percent of producers for the nation.
Describe your professional mentor. I have been fortunate enough to have more than one over the years. All of them have been
What’s your favorite hobby? For over 15 years, I was a Dirt Track Stock Car Driver! Though recently retired from it, I still love the sport & hope to promote my grandchildren in taking up where I left o !
Your healthiest habit? Drinking lots of water & staying active (love walking with my neighbors in the evenings).
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Still supporting the mortgage industry but in a semi-retired position. NM
First for Women
BY ANNETTE WATKINS
On February 12, 1964, nine women with 161 combined years of experience in mortgage banking met in Seattle, Washington to consider the need for an organization to promote women in the mortgage lending professions.
On April 22, 1964, the first association, to be known as the Seattle Association of Professional Mortgage Women, was o cially formed. Soon, other areas began to show interest in a similar organization.
In February of 1967, the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women (NAPMW) was chartered, for the purpose of organizing local associations throughout the U.S.
Since women make up the majority of professionals in the mortgage/banking profession, NAPMW’s purpose is to help women advance in business, personal & leadership development.
But NAPMW is not just a women’s organization! By providing the highest quality & most comprehensive education to our members – both men & women – are able to best serve their customers & succeed in their careers. And employers who want excellence
from their employees engage with NAPMW for up-to-date education. Professionals & employers, men & women, have found there is a place for them in NAPMW.
Individuals currently or previously employed in mortgage banking or related fields, as well as individuals interested in and/or seeking education and/or employment in mortgage banking & related fields are eligible for membership. If you want to find a place where education, networking & life-changing results occur, then NAPMW is the place for you. NM
Annette Watkins is the president of NAPMW. Visit napmw.org to learn more
NAMB & NAPMW share a commitment to advancing professionalism, education & advocacy within the mortgage industry. While NAMB primarily represents mortgage brokers & advocates for policies that support independent mortgage professionals, NAPMW focuses on empowering & educating women in the mortgage & finance sectors. Our a liation provides opportunities for collaboration on industry events, networking & educational initiatives, helping both organizations strengthen our impact & support professionals in navigating the evolving mortgage landscape.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
WHY NAPMW?
EDUCATION: Employers who want excellence from their employees engage with NAPMW for up-to-date education, to promote & foster educational opportunities for its members.
LEADERSHIP: NAPMW our purpose is to help advance women in business, personal & leadership development. Adhering to the Code of Ethics: to maintain the highest regard of the profession.
NETWORKING: Bring its members together for the exchange of experiences, ideas & interests in all phases of mortgage banking on the local, regional & national levels.
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS: Resources for free along with discounts for our members that will make an impact with their business & professional growth. Reduced costs at NAPMW meetings, NAPMW events, and NAPMW National Education & Meeting Conference. Building your network of other professionals throughout the mortgage industry and the education that is relevant.
A FEW OF NAMB’S POWERFUL WOMEN MEMBERS: BACK: VALERIE SAUNDERS (FL), LAURYN DUNN (OH), CHRISTINE BECKWITH (MA), LISA O’CONNOR (FL), KEENYA KIND (TX), REBECCA HILL (CA). FRONT: MIRANDA DABNEY (LA), CANDY SIRIROTPIBOON (CA), LINDA McCOY (AL), CATHY LEE (HI), BATHSHEBA FRANCIS (GA), CHRISTA LOPERA (NJ), LAURA BRANDAO (AZ).
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Mickie Siebert
Often referred to as “The First Woman of Finance,” Muriel “Mickie” Siebert (1928-2013) was smart, opinionated & vocal. And since it was the 1960s, Mickie was truly a force to be reckoned with. Time magazine said, “Every door that opened for her was one she kicked down for herself.”
Siebert was born to a Jewish family in Cleveland, Oh. “Being Jewish only highlighted Siebert’s sense of exclusion,” continued Time, “during years in which anti-Semitism was commonplace in the corporate world.”
So, after working in research for numerous institutions, and buying & selling financial analyses, Siebert founded her eponymous firm. She applied for a seat on the NYSE in 1967. Of the first ten investors she asked to sponsor her application, nine refused her.
Still, she persisted. Siebert remained the lone woman alongside 1,365 men for the next decade. She transformed her firm into a discount brokerage house on May 1, 1975, the first day that NYSE members were permitted to negotiate commissions.
Siebert went on to serve as New York’s first female superintendent of banking & then took a run at the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1982 (no dice). She went on to spend much of her fortune funding women in business & promoting financial literacy.
