mortgage professional overall quality of loans that I see coming through the system, I have more problems with loans on the retail side than I do from the wholesale side.
Mortgage Revolution to Present MRev New York Oct. 15-17 Grassroots movement to visit Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, N.Y. this October
SEPTEMBER 2010
MISSOURI MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
NationalMortgageProfessional.com
16
Mortgage Revolution, a non-profit, grassroots movement of true mortgage professionals joining forces to influence a positive change in the mortgage industry, has announced that the mortgage industry is undergoing an encouraging renaissance, only 24 months after the sub-prime crisis. To continue this positive momentum, Mortgage Revolution has announced its fourth event, MRev New York, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 15-17, 2010, at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, N.Y. “Mortgage rates have reached historic lows and affordability has reached a record high,” said Brian Larrabee, co-founder of Mortgage Revolution and a 20-year veteran of the industry. “But just as important, high-quality mortgage professionals, who have improved their skills and enhanced their networks, are once again feeling positive about the mortgage industry and are working ever more closely with borrowers to help them make the right mortgage decision. We are very pleased that Mortgage Revolution has been able to play an important part and helped almost 1,000 mortgage professionals become better at what they do and we urge all members of the mortgage industry to attend MRev New York and become part of our positive evolution.” Mortgage Revolution events focus on education and networking. Each day, attendees collaborate for eight to 10 hours of intensive, hands-on classes on a variety of subjects. Then, each evening attendees reconnect to polish the skills they have learned during the daytime sessions. “I still love being a mortgage professional, even though it’s a much more difficult—and at times a more cumbersome job than it was five years ago” stated Florida Home Finance Advisor, Chris Brown. “But when I see a family’s eyes well-up with pride after receiving the keys to their first home, it makes all the industry turbulence worthwhile. At its core, the mortgage business remains a very rewarding profession.” In late 2008, Brown was becoming increasingly frustrated. Lenders were not interested in lending, even to the most highly qualified borrowers. Real estate prices were depreciating. It was the perfect storm. In January 2010, Brown attended the first Mortgage Revolution event held in Atlanta, Ga. “First off, I have never been around a group of people so willing to help lift the spirits of others. Just when many of us needed to be picked up, Mortgage Revolution reminded me of why I got into this business in the first place,” said Brown. “In addition to recharging my batteries, Mortgage Revolution helped improve my skills and has been a key factor in my recent success.” “At Mortgage Revolution, I learned how to incorporate social media and video marketing into my practice” said Philadelphia-based originator Jason Klaskin. “And the results have been phenomenal.” “We have some pretty aggressive goals for MRev New York” said Klaskin. “All attendees will build their own blog. Everyone will shoot their first video. It is not just about learning the skills, but rather putting them into action.” “An event like Mortgage Revolution used to cost several thousand dollars to attend. The fact that Mortgage Revolution is volunteer-based allows us to minimize costs—and opens the experience up to everybody, said Larrabee. “In addition, at the end of the event, we typically raise over $15,000 for local charities. It is very inspiring to be a part of this movement.”
For more information about Mortgage Revolution, visit www.mrev.org and www.facebook.com/mortgage.revolution.
In your career, is there actually one mistake or regret, even if you learned something that you wish you could take back, redo or sweep under the carpet, and not have anyone know about it? That’s an interesting question. I’m not one who regrets anything I ever do. I’ve never regretted anything I’ve done in my entire career. I view any mistakes that I have made as a lesson and just move forward and hopefully learn from it. Unfortunately, I have repeated some mistakes, but overall, my experience has really been pretty good in the business, so I cannot say I have one big regret one way or the other.
news flash
continued from page 15
I have been very fortunate in the mortgage business. I have a lot of people very dedicated to me, but they also know I’m very dedicated to them and I will pretty much do anything for anybody who works for me. I’m very rela-
“I have been extremely entrepreneurial my entire life.” tionship-oriented, so I deal with a lot of these people on a day-to-day basis. I’ve grown to know a lot of people on the wholesale side, and I’ve gotten close to a lot of them in a very short period of time. It’s been a very difficult industry to be in over the past two years, but the relationships that I have with the people involved in it is really what keeps me here and keeps me coming back.
continued from page 13
state of fair housing in America. HUD’s Fiscal Year 2009 annual State of Fair Housing Report highlights the agency’s progress in enforcing the Fair Housing Act, identifies challenges that remain, and demonstrates its commitment to acting now to end housing discrimination. The report, which covers the last full fiscal year of HUD’s complaint investigations and fair housing activities, was released during HUD’s National Fair Housing Policy Conference in New Orleans. The report shows that discrimination based on a person’s disability status continues to account for the largest-single category of complaints. Of the 10,242 complaints filed with HUD and its fair housing partners during fiscal year 2009, 44 percent alleged disability discrimination, while 31 percent alleged discrimination based on race, and 20 percent based on family status. The number and type of complaints received are consistent with the previous two years. “Despite much progress and hard work, Americans continue to face housing discrimination because they’re in a wheelchair, are a different color, or background, or have children,” stated John Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “This report is a stark reminder that HUD and our fair housing partners must redouble our commitment to end housing discrimination.” This year’s report highlights HUD’s enforcement efforts, including those that led to changes of policies and equal housing opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and others. HUD also
handled an array of discrimination cases that resulted in compensation for the victims or pertained to families with children. The report also highlights HUD’s efforts to ensure that the agency’s core housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last month, HUD announced that it will now require all applicants for Fiscal Year 2010 grant funding to certify that they have not been charged with a systemic violation of state or local laws that are equivalent to the Fair Housing Act based on a person’s lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender status. “HUD and its fair housing partners are on the front lines when it comes to fighting housing discrimination, and our job to prevent it is not complete without addressing 21st Century issues,” said Trasviña. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing.
Your turn National Mortgage Professional Magazine invites you to submit any information on regulatory changes, legislative updates, human interest stories or any other newsworthy items pertaining to the mortgage industry to the attention of:
NMP News Flash column Phone #: (516) 409-5555 E-mail: newsroom@nmpmediacorp.com Note: Submissions sent via e-mail are preferred. The deadline for submissions is the 1st of the month prior to the target issue.