From the Top our product top of mind for them as they work with their customers. I still believe the best days for reverse mortgages lie in front of us. RM: What’s involved in being co-chair of NRMLA? MK: One of the best things to have come out of my service to the association has been the friendship that Scott and I have developed over these past several years and coming to understand what a good, decent human being he is, and the tireless work he does on the political side ensuring the right folks in Congress understand and support our products. The other plus of being co-chair is the interaction with the NRMLA staff. From NRMLA President Steve Irwin to you and others, it’s an incredibly dedicated group of people who come to work every day, roll their sleeves up and get to it. The other added value for me is getting to know NRMLA CEO and Founder Peter Bell, who has a deep well of knowledge, not just about reverse mortgages but the inner workings of Washington and how we need to navigate the political front and the agency front advocating for our products and our customers. And then, finally, it has been rewarding to get to know so many people and so many members. Whether it’s someone on the Board of Directors or a member of the association, I try to make a handful of calls every week to check in with NRMLA members and see how things are going. That’s a really important part of staying closely connected and grounded with the membership. I’m honored and humbled to have been elected to a fourth term as co-chair. It’s a lot of work. Scott and I probably dedicate somewhere between four to five hours a week, sometimes more, in the pursuit of it. When I look back over my career, it’s one of the absolute highlights of my entire career, whether it be in forward or reverse lending. RM: What are your top priorities for NRMLA in 2023? MK: One of the top priorities for our industry—let’s start there—is to find ways to expand our distribution reach. We need more well-trained people out there offering reverse mortgages. NRMLA contributes to that, but I don’t think that’s NRMLA’s mission. NRMLA’s mission is to serve its membership by ensuring that we have a sustainable product to offer to the marketplace. We do that by working with the regulatory agencies, the legislative branch and the administration to ensure we have ample support. NRMLA does a rock-solid job at that. NRMLA also fills an educational role for people who are currently in the business and want to learn more and for people who are new and want to learn from the beginning. For 2023, we’ve put together a package of program improvements that we think will benefit the entire industry and the seniors we serve. One of our top priorities should be to get that bundle of proposals into the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and start working the process of getting, if not all, at least the majority of these ideas adopted and put into place. RM: When the Board of Directors met in November to start thinking about the new year, you briefly mentioned you’d like to see a future leaders group formed. What do you envision? MK: We need to bring new voices and new ideas to leadership roles on our committees and ultimately to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. This needs to happen not just within NRMLA but also within our own companies. Many companies have embraced policies around diversity, equity and inclusion. That’s a great way to bring new voices into the fold and prepare them for leadership positions. I’d like to see the association formalize a future leaders program similar to what they’ve done at the Mortgage Bankers Association that prepares people from an educational perspective and a thought perspective to take on leadership roles not only within the association but also within their companies. And I think that NRMLA can play a fairly important role in that. RM: I’d like you to touch on the relationships that NRMLA has developed with the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Congress and how they have evolved since you started serving on the Board of Directors. MK: NRMLA has always enjoyed good relationships with the various administrations, regulatory agencies From the Top continued from page 11 12 REVERSE MORTGAGE / MARCH–APRIL 2023
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ1MzY1