The Houston Mortgage Bankers Association installed their 2016-2017 board of directors in a luncheon meeting held on June 8 at Maggiano’s restaurant near the Galleria. Outgoing president Bill Dawley handed the gavel to incoming president Greg Burkett who introduced his leadership team: Vice President Joe Thompson, Treasurer John Wilson, and Secretary Sheree Gilbert; and board members Trey Bell, David Bravo, Bill Dawley, Mack Gibson, Kitty Guggenheim, Candy Lewis, Mike McFarland, Lisa Rogers, and Mat Wilson.

Burkett thanked Dawley and the outgoing board for their service and noted that Dawley and several other past HMBA presidents remain as active board members. “It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this association,” he said. “This is a board that truly loves what we do.”

In his remarks, Burkett laid out his goals for the coming year. They include increasing recognition for HMBA as the number-one representative for the mortgage industry in Houston; growing individual and corporate memberships; adding more Platinum sponsors; offering increased value to members; and adding more “lunch n’ learns” with varied topics and a distinguished producer panel. He closed by encouraging all HMBA members to support the Texas Mortgage Bankers Political Action Committee. “Our goal this year is $15,000 and I urge all of you to contribute. The PAC is the way to maintain our standards and preserve our industry.”

Whitney Mercilus, college All-American and star outside linebacker for the Houston Texans, joined The Houston Mortgage Bankers Association as keynote speaker for the monthly luncheon meeting at Maggiano’s restaurant on April 12. Introduced by HMBA President Bill Dawley, Mercilus gave the sold-out audience an update on the Texans and made a few predictions for the team’s success in the coming season.

“We didn’t finish like we hoped to last season but Coach O’Brien has really brought the team up,” Mercilus said. “I blame it on ‘hard knocks.’ Our defense held in there last year and now our offense has become much more efficient. We start back on April 18 and no slack will be tolerated. It’s going to be a winning season and we will bring home the championship.”

Responding to questions from the audience, Mercilus shared that his favorite thing about being a Texan was “hotel cookies” and his least favorite was “when O’Brien was not happy.” When asked about the new NFL contact rules, Mercilus replied, “Some I agree with, some I do not. As a defender trying to sack quarterbacks, it’s hard not to hit a guy in the forbidden zones.” A follow-up question about which quarterback he’d like to sack or sack again elicited a quick answer:  “Tom Brady - again. And I look forward to sacking Cam Newton a few times in Super Bowl 2017.”

After his speech and Q and A, Mercilus accepted a donation from HMBA on behalf of Houston-based charity The Sunshine Kids.

 “We were so thrilled when Whitney acknowledged he would be our April luncheon speaker,” said Dawley. “Once Whitney committed, and we sent out the announcement, the event was sold out weeks in advance. Houston is a huge sports town and football is still king. The HMBA would like to thank Whitney and the Houston Texans for supporting our association. And we were honored to be able to provide a donation to his favorite charity, The Sunshine Kids.”     

On Tuesday, February 16, the Houston Mortgage Bankers Association gathered real estate industry professionals to hear a panel of four top-producing Realtors discuss their perspectives and answer audience questions about the realtor-side of residential real estate transactions.

Mortgage bankers, realtors, title company officers, and others assembled for the breakfast event, held in the conference room of Stewart Title’s offices at 1990 Post Oak Blvd. The morning’s panelists were J. Carter Breed, J. Carter Breed Properties; Scott Johnston, The Lippincott Team/Gary Green Realtors; Richard Ray, John Daugherty, Realtors; and Clint Simpson, Greenwood King Properties. HMBA president-elect Joe Thompson moderated the panel.

In the course of the one-hour discussion, the panelists stressed open, two-way communication between realtor and mortgage broker as the number-one priority in a transaction. Each stressed communication by the lender with all parties, not only the buyer’s agent, as essential. All four panelists underscored that the seller’s agent needs to know what’s happening with the buyer’s loan just as much as the buyer’s agent does. Other major points included the importance of lender attendance at closing to handle any last-minute loan issues, and using local lenders that are accessible and responsive.

“Realtors and mortgage bankers serve the same client base and share a common goal: successful closings and happy clients,” said Greg Burkett, HMBA president. “This was a highly constructive and collegial meeting that has encouraged us all to work together in the spirit of cooperation, coordination, and, above all, communication for the benefit of our clients.”

Photo Credit: Houston Chronicle

The Houston Mortgage Bankers Association featured real estate market analyst Matt Farris at the group’s February meeting held at Maggiano’s restaurant. Farris, an associate with John Burns Real Estate Consulting, holds a B.B.A. in Economics from Sam Houston State University and received an M.A. in Applied Economics from the University of Houston. He supports consulting services by compiling and analyzing market data, conducting field research, and creating reports for market and project feasibility studies.

