Building a Strong
 Foundation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

*  Annual Joint Mortgage Conference on February 8 and 9

* Loan Awards Program

* High School Seniors Sought for MBBA-NH College Scholarship

* Important Dates to Remember

* Carol Jordan Receives Award from Rural Development

* MBBA-NH's Certified Mortgage Professional (CMP) Designation

* People on the Move

* Program Schedule

Interest payable on Escrow Accounts is 0.12 percent,
effective from February 1, 2006, through August 1, 2006.
 

Annual Joint Mortgage Conference on February 8 and 9

The 2006 Annual Joint Mortgage Conference is rapidly approaching!  The theme of the conference is Jazz It Up!  It’s time to Jazz It Up! for the spring market. 

We are pleased to offer a new location and expanded programs to meet the varied needs of our members.  New this year, also, is the three tiered pricing to make it possible to attend whole or part of the conference. 

The exhibitor reception on Wednesday evening from 3 to 7 P.M. will have more than 30 exhibitors (click here for a list of exhibitors), lots of food to munch on, cash bar, and a hip jazz band with a cabaret singer.  Arrange to meet your friends and colleagues at the reception, enjoy the music, good food, and drinks.  Of course, may we suggest that you take the time to meet and greet the exhibitors to learn about cutting edge mortgage technology and products?  You’ll walk away from the evening with your conference bag full of exhibitor goodies and lots of great ideas to increase your production in the spring market.  

After the exhibitor reception, don’t let a good thing pass you by . . .  Extend the evening by going out to dinner with your friends, colleagues, and customers at one of Manchester’s fine restaurants or bars listed in the program guide.  Some of them are offering discounts to conference goers, so it may be the perfect time for you to check out downtown Manchester, which is in the midst of a Renaissance.  Many of the old, historic buildings on Elm Street are being beautifully renovated and occupied by locally owned, eclectic restaurants and bars that cater to the discriminating palate.   People travel from all over New Hampshire to taste the delicious food of these Elm Street eateries.  Elm Street comes alive in the evening! 

Thursday is packed with meaningful and timely programs that you will not to miss!  The morning’s programs feature two outstanding speakers:  Joe Niego, a sales trainer for Buffini & Co., will address a varied audience of mortgage loan officers, mortgage brokers, mortgage bankers, bankers, and Realtors.  He will discuss how to achieve success in the mortgage industry by referral.   

Doug Duncan, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for Mortgage Bankers Association, will bring the audience up to date on the housing market both nationally and locally.  Both Joe Niego and Doug Duncan are nationally recognized speakers who give memorable and enjoyable presentations. 

For Thursday afternoon, you will be split into three groups:  bankers and mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, and mortgage originators.  Each group will be offered two breakout sessions that will address their specific needs.  The finale of the conference is a general session given by Gary S. Cacace, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI, on Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Resolving Mortgage Fraud. 

As you know, the spring market is about a month away, so go ahead and Jazz It Up! at the 2006 Annual Joint Mortgage Conference! 

Cheers to a productive and gratifying New Year. 

For more information on the conference and to register, please click here.

Loan Awards Program

Are you a loan officer in New Hampshire?  Is the company for which you work an MBBA-NH member?  Do you set high standards for yourself ethically, professionally, and educationally?  Are you or would you like to be involved with MBBA-NH?  Would you like to be seen by your peers and customers as an accomplished and respected loan officer?  If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, then you are a perfect candidate to pursue MBBA-NH's Loan Originators Award.

How does the program work?  There are three categories, based on volume:  gold, platinum, and diamond.

• GOLD:  a minimum of $10 million in closed loans up to $14.9 million or 100 units.

• PLATINUM:  $15 million in closed loans up to $29.9 million or 150 units

• DIAMOND:  $30 million and over in closed loans or 200 units

What else is required?

The senior production officer of your company verifies your production volume figures, two letters of reference from your supervisor and one from a Realtor, and accumulate a total of four (4) points by attending at least two MBBA-NH educational programs and two MBBA-NH social events each calendar year.  Five points (two points for education and three points for social) may be earned by attending the two-day, February 2006 Annual Joint Mortgage Conference, or two education points may be earned by attending the second day of the conference only. 

How will my loan Originators Award be recognized?

Your name will be publicized in prominent New Hampshire newspapers in the spring and MBBA-NH's newsletter, listed in MBBA-NH's Web site, recognized at a special awards ceremony at MBBA-NH's annual dinner in May; and you will receive a logo, suitable for use on your business cards, representing either the gold, platinum, or diamond award.  The award year will be listed on the logo. 

For more information on this award, please click on www.mbba-nh.org/membership/LOAP.htm. 

High School Seniors Sought for College Scholarship

MBBA-NH is offering a scholarship to members and their employees, children, and family members who are senior high school students.

Factors considered are official transcripts, SAT or ACT scores, financial need, community involvement, acceptance to a post-secondary institution, and evidence of leadership abilities.

Click here for more information on the college scholarship.  Application deadline is Tuesday, March 28, 2006.

 

Important Dates to Remember . . . 

