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Keeping You Informed
Spring Newsletter
Spring 2013
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| 2012/2013 Board of Directors |
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| Directors | |
Pat Gaver
Wells Fargo
patrick.n.gaver@wellsfargo.com
Tonya Mills
EverBank
Tonya.Mills@EverBank.com
Matthew Goldman, CLO
FBC
matt@goldmanloans.com
John Cosculluela
American Bancshares Mortgage
jcosculluela@americanbancshares.com
Carole Hendricks
PrimeLending
chendricks@primelending.com
Jamie A. Thornton
jthornton@cdmtg.com
Associate Director
Pauldie Howrigan
ServiceLink, FNF's National Lender Platform
pauldie.howrigan@servicelinkfnf.com
Director Emeritus
Margie Fletcher (elected 2005)
margief43@hotmail.com
Chuck Ivy (elected 2006)
EverBank
chuck.ivy@everbank.com
Georges Lussier (elected 2010)
BB&T
glussier@bbandt.com |
Thank you for being a member of the MBA of Florida
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Academy Mortgage Corporation (NEW Member)
Alarion Bank
AllRegs
AmeriCU Mortgage
Ameris Bank
Atlantic Coast Bank
Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund, Inc. (NEW Member)
Bank of America Mortgage
Branch Banking & Trust Co.
Capital City Bank
Centennial Bank
Citizens First Wholesale Mortgage Company
Community Bank Destin
CoreLogic(r)
CTC Mortgage LLC (NEW Member)
Ditio
Essent Guaranty, Inc.
EverBank
Florida Capital Bank Mortgage
Florida Commerce Credit Union
Florida Credit Union
Florida Housing Finance Corporation
Genworth Financial Home Equity Access, Inc.
Green Tree Servicing LLC
Group One Mortgage, Inc.
Hamilton Group Funding
Hancock Bank
InHouse Inc.
Interthinx
JP Morgan Chase Bank
M&I Bank
McCaughan Mortgage Company, Inc.
Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp.
MountainView Capital Holdings
North American Title Co.
PrimeLending
Radian
Regions Mortgage
ServiceLink, FNF's National Lender Platform
Sierra Pacific Mortgage (NEW Member)
Southern Title Holding Company
Stewart Lender Services
StoneHill Group, Inc.
SunTrust Mortgage
The Mortgage Firm (NEW Member)
Thomas Mortgage and Financial Services, Inc.
United Guaranty
United Lender Services Corp.
VyStar Credit Union
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Individual Members
Jane Ashley
Michael P. Azzarello, CMB
William Cannova
John Chludzenski
John Cosculluela
Scott Hornick (NEW Member)
Sandy Garcia
Matthew Goldman, CLO
Dorothy G Negrin, Esq.
Daniel Smith
Julie Sneed, Esq.
Alan Verch, CMB
Jay Craig Wright
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| Members Log In Link Below | |
You are able to view your membership record, search for other members, register for any conventions or conferences when available and view your committees that you are on. The main member contact is able to make changes and pay your dues too! It's easy and takes just a minute to get started.
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Member News
| Greg Hallam (MBAF 2006/2007 President) has joined Harbor Community Bank in Ft. Pierce as Vice President Special Assets Workout Officer.
Tim Allen, CMB (MBAF 2007/2008 President) has joined BB&T in Naples as a Mortgage Loan Officer.
Jamie Thornton is now President and CEO of Consumer Direct Mortgage LLC
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Future Leaders Needed
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Committee Sign Up -
Come Join Us!
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Please join us in moving the association into what you think it should be. All year long behind the scenes there is a lot going on with many committee meetings planning for the conferences, convention, membership, legislative and more. The committees are made up of our members that volunteer their time and ideas. We have seven committees for which you can volunteer. They are listed below along with a link with the full descriptions. We will be seeking committee volunteers for the new 2013/2014 year that begins July 1. All committees meet via conference call and some are busier then others. Please email mbaf@baf.org with your interest or if you have any questions.
Bylaws
Communications
Convention (and Sub-Committees)
Eastern Secondary Market Conference
Future Leaders
Legislative
Membership
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Check out the Chapter Calendar of Events
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| Greetings! | |
Welcome to the MBA of Florida's Spring Newsletter.
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| President's Message, Dan Harrison | 
I have heard from all my predecessors about how fast the year goes by and before you know it you're at the next convention and inducting a new President and Board members. How true that is. Right around the corner is our 60th Annual Convention. I hope everyone has finalized plans to attend this very special event and join us in recognizing the history of our organization together.
