Welcome to Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida Fall Newsletter

 

Michael A. Culbertson 

 

I find it hard to believe that 2011 will soon come to a close. Since taking the helm of the MBAF presidency in June 2011 I can say your association has been very busy with our efforts to ensure that this year exceeds your expectations and continues to provide you with the value and benefit of being a member.

I had the privilege of attending the 2011 MBA National Convention held in Chicago this past October and I was quite impressed with the overall positive nature of the convention, the increase in attendees and the caliber of the national speakers and panelists. Most of the excitement surrounding this year's convention was around David Stevens and his newly appointed role as the President and CEO of the MBA. His continued networking and support in the US Congress is definitely going to benefit the mortgage industry and its professional association as its moves through these ever changing regulatory and legislative times.   David stressed that it was time for the MBA and all Mortgage Bankers to "Take Back Our Industry" and of the importance of the role of today's Mortgage Banker in the entire real estate transactions.

Your MBAF leaders have chosen two excellent sites for our "star" events, the Eastern Secondary Market Conference and the 59^th Annual Convention. We are heading to north Florida for the Secondary Conference, which will be held at the Ritz Carlton in beautiful Amelia Island. Then in June we travel south for the 59^th Annual Convention, which will be held at The Riverside Hotel on Las Olas in tropical and exciting Ft. Lauderdale. My theme this year is "Embrace the Opportunities", which I feel strongly that we need to keep an open mind about everything that comes our way! Please look for the Secondary Conference program to be out soon with complete list of speakers and sessions. Registration is open to exhibit, register as an attendee and sponsor. We have a very good discount for attendees that register prior to December 1^st for only $300. Click the link in this newsletter over there in the right column. The link will take you to the registration forms and online registration area. The convention committee has been meeting and discussing the program speakers, fun events and networking opportunities and we expect that program to be finalized and ready by February.

Financially, the MBAF is ahead of budget and operating in the black. With so many associations and organizations continuing to struggle due to the current economic situation we are very fortunate to still be a vibrant and active association for you and your industry. Of course, we are still depending on maintaining our financial position and we need to count on you to be involved. We rely on two events a year to network, educate our members and to make sure we stay ahead. We hope to always increase attendance and expect to have large crowds at our two signature events. Our membership committee is working to reach out to potential new members to increase our membership base. But remember, we don't just want your membership, we need your involvement.

In closing, thank you again for your continued support of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida. I look forward to seeing all of you at the Eastern Secondary Market Conference February 15-17, 2012 at Amelia Island.

Very truly yours,

Michael A. Culbertson

MBAF President

 

The 2012 Legislative Session is just around the corner and legislative committees have been meeting on a regular basis since September. Session will start the second week of January to accomodate the Florida Constitution's requirement that the Legislature give itself two extra months of time address reapportionment of the legislative and congressional districts. The reapportionment/redistricting discussion will consume most of the Legislature's time, with the balance being spent on Florida's challenging budget issues. The latest economic forecasts are predicting  slower-than-expected growth over the next year, which translates into making budget cuts to education and health care programs.

 

On issues more directly related to lending, we are seeing an abundance of foreclosure bills being filed, some identical to last year's bills and some new. Additionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee is digging into the issue of non-judicial foreclosures - an issue that has come up the last two years but seems to have renewed interest by a number of the committee members. The Office of Financial Regulation is expected to propose legislation that will repeal unnecessary regulations and we are working with OFR to suggest some provisions that are overdue for repeal. We'll continue to update the membership with legislative news as bills are filed.

_______________________

Eric D. Prutsman, Esq.

Prutsman & Associates, P.A.

 

 

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