In his remarks to the assembled mortgage lending and real estate professionals, Farris gave a state-of-the-market assessment of Houston’s job and housing market and offered a projection on the market’s performance in the near future.

Farris said that he sees a bright, long-term future for Houston jobs and homes.  “Both national and international businesses are realizing that they need to do business here –and that will significantly increase with the completion of the expansion of the Panama Canal later this year. Urging caution in the short term, however, Farris noted that one-third of all U.S. energy-sector jobs are based in Houston. “With the downturn in the price of oil, home builders need to be cautious with how much they are building.”

“This is the time of year when we all are very interested in what the economists feel like what will happen in the short-term and near-term here in Houston, the state of Texas and at the national level,” said Bill Dawley, HMBA president. “Matt did a very good job of showing statistics and where we are today, what the trends are that we are experiencing, and how this compares to our previous down-turns in oil prices.”  

As part of its continuing education program for mortgage industry and real estate professionals, Houston Mortgage Bankers Association hosted its first “Lunch and Learn” of 2016 on January 26. HMBA held the seminar in the training room of Gregg & Valby, LLP, 1700 West Loop South.

“Building a Business Plan that Works to have Your Best Year Ever” featured speaker Steve Kyles, a loan officer and coach at Legacy Mutual Mortgage. Kyles, a member of The Core Training group, coaches top real estate and mortgage lenders to be in the top one-percent of producers in the industry. He is a member of the Greater Houston Luxury Home Connection and a former HMBA board member.

“We were privileged to have Steve present his program for us”, said Bill Dawley, HMBA president. “He set out a simple but strategic plan to create tasks and strategies to help all of us accomplish our goals for 2016. I think everyone walked away with more clarity and focus on the year ahead. Steve is such a huge asset to the HMBA and to the local mortgage industry as a whole. He is passionate about providing assistance to local Houstonians so they can achieve the ‘American Dream’ and become a proud homeowner.”

At its first meeting and luncheon of the new year held on January 13 at Maggiano’s restaurant, the Houston Mortgage Bankers Association delivered a surprise: the presentation of the first HMBA Lifetime Achievement Award to long-time HMBA member Calvin C. Mann.

A founding partner of Black Mann & Graham, L. L. P, mortgage lender and real estate attorneys, Mann has more than 33 years in the document preparation business in Houston. In presenting the award, HMBA President Bill Dawley said that HMBA had long sought a means to recognize extraordinary people, such as Mann, who are part of Houston’s mortgage industry. He noted that Mann had also received the Larry E. Temple Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mann thanked HMBA for the honor and accepted the award “on behalf of his employees.” A longtime supporter of the TMBA PAC, he urged the audience to support the PAC with their time and money. “Nothing happens in Austin – or Washington – without money,” he quipped.

The luncheon’s featured speaker, Mike Carroll, an account manager at Mortgage Guarantee Insurance Corporation Insurance (MGIC) in San Antonio, delivered a hair-raising account of his survival in the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. A former state golf champion at Stephen F. Austin University, Carroll went to work for Morgan Stanley in Houston immediately after graduation in 2001and was in New York to prep for his Series 7 exam. He was in the Morgan Stanley office on the 61^st floor of the second tower when the first plane hit tower one.

“I was at my desk about 8:30 a.m. when it sounded like a huge freight elevator rumbled past. Then people began saying that there was something wrong with the next tower and that’s when I saw what looked like ticker tape and smoke whirling past the windows. Our manager told us he didn’t know what was happening but to get our gear and get out.”

“That saved my life,” Carroll continued, “because the Port Authority was on the building PA system telling everyone to go back to work. I was in the stairwell when the second plane hit our building and was thrown across the stairwell into the far wall. It was the loudest noise I have ever heard but I was lucky again: my stairwell survived the attack intact.”

Carroll eventual made his way to the ground and exited the building 10 minutes before it collapsed. He closed with these thoughts: “Remember 911; make sure you have courage as it will always get you through; act in a professional manner when things are stressful; thank God every day; experience life as it can be fleeting; and tell your family you love them – every day.”

The Houston Mortgage Bankers Association held their Legends Luncheon honoring HMBA’s past presidents at Maggiano’s Little Italy on December 9th.  Bill Dawley, current HMBA president, introduced the honorees to the audience of mortgage and real estate professionals. 

Among the HMBA past presidents that were in attendance were, Mike McFarland, David Bravo, Scott Valby, Mike Gale, Gary Davis, Judy Belanger, Rob Macioce, Mike Holtcamp, Martin Atkinson, Debi Reese, Kevin Guggenheim, Ben Streusand, Mike Minnis, Becky McDermott, Clif Crabtree, Ray Marshall, Frank Gentry and Keith Brown.