As I've mentioned before, I have been involved with the MBA my entire career on both the local and state level. After almost 30 years as a Mortgage Banker I am more proud than ever to be a part of this industry and I hope you are as well. We have all seen many changes over the years and we know how to adjust to whatever comes our way. As we all know with the CFPB, more changes are on the way for 2014 with their definition of QM and the adoption of new servicing rules. Your MBA of Florida and National MBA have provided a voice during these changes and we do have an impact with the decision makers. Your participation in your local and state associations are vital to keeping our voice heard and I thank you all for spending the time and energy helping make our industry better.
Within the MBA of Florida we just recently completed our 10th Eastern Secondary Conference in Orlando, chaired by our immediate past President Michael Culbertson and Carmen Fenn Drake. The conference was a great success and I want to personally thank Michael, Carmen and everyone who participated on the committee. The speaker lineup was fantastic, including Mel Martinez who helped kick off the conference as our first speaker. Our financial position is the strongest it has been in many years and we are seeing more new members joining on both the local and state levels. As our membership keeps growing it makes an even bigger impact for our Legislative Representative, Eric Prutsman, in Tallahassee as he continues to do an incredible job on behalf of the MBA of Florida.
As I mentioned earlier we are celebrating our Diamond Anniversary this year and I am very excited about our 60th Annual Convention. We will be meeting at a beautiful location on St. Pete Beach, the Tradewinds Island Resort. The convention committee has been working long hours putting together a great lineup of speakers and topics, from regulatory issues, compliance, sales, motivational, economic and agency updates as well as a special HUD roundtable session. The program is listed on our website with links below as well. You don't want to miss seeing Alex CasteIlanos installed as your next President which will make this the first time a father and son have served as President of the MBA of Florida. His father Ray Castellanos was president in 2004/2005. If that isn't enough, we will also be honoring all of our Past Presidents and thanking them for all their years of service to our association and their impact to our industry. We really do have a very proud history and I know all of you will want to be there to share in our festivities.
In closing my final official message to you, it has been an honor and privilege to serve as the 61st President of this great association. The support of the membership is as strong as ever and the future is very bright. This has been a great year for the association and I do thank you for the opportunity to serve you as your President.
Very truly yours,
Dan Harrison
President, MBA of Florida
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2013/2014 Nominations
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The Nominating Committee met for the purpose of nominating a President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Second Vice President, and four elective members of the Board of Directors. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the time of election at the Annual Business Meeting during the Annual Convention Wednesday June 19, 2013 at the TradeWinds Island Resort, St. Petersburg, Florida. Election shall be by the majority vote. Members qualified to vote are the main contacts at each regular member company that are members of the MBAF.
The installation ceremony will take place on the evening of Thursday June 20th at our Installation Banquet.
President -
No vote needed
Alex Castellanos, BB&T
NOMINATED OFFICERS - To be voted on at the Annual Business Meeting
President- Elect - Jay Ralstin, Hancock Bank
Vice President - Sandy Garcia, Sierra Pacific
Secretary/Treasurer - Kevin Strickland, SunTrust Mortgage
Second Vice President, Pat Gaver, Wells Fargo
NOMINATED DIRECTORS - 2-year terms - To be voted on at the Annual Business Meeting
Dustin Owen, Waterstone Mortgage
Dana Cummins, BB&T
Ben Fant, Affiliated Mortgage Company
NOMINATED ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - 2-year term - To be voted on at the Annual Business Meeting
Dena Howrigan, United Guaranty
Directors with one more year remaining therefore no vote.
John Cosculluela, American BankShares Mortgage
Carole Hendricks, PrimeLending
Michael Azzarello, CMB, Platinum Home Mortgage
Jamie Thornton, Consumer Direct Mortgage
Please note, included in our installation are the local chapter presidents who also have a seat on our board but are elected locally.
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60th Annual Convention - Important
Early Bird Registration Date is May 3rd
Hotel Room Reservation Cut-off Date is May 20th
|  2013 Annual Convention June 19-20-(21st Board Meeting only) 60th Anniversary TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach 5600 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, FL 33706 800-808-9833 Reservations $169 single/double (Other room types if available at the time reservation is made) ● Tropical View: $185 ●Gulf Front Parlor $195 ● One Bedroom Tropical View Suites: $209 ● Gulf Front Suites: $229 Included in the rate: Beach Cabana (1 per room, based on availability), Pool Towel Service, Self-Parking for one car per room, valet $8, In-room safes, Sending/receiving faxes, Daily newspaper delivered to your room, Fitness Center usage, Paddleboats, Miniature Golf, Unlimited credit card access calls in-room, Tennis court play on our har-tru courts, Wireless Internet Access in guest rooms common areas AND Meeting Space, Business Center, In room coffee/tea 60th Annual Convention Brochure (pdf file) Click Here to Access All Convention Information, Forms and Registration Links |
60th Anniversary Donations
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We invite you to help us with a personal 60th Anniversary donation. As you know we are a volunteer association and have kept our cost down as much as possible throughout the years while maintaining a strong industry association. We ask for a minimun of $60 with other suggested amounts but you can give what amount works best for you. Please note your name will be listed as a 60th donor unless you ask to remain anonymous. This is considered a personal donation and is not included as a normal sponsorship.
