Greetings WMBA Friends and Colleagues, I hope everyone’s having a great start to the new year and staying healthy and productive.
Well, we’re full steam ahead in what’s proving to be a transitional year in 2022! There are inflation concerns, rising rates, a continued housing inventory strain, and what seems to be an ever-evolving situation with the Coronavirus pandemic. On the brighter side, the economy is improving, there are signs of ‘normalcy’ returning, and rates still remain low from a historical standpoint. Change and transition are always part of life for us mortgage professionals, and we will be ready for what’s ahead.
Part of this change is trying to responsibly get back to some in-person events this year. For those who were able to attend our WMBA January kick-off party, it was great to see familiar faces. I think we all can agree, it was a well-overdue social gathering, after almost 2 years of a virtual environment. We look forward to more opportunities to host in-person events as the year progresses. Stay tuned!
Speaking of in-person events, in April the MBA will be hosting their annual State and Local Workshop in Washington, DC. The WMBA will have several representatives attending this important workshop and for those interested, more information can be found here: State and Local Workshop 2022 | Mortgage Bankers Association (mba.org). The MBA’s National Advocacy Conference will be held the days following the workshop. Registration can be found here: National Advocacy Conference | Mortgage Bankers Association (mba.org). The Workshop brings leaders together to learn, collaborate, and share information from each other; while the Advocacy conference is focused solely on real estate finance issues. Both are expected to be valuable and informative events!
At a local level, January marked the beginning of our State’s Legislative session in Olympia. As a direct result of your WMBA membership and PAC efforts, our interests are being well-represented through the hard work of our lobbyist, Jessica Fortescue. For anyone interested in learning more about how to get involved, or to be added to our distribution list, please reach out to me, our Executive Board, or the PAC Committee. Everyone is encouraged to donate to this important aspect of our association, as your contribution goes directly to supporting key policymakers, bills, and legislation that directly impact us and our industry. More information can be found on our WMBA website https://wa-mba.org/wmba-pac/. Thanks to those who have already contributed this year!
Later this month, the WMBA is excited to be hosting a virtual Supporting Diversity discussion featuring John Drumgoole Jr. of New American Dream and Patience Malaba of the Housing Development Consortium regarding the 3×30 Project to discuss the 7-point plan to add 3 million more Black homeowners. The WMBA is excited to offer our members an event focused on the importance of homeownership diversity and continuing efforts to focus on home affordability for all communities! This will be on Thursday, February 24th at 2:30 pm. Registration can be found here.
WMBA will also partner with Habitat for Humanity and host our Annual Auction on Tuesday, May 24th, 2022, at 5:30 pm. The location will be announced soon and we are planning a hybrid event. If you are interested in sponsorship, procurement, or volunteering on the Auction Planning Committee, email admin@wa-mba.org for more information.
From all of us at the WMBA, we appreciate everyone’s commitment and support. We look forward to continuing to offer our members meaningful, informative, and relevant content and events!
Regards,
Jim
WMBA President
