August 2007 - Interest Notes

As a Mortgage Professional: What you do matters!

By Stacey Harding, CML
Chairman of the Board

As I begin my term as Chairman of CMLA, I want to impress upon you that the decisions you make today, the commitments you make today and most importantly what you do today matters. As members and friends of the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association, we are simply a large collection of people with similar interests, goals and objectives for the mortgage industry in Colorado. As with any successful trade organization, what has made the CMLA great for over 50 years are the volunteers and staff who have made the decision in their own lives that today matters.

As I shared during my address as Chairman at our 34th Annual Convention in Vail, for the first time in my 23-year career as a mortgage professional, when asked by several people at a social gathering what I do for a living I wondered what people’s reaction would be when I told them. Unfortunately, with all of the negative press surrounding us the past couple of years, it would be easy to begin questioning whether or not our line of work is honorable and respectable. As your Chairman, please let me reassure you that the work you do matters every single day. The proper use of a mortgage can be the key to successfully fulfilling many of our lifetime events and dreams. Whether it’s a young couple buying their first home, a growing family buying a larger home, a family financing their children’s education or a couple planning for retirement, we make a difference every day as we help finance life events. Serving as a mortgage professional is indeed honorable and respectable. Be proud of what you do. I am.

Through all of the challenges that have confronted us in our 52-year history, and especially the past two years, we have come together as an organization and worked diligently to preserve this great industry. I am proud of the people within the CMLA. What we do matters every single day.

As we all know, a number of new mortgage related bills were introduced into the state legislature this past spring. And while there is work yet to be done to ensure that these new laws do not have unintended consequences, the people of CMLA played a vital role in working with our state government to amend language in the bills before they were voted into law. Additionally, CMLA continues to work with our State Regulator to offer insight and guidance as she considers various rule making issues related to the enforcement of these new laws. We are grateful to Director Erin Toll and her staff for including us in her rule making task force and we pledge our continued support as an industry resource in the months and years to come. We look forward to hearing from Director Toll as our guest speaker at our September luncheon. I want to thank Former Chairman Jim Lewis, Board Member Carolyn Carnie and Member Rick Accomazzo for their service on the Directors’ task force on behalf of the CMLA.

The mortgage industry is all about people, and so is the CMLA. Our Association exists to serve and bring value to our members, the people of the CMLA. Through our EaRN principle, the Board of Directors and staff are dedicated to providing the best mortgage Education, Representation and Networking opportunities in Colorado. For those of you not fully aware of our unique value platform, the Education Domain will be chaired by Second Vice-Chairman Patricia Norton, the Representation Domain by Secretary/Treasurer Jay Garten and the Networking Domain by Vice Chairman Julie Piepho. Each of our domains are focused on furthering the mission of the Association to create a world of homeownership through integrity based lending.

This year you will see some exciting new changes, including specific changes to our monthly luncheons in Denver and our Legislative Committee. Julie has some exciting new strategies she will be implementing this year at our luncheons, including a new venue (Pinehurst Country Club), keynote speakers centered on leadership, and more opportunity for business networking. We will continue with our fun Holiday Party in December followed by the best Wholesale Lending Fair in the Rocky Mountain Region in January. Additionally, throughout the year, we will have various golf tournaments and other networking events throughout the state and each of our Chapters. It’s going to be exciting!

On the Legislative front, Jay has reorganized our Representation Domain to include five very focused committees, including a PAC Team, a State Legislative Team, a Federal Legislative Team, a Legislator Outreach Team and a Business Community Outreach Team. These changes will enable CMLA to have a more focused and effective approach to our representation with both state and federal lawmakers. For the first time, CMLA will have a strategic approach to reaching out to the various business communities of Colorado, which benefit so greatly from the economic impact of the mortgage industry. What we do every day matters to the economy of Colorado.

Your Board of Directors is committed to expanding the reach and influence of the CMLA in the coming months and years. In addition to your time and talent, we also need your help in funding our two PACs. I know business is challenging, but there has never been a time in the history of our industry when your contribution to one or both of the CMLA PACs has been more important. Please make the decision today to donate up to $50 to Citizens for Homeownership, our small donor PAC, and up to $500 to CMLPAC, our large donor PAC. The time is now for each and every one of us to participate in the preservation of this great industry. One way to know that you’ve made a difference is by contributing to the PACs.

Education will continue to be a cornerstone of the value we deliver. Through the CMLA, you’ll have access to some of the best mortgage training and education in the country. I believe that level of training started at our Convention with two of America’s finest mortgage trainers, Barry Habib and Todd Duncan. Our Education Domain, under the leadership of Patricia Norton, will continue to offer resources and training throughout the year to our members and consumers in Colorado to further promote integrity in lending. CMLA is already recognized nationally as a leader in promoting consumer and lender education – and we’ll build on that reputation in the coming year.

While my time as Chairman has just begun, I know this year will pass with a blink of an eye. Please remember that the decisions you make today, the commitments you make today and most importantly what you do today matters. We have a lot of work before us and I’m confident that our finest days are ahead.

Thoughts? Comments? Email me at chairman@cmla.com