Click Here to Access the Donation Payment Link
Thank you for your support.
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Legislative Update
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 By Eric Prutsman, Esq. The 2013 Legislative Session ends on Friday, May 3rd and none of the issues that we working with have been decided - so it'll be down to the wire once again. Proposed legislation on expediting foreclosures, changes to Citizens Property Insurance, and distribution of the National Mortgage Settlement Funds, all hang in the balance during these last few days of the legislative Session. Tensions have begun to mount as the Legislature and Governor do not appear to be singing from the same hymnal on a number of bills and budget items. Rumors of vetoes of the budgets and substantive bills have already started (not that those rumors don't always show up about this time, but folks in the Capitol do seem a bit more concerned than usual about the possibility of having to return to Tallahassee after May 3rd). Just like last year, the foreclosure legislation that we are advocating has passed the House but is awaiting action in the Senate. Keep those cell phones on in the event we need to launch a last-minute push to get the foreclosure bill to the Senate Floor.  MBA of Florida visits Tallahassee on April 10th. Here with Representative George Moraitis is nine of our group along with Eric Prutsman as the photographer. The group was able to meet with four representatives and two senators during their visits. Everyone agrees it is very beneficial to visit the Capitol and see how everything works. Always remember when session is out you should reach out locally and just introduce yourself. This is how relationships begin and also educate those in office about the mortgage banking industry. |
Mortgage Action Alliance
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 The Mortgage Action Alliance (MAA) is a voluntary, non-partisan and free nationwide grassroots lobbying network of real estate finance industry professionals, affiliated with the Mortgage Bankers Association. MAA is dedicated to strengthening the industry's voice and lobbying power in Washington, DC and state capitals across America. Get involved with MAA to play an active role in how laws and regulations that affect the industry and consumers are created and carried out by lobbying and building relationships with policymakers. It only takes a moment to get started, and you do not have to be a member of MBA to enroll. View the simple step-by-step overview of how to join and how to participate.
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Chapter News
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MBA of Tampa Bay, by Jay Craig Wright
In honor of one of our original founding Tampa Bay members, the Tampa Bay Chapter held its annual golf tournament this year to raise funds for the Mortgage Political Action Committee. The Richard M Phillips Memorial Tournament was held on Friday April 12th. I was reminded that we have never been rained out in the history of our golf tournament, and this year was very close to being a first. The thunderstorm was due to arrive right at tee off time. Do you have any idea what rescheduling a tournament would mean?... Me neither. Although it looked like a impending washout, the rain quickly abated, the air was cool and pleasant. Our brave golfing heros stayed true to the cause, and were well rewarded. As a matter of fact some have boasted their best game ever.
The winning team of 2013
McBride Kelly & Associates Realty
Brian McBride, Robert Busby, John Meredith, and Brandon Day
MBA of Tallahassee,
by Dana Cummins, MBA of Tallahassee President
MBA of Tallahassee had its second annual bowling event. Eleven teams signed up and had a blast! We also had a silent auction with some awesome items donated by our membership. Between the team bowling cost and the silent auction, we raised nearly $1500 for MPAC.
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SPOTLIGHT ON LEADERSHIP: Your Greatest Asset
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Provided by Kristina S. Holmen-Mohr, CMB, LTG, AMP
Nurture Your Greatest Asset: You
Avoid becoming so caught up in your work you cannot see the world around you. Focus on integrating all aspects of your life and treat your time and energy as scarce resources--as scarce and valuable as any item in your budget. Establish priorities based on your values and goals and use them to make decisions about accepting requests for your time.
The most successful leaders are life-long learners. Set aside time to attend conferences and seminars, read, participate in networks that provide industry knowledge, and meet with experts. Don't forget to complement your professional networks with personal networks of friends, like-minded women and men, and colleagues who will share experiences and knowledge, support you in the tough times, and celebrate with you over successes
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The Good You Do - Local Chapters Reach out to Local Charities
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In our Winter Newsletter we highlighted some of our local chapters on the good they do for their local charities. This month we bring you more good stuff. Everyone always asks why you should belong to an organization. Certainly it is always for your professional networking and education opportunities but also for the good you do. We need folks like this to make the world just a little better place for those that are not as fortunate. Thank you everyone for all you do.