Siebert said, "The men at the top of industry & government should be more willing to risk sharing leadership with women & minority members who are not merely clones of their white male buddies. In
THE CONTENTS PAGE OF THE LATE MICKIE SIEBERT’S 2002 BOOK, “CHANGING THE RULES ADVENTURES OF A WALL STREET MAVERICK” TELLS IT PLAINLY, AS THE AUTHOR USUALLY DID.
these fast-changing times we need the di erent viewpoints & experiences, we need the enlarged talent bank. The real risk lies in continuing to do things the way they've always been done.”
How it rings true, still, today. (See President Jim Nabors’ letter on page 3 for statistics).
Though she didn’t graduate from what is now known as Case Western Reserve University, she went on to hold 17 honorary doctoral degrees. In her 2010 commencement speech at Staten Island’s Wagner College, the 82-year-old Siebert said, “Do not be afraid to go into unchartered territories. Don’t be afraid of rejection. Don’t be afraid of something you tried to do. Just pick yourself up & try it again."
For Mickie Siebert, the secret to making a di erence was to “take stands, take risks, take responsibility – and care deeply about how America's big institutions a ect the lives of individual people.”
Siebert never married nor had children. Though she did not have cats, she left a great deal of her fortune to animal-welfare charities, including $100,000 to her beloved chihuahua, Monster Girl.
— Jilly MacDowell
Driving Change
NAMB believes these regulatory changes will collectively aim to improve market conditions for both consumers & industry stakeholders, enhancing a ordability & expanding access to homeownership. Advocating for these updates supports a healthier, more inclusive housing market.
1. Removal of LLPAs on Investment Properties & Second Homes
WHY IT MATTERS: LLPAs (Loan-Level Price Adjustments) on investment properties & second homes increase borrowing costs, discouraging investment in rental housing & limiting opportunities for buyers to own vacation or secondary properties.
BENEFIT TO INDUSTRY & CONSUMERS: Getting rid of LLPAs would lower costs for buyers, making it easier to purchase & maintain investment properties. This could lead to a larger housing supply, especially in the rental market, which would help tackle a ordability issues & give renters more a ordable options.
2. Increase AMI Threshold to 100% for HomeReady & Home Possible Loans
WHY IT MATTERS: The current 80% AMI (Area Median Income) limit restricts access to favorable terms for moderate-income families who may still struggle with a ordability.
BENEFIT TO INDUSTRY & CONSUMERS: Raising the threshold to 100% AMI expands eligibility for HomeReady & Home Possible programs, allowing more families to access lower down payment requirements & reduced mortgage insurance costs. This adjustment helps close the homeownership gap by o ering more equitable access to a ordable financing.
3. Change GSE Refinancing Rule to 6 Months
WHY IT MATTERS: The 12-month restriction on refinancing limits homeowners’ ability to take advantage of improved market conditions & lower interest rates in a timely manner.
BENEFIT TO INDUSTRY & CONSUMERS: Reducing the waiting period to 6 months provides more flexibility for homeowners to refinance when rates drop, saving money on monthly payments & enhancing financial stability.
4. Address Recent Increases in Credit Report Costs
WHY IT MATTERS: Significant rises in credit report costs add to the financial burden on consumers.
BENEFIT TO INDUSTRY & CONSUMERS: Advocating for fair pricing or increased transparency in credit report fees ensures a ordability & e ciency. Lower costs help maintain a streamlined loan process, reducing barriers for borrowers & allowing lenders to operate more e ectively. NM
Learn more & download a copy at namb.org/advocacy
In past years, we’d use this space to preview NAMB‘s annual legislative & regulatory conference in the coming weeks.If you’ve been following the news, you know that things in D.C. are buzzing. And while a potential government shutdown looms if Congress doesn’t finalize a budget by March 14, that only makes our presence & advocacy more important than ever!
So we are counting down the days until we gather in D.C. the stunning Washington Marriott Capitol Hill: Monday, March 31Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
We are full steam ahead & preparing for an impactful event. Congress will be in town – even in a shutdown, lawmakers stay put, meaning this is a prime opportunity to engage them!
We’re adapting for maximum impact – if Capitol Hill o ces are closed on Wednesday, we’re planning to bring more legislators & agency leaders directly to us for continued discussions.
Why you should be there:
• Advocate for our industry at a crucial moment
• Build relationships with lawmakers & key decision-makers
• Amplify NAMB’s collective voice & shape policies that matter
We’ll keep you posted as the situation unfolds, but one thing is for sure — this is your chance to make a real impact in D.C.!
The Washington Marriott Capitol Hill is o ering a special group rate of $309 per night. Deadline to reserve: Next Friday, March 14. Space is limited!
See you soon in Washington! NM
NAMB members, register for free! The Marriott is o ering a special group rate of $309 per night. Deadline to reserve: Friday, March 14.
Go to namb.org/lrc for all the info & links!
