Reverse Mortgage magazine Nov-Dec 2020

“The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the teams’ mission.” — Colin Powell GIVEN THE EVER-CHANGING landscape that we have become accustomed to, I can be certain of one thing when looking forward to the year ahead: We are all going to have to rely heavily on flexibility and imagination. The conditions of our marketplace will continue to shift, and we will be more than ready to shift when conditions warrant it. That being said, I am confident that we will continue to have our members’ backs and continue to advocate for our members and the seniors you all serve. We will continue to support the refinement of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured HECM program, which is indeed a unique public policy solution to the financial challenges faced by America’s aging population. There are no quick and easy fixes, but thoughtful refinement can ensure the longevity of this critically important program. NRMLA, also, will continue itsworkwithourmembership to expand the avail- ability of private-label reverse mortgages in the marketplace. We will advance the cause of the responsible use of home equity through our continued outreach and pub- lic policy advocacy with the U.S. Senate’s Banking Committee, Appropriations Committee and Special Committee on Aging. We will continue to engage with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee and Appropriations Committee, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the FHA, with the Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office. We will continue to engage with state-level regulators and legislators. We will continue to support proactive communica- tions with consumers and members through our member website ( nrmlaonline.org ) and our con- sumer website ( reversemortgage.org ) , as well as throughour bi-monthly Reverse Mortgage magazine, our Weekly Report and our Member Alerts. NRMLA is looking forward to furthering its support of our mem- bership by continually improving our professional development offerings. Through our decidedly unique professional designation program and through the strength of our Education Committee, we will continue to advance the educational offerings for our members and our CRMPs. We will continue to engage with our members through our committee structure. Not only will we continue to support the various committees—including Standards and Ethics, Risk and Compliance, State and Local Issues and HUD Issues—but we will advance the efforts of our newly established Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee to elevate D&I issues and encourage our member companies to continue to make strides toward more diverse and equi- table workplaces. NRMLA will continue to support our strategic rela- tionship building with think tanks, policy advocacy groups and researchers. We will keep the industry conversation going with a variety of in-person and virtual gatherings at a national level and at a regional level. And most importantly in the year ahead, NRMLA will be fleet and flexible. We will be ready to react quickly and appropriately to a wide variety of contingencies and be able to pivot in new directions, as needed, so as to support our members and the seniors you serve. Moving Forward Steve Irwin 2021 Will Be the Year of Flexibility NRMLA Will Be Nimble and Work Hard in the Year Ahead By Steve Irwin, President, NRMLA REVERSE MORTGAGE / NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 5