Gulf Coast MBA, by Mary Lou Bear
On April 26, Gulf Coast Mortgage Bankers held a Golf Tournament to benefit a local charity, Manasota Buds. Manasota Buds is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to provide families with a neutral and supportive forum for sharing and networking, and to promote understanding and acceptance of Down Syndrome. They offer a variety of programs and services such as New and Expectant Parent Kits, Therapeutic Riding, Music Therapy, Lending Library, Teen Buds Program, Scholarships for Summer Camps and Programs, Scholarships for Local and National Conventions, Workshops and grants for the Down Syndrome Clinic. The non profit is a parent run and all volunteer organization.
Website: www.manasotabuds.org
MBA of Jacksonville, by Diane Ekberg, MBA of Jacksonville President
In December, 2012, the MBA of Jacksonville embraced a new organization: http://www.beasantatoasenior.com/
Board members Randy Galloway and Patrice Yamato introduced the organization to the board, which agreed to promote it at the membership meetings in October and November and to donate $500 from the budget to help bridge the gap between donated gifts and needs. They arranged for a representative of the organization to visit in November and to bring "ornaments" for the membership.
"Be a Santa to a Senior" solicits gifts for seniors in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other environments by placing "angel trees" in stores, work places, etc. Participants select ornaments identifying an individual's needs, purchase the gifts and deliver them to various sponsoring locations. A gift wrapping event is held, and the gifts are turned over to law enforcement and fire fighting representatives for delivery.
When a senior housing facility identifies a need for one resident, all residents then participate so that no one in the facility is left out.
In addition to the cash donation, the MBA of Jacksonville membership donated gifts for 15-20 seniors at the December meeting.
MBA of South Florida, by Clarita A. Rosa, FRP, MBA of South Florida President
MBA of South Florida did another wonder holiday trip to the Jackson Memorial Hospital Holtz Children's Ward to provide some jolly ho, ho, ho's and a slew of joyful memories. They provide the children a surprise Santa visit with music, gifts and so much excitement. Click the link below to enjoy some photos.
MBA of South Florida's Holiday Visit~
MBA of Tallahassee, by Dana Cummins, MBA of Tallahassee President
Tallahassee Mortgage Bankers association has sponsored Christmas for the children of the Migrant Workers of Gadsden County for the last 27 years. This was started by Kristina Holmen-Mohr, CMB when she was president of the association. We bring unwrapped toys, books, puzzles to donate to the children. Donations of clothing and blankets are also accepted. The children are always very grateful of the gifts we donate.
We also Chose another charity this year, The Gretchen Everhart School. Gretchen Everhart School is part of the Leon County School system and serves students with intellectual disabilities ages 3-22 years of age. The school was started by concerned parents as the Candle of Hope School during the late 1960s. Today the school accommodates approximately 250 students with severe to moderate mental handicaps. All students at the school in grades K-12 have cognitive deficits and special needs which are addressed in Individual Education Plans for each student. The school serves students from Leon County and the surrounding counties of Gadsden, Jefferson, Taylor, Wakulla, Liberty, and Franklin whose needs can't be successfully met in a traditional school setting. We were able to raise $400 at a lunch meeting from members, MBA of Tallahassee contributed $100 to make it $500.
MBA of Tampa Bay, by Jay Craig Wright, MBA Tampa Bay President
For over 120 years, The Children's Home continues to strengthen communities through programs that support, serve and protect children and their families. Its programs help over 15,000 children and adults each year by: strengthening families through family support, outreach, and prevention services; supporting children through therapeutic and traditional foster homes; supporting relative care-givers as they provide for children in their care; and healing the trauma of abuse and neglect for over 100 children in residence on its healing campus.
The MBA of Tampa Bay has celebrated our fund raising to the Children's Home of Tampa Bay since 1985. Over these years we have raised in excess of over $362,000. Each year the consecutive past president is honored with the task of organizing our Dinner and Silent Auction. This year we raised $20,000 for the cause. It is important to note the great responsibility you take on when selecting a charity as they rely on YOU to meet their annual budget. This year was a spectacular event held at The Florida Aquarium, organized by our past president Sandy Garcia of Sierra Pacific. It would be wise to follow her directions for our next fund raising event. I also urge you to consider this great cause as one to champion with us.
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MBA of Florida - Our History Since 1952
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| Celebrating 60 Years | |
Since 1952, the Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida (MBAF) has integrated the state's diverse real estate finance industry into a unified service organization. The MBAF is committed to promoting sound and ethical business practices in the mortgage banking industry; providing a powerful and responsible presence in Florida's legislative arena; educating its members in the most up-to-date practices and methods, so members can grow and mature in their careers; serving as a forum for communication and social interaction among peers; and adapting to change in a mercurial business environment, in order to help mortgage bankers succeed in that environment.
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Send Us Your News
| Remember to send us your news. Anything you would like to get out to our members or that would be of interest of an industry nature please forward it to mbaf@mbaf.org
We welcome all submissions.
Brenda Thomas
Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida |
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