It was wonderful to see so many MBA members here in Washington last week for our Annual Convention & Expo. Seeing how the sausage is made from behind the scenes for the first time, I can tell you that a lot of work goes into Annual to make it such a successful event. I can also tell you that the MBA family was only too happy to welcome the country’s largest gathering of real estate finance professionals, more than 4,200, to our home here in Washington. And hosting Annual in Washington gave MBA members the opportunity to hear directly from the policymakers whose decisions impact our industry.

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Recently there has been a renewed interest in the role of non-bank lenders in the broader mortgage marketplace. Independent mortgage bankers (IMBs) currently originate more than half of single-family mortgages. Their success is based on a combination of local market knowledge, innovation, nimbleness, and commitment — in fact, the vast majority of IMBs are monoline institutions with mortgages as their sole line of business.

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