Past presidents Gentry, Streusand, Guggenheim, and Davis, each representing a different time frame in the industry, shared perspectives on developments and changes they have experienced in the mortgage business during the past 30 years.

“This was a great way for us to close out a really productive year for HMBA,” Dawley said. “Listening to these past presidents and hearing what their concerns were back in the day, I realize how far we’ve progressed professionally and how hard all of them worked to present our industry to consumers in a positive way. We owe them many thanks.”

After much anticipation and concern, the new TRID (TILA / RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule) documents went into use on October 3^rd. Mortgage bankers, realtors and title officers assembled for the Houston Mortgage Bankers Association monthly meeting on October 14 at Maggiano’s restaurant received an update on the forms’ progress from HMBA President Bill Dawley.

“Well, TRID is officially here!” said Dawley. “The first part of TRID - new loan applications on or after October 3^rd- is in full-speed-ahead mode. We haven't seen or heard of any broad issues with the new Loan Estimate which replaces the Good Faith Estimate and Truth In Lending. We are cautiously optimist on Part Two, the Closing Disclosure, which replaces the HUD 1 Statement. We will see a few of these in late October but the bulk of these new transactions will appear around Thanksgiving.”

Dawley then turned the podium over to the meeting’s featured speaker, former Astros infielder and manager Phil Garner. Garner, a World Champion with the Pittsburg Pirates in 1979, managed the Astros from 2004 to 2007 and led Houston to a World Series appearance in 2005. In addition to his baseball career, Garner has been in commercial real estate development in Houston since the early 1970s. He also constructs athletic fields and has oil interests.

Garner regaled the audience with tales about his playing and management days. “A manager must manage the players, the press and the owners. I dealt very well with the players. I’d do hours of pre-game interviews with the press – and I figured out that sports writers want controversy. And I was fired a lot as a manager. My owner-management skills were lacking,” he said, laughing.

Retired Astros pitcher Roger Clemons received particular praise. “I loved the guy. Rocket was a team player and a mentor for the younger players. He always went the extra mile to make everyone a better player.”

Bob Hale, President and CEO of the Houston Association of Realtors, was the featured speaker at the Houston Mortgage Bankers Association monthly meeting held at Maggiano’s Little Italy on September 9. Bill Dawley, President of HMBA and SVP Residential Lending Production, Amegy Mortgage, introduced Hale to the overflow crowd of mortgage and real estate professionals. 

In a presentation entitled “Staying Relevant in a World of Disruptive Innovation,” Hale discussed the changes that consumers are demanding in traditional services, including the real estate transaction and mortgage loan processes. “It’s all about connecting consumers to what they want,” he said. “Uber and Airbnb are perfect examples. They have given consumers what they want by bypassing – and disrupting - traditional taxi and hotel services. And taxis and hotels, instead of trying to become better in order to compete, have tried to regulate them out of business – to no avail.”

“In the real estate industry, the internet-based companies are an example of innovative disrupters,” Hale continued. “They bypassed Realtors and went directly to the consumer. HAR saw early on that we needed to embrace the kind of services that they were providing such as lead generation and agent ratings, and we have done that. We are also working on giving every broker a virtual office website in order for consumers to access accurate Texas sales prices, allowing Realtors to be the source of information consumers are seeking.” 

Referring to an internet company’s recent purchase of a transaction management company, Hale said, “I expect transaction management that allows consumers to view and manage every facet of their real estate sale or purchase transaction on-line in real time will be the norm very soon. Innovative disruption is changing the mortgage and real estate industries and mortgage bankers and Realtors will adapt and change with it.”

The Houston Mortgage Bankers Association held their monthly luncheon at Maggiano’s Little Italy on Wednesday, August 12. Featured speaker for the event was Scott Davis, Houston Regional Director of Metrostudy. Davis has a particular focus on millennial generation housing preferences and has authored two books on the millennial generation.

In his remarks to the assembled mortgage lending professionals, Davis gave a state-of-the-market assessment of Houston’s housing market and offered his thoughts on the market’s performance in the near future.

“The Houston metropolitan area continues to lead the nation in single family permits. We are down a bit from June 2014 but I believe that is a return to a more normal, balanced market than we’ve had in recent years,” Davis said. “In fact, recent data is showing that the overall Houston economy is stronger than indicated.”

According to Davis, inventory is still low, hovering at a three month supply of available housing on the market. “Equilibrium is a six-month supply of available housing. I see inventory remaining low well into 2016 and 2917, and that’s going to keep the market up.”

Davis also said that an anticipated mortgage rate increase would not suppress housing sales activity and might even stimulate sales.