since he started in the mortgage business. He advocates for a renewed push into the financial services industry, where his company has found great success. However, he suggests the initiative needs to be nationwide to raise the profile of the products uniformly. “There are many reverse mortgage originators who have forged such relationships with financial advisers,” Downey writes. “What I am suggesting is that as an industry, we need to expand these efforts.” One way to appeal to skeptical professionals in the financial services industry is to show that the reverse mortgage industry takes professionalism seriously. Starting in 2009, NRMLA has offered the CRMP credential. Since then, the CRMP program graduates with that designation behind their names have evangelized about the products. In the article Selling With Authority (p. 31), various CRMPs talk about their experiences. When working with an industry, such as financial planning, where credentials are paramount, the CRMP designation can open more doors. Other professionals, at least, are more willing to listen. “A great many of them have certifications,” Karen Pryor, of Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage in Torrance, CA, tells writer M. Diane McCormick. “And I wanted to present myself on the same level.” Pryor earned her CRMP in 2021, but her experience with how the CRMP can open doors is reflected in the comments from other loan originators that McCormick interviews. We also hear from George Downey, a longtime industry veteran, and Mike Kent, who is now serving a fourth term as NRMLA co-chair. George Downey, father of Chris Downey, is the subject of this issue’s feature CRMP: Across the Kitchen Table (p. 14), and Kent gives a Q&A interview in the From the Top (p. 11) article. “Originators need to keep in mind that there’s still a huge market out there that’s untapped,” Kent tells Darryl Hicks, NRMLA vice president of communications. “ ... Now is the time to get back to the basics of acquiring new reverse mortgage customers, showing them the benefits of reverse mortgages and creating better retirement outcomes.” On a final note, you will notice a slight change to our format for this issue. The What’s News segment, which has been appearing since well before I started as senior editor of Reverse Mortgage magazine nearly four years ago, is being revamped. Hicks, who compiles those bits of news you can use, will now be writing a bylined column called Hey, Members (p. 8) where he will offer some of the same news important to you but in a more personal manner. In Reverse In Reverse continued from page 3 NATIONWIDE REVERSE MORTGAGE FIELD SERVICE EXPERTS FOR OVER 30 YEARS 1.800.639.2151 www.nfronline.com Inspections - Preservation - Insurance Loss Inspections - Violation Management - Vacant Property Registrations - Utility Management - REO Services - Special Services 4 REVERSE MORTGAGE / MARCH–APRIL 2023
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ1MzY1