College Scholarship Application Deadline is Monday, March 28, 2006.  For more information on MBBA-NH’s college scholarship please click on www.mbba-nh.org/membership/collegescholarshipprogram.htm. 

Loan Award Program Application Deadline is Friday, April 3, 2006.  The Loan Award Program is based on volume and participation in 2005 MBBA-NH events.  However, please note that we are accepting 5 points if you attend the 2006 Annual Joint Mortgage Conference.  For more information please click on www.mbba-nh.org/membership/loap.htm. 

Certified Mortgage Professional (CMP) Designation Deadline is May 1, 2006.  A CMP is a designation bestowed upon a career-minded individual in the mortgage finance industry who has met the requirements of the CMP program.  For more information on the CMP designation, please click on www.mbba-nh.org/membership/cmp.htm.

Carol Jordan Receives Award from Rural Development
by Colleen Ladew, Guaranteed Housing Specialist, Rural Development

On Wednesday, January 4, 2006, at The Common Man restaurant in Concord, Carol Jordan of First Horizon Home Loans accepted an award from Rural Development for the top guaranteed lender in  New Hampshire for 2005.  We congratulate Carol on her success and are pleased to reprint the following speech that was given by Colleen Ladew, Guaranteed Housing Specialist, Rural Development, prior to awarding Carol with a plaque.

"First Horizon Home Loans made 28 Guaranteed Loans in fiscal year 2005 for a total of $5,277,180.  This represents 20 percent of the total number of loans made in 2005 and is 25 percent of the total allocation spent in New Hampshire. 

These numbers document what First Horizon Home Loans has done through the Guaranteed program in New Hampshire but they don’t show you what was happening behind the scenes for each of the loans.

Each one of the 28 loans represents a nervous family trying to purchase a house – the biggest investment of their lives.  Most of these families probably thought that they would never be able to obtain their dream of homeownership.

With the help and guidance of the wonderful people at First Horizon and the driving force of Carol Jordan each one of these families had their dreams made into reality.  

There are a lot of phone calls, reassuring, appointments, field visits, inspections, appraisals, and reviews that come between the first contact with the borrowers to the loan being closed and the borrowers moving into their new home.  During this time there is a tremendous amount of stress and unease that the borrowers as well as the sellers are going through.  Having someone like Carol there to reassure them, calm them down, and make sure everything goes smoothly is why First Horizon is our top guaranteed lender in New Hampshire for 2005."
 

MBBA-NH's Certified Mortgage Professional Designation

A Certified Mortgage Professional is a designation bestowed upon a career-minded individual in the mortgage finance industry who has met the requirements of the CMP program.

Earning your CMP designation identifies you as a professional in the mortgage finance industry, demonstrates your achievements and accomplishments; and acknowledges your interest in education, MBBA-NH participation, and membership in other organizations.

The designation will attest to any industry employer that you are a knowledgeable residential mortgage lending professional; earning your CMP will set you apart from your peers in the industry.

The CMP program is based upon a point system. The points are determined by your individual:

• Work experience
• Education
• Professional designations
• Industry education
• MBBA-NH participation
• Membership organizations
• Other supplemental activities.
• MBBA-NH member recruitment

The designation is awarded to those professionals who accumulate a minimum 150 points.

You will be recognized for your professional achievements at a special award ceremony at the MBBA-NH annual dinner in May.  In addition, you will receive a Certified Mortgage Professional plaque and lapel pin, and the letters “CMP” may be used after your name on your business card, identifying your designation.  Deadline for the CMP application is Monday, May 1, 2006.

Click here for more information on MBBA-NH's CMP designation.


People on the Move

GMAC Residential Funding would like to announce their two newest directors in the New England area: 

Susan Sheffer, CMB
Sales Director Correspondent Sales
GMAC Residential Funding
(617) 337-5132 - Fax (952) 352-8098 - Cell (617) 794-5372

Kathleen Connor
Director, Warehouse Lending
GMAC Residential Funding
(612) 378-4864 - Fax (952) 921-9144 - Cell (612) 710-5550

Programs Schedule 

February 8 and 9, 2006 - Annual Joint Mortgage Conference at the Center of New Hampshire/Radisson Hotel, Manchester, New Hampshire.  New location and format:  Marketplace from 3 to 7 P.M. on Wednesday, February 8, 2006, and full day of educational sessions on Thursday, February 9, 2006.  Three prices, instead of one, will be offered:  One price to attend full conference, an affordable price to attend the marketplace only, and another price to attend the educational sessions on Thursday.  This new format will attract mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, and bankers.  For information on the conference, please click on www.mbba-nh.org/news/calendar.htm.

March 2 through April 6, 2006 - Course 2 will be offered for six consecutive Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at New Hampshire Housing, 32 Constitution Drive, Bedford, New Hampshire.  The six classes include Government Loans, Defining Condo's, DU/LP, Qualifying the Self Employed, Sales and Marketing with Technology/Time Management/Tips on Public Speaking, and Respa Laws/Real Estate Trends in New Hampshire.  Cost to attend is $195 member/$250 non-member.  Individual classes may be taken for $30/member and $50 non-member.  Registration forms will be available soon.