In this issue of The Industry Campus, we highlight last week's Trainer Roundtable, held at MBA headquarters in Washington, DC. We also proudly announce the 2007 Corporate Training and Education (CTE) Award winners.

Next, we take the opportunity to highlight some of the benefits available to those who have earned the Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designation. This month's CMB Profile features David W. Pulford, Jr., CMB, AMP. Not only did we ask him about his experiences as a CMB designee, but also we discussed his new role as President of the Maryland Mortgage Bankers Association.

In his monthly editorial, Vice President of Education John Golden discusses CampusMBA's upcoming course titled The Future of Structured Transactions as well as other forthcoming Secondary Marketing courses.

Last, we have a special request for commercial/multifamily technology experts, remind you of the upcoming Corporate Diversity Leadership (CDL) Award deadline, list seven reasons why you should attend the School of Mortgage Servicing, and extend our congratulations to July's certificate and designation graduates.

CampusMBA's Trainer Roundtable

The Mortgage Bankers Association and CampusMBA developed the Trainer Roundtable to encourage organizations throughout the country to collaborate and discuss current issues affecting the real estate finance industry. In an industry that employs more than 500,000 people in virtually every community in the country, CampusMBA is committed to listening to your concerns and providing the educational tools you need as the industry continues to develop.

The July 25-26, 2007 Trainer Roundtable proved to be both an informative and dynamic program. During the event, attendees were given an opportunity to tour the US Capitol, meet the President and staff of MBA, and network with industry leading trainers at the reception and dinner sponsored by Calculated Industries.

In addition, the participants discussed topics such as: Determining Training Needs, Learning Strategies in a Changing Market, and Talent Management. Participants described their experience as an "invaluable opportunity to network with peers and learn about new and upcoming challenges within our industry."

"The breakouts and the speakers were extremely informative as always. I think it's amazing that you provide a forum like this for us to benchmark and share best practices on an annual basis."
-Gary Culbreath, Sr. Manager, Instructional Design and Program Development

"The conference was great and the high quality of presentations and attendees made it very worthwhile."
- Joanne Rehm, National Underwriting Training Director

Finally, the participant discussed return on investment (ROI) training methods that each participant could incorporate into their company training programs.

The staff at CampusMBA would like to thank the participants of the Trainers Roundtable for the robust discussions and for valuable feedback on ways to enhance next year's event.

The 2007 Trainers Roundtable at MBA's Headquarters in Washington, DC.

2007 CTE Award Winners

The 2007 Corporate Training and Education (CTE) Awards were presented last week at CampusMBA's Trainers Roundtable. Held at MBA's headquarters in Washington, DC, John Golden, Vice President of Education, and Jonathan Kempner, CEO and President of MBA, were honored to take part in this event. The awards were presented in two categories: Best Overall Training Program and Education Advocate of the Year.

Best Overall Training Program

The Best Overall Corporate Training Program Award recognizes the corporate training program that exemplifies innovation and effectiveness. To be considered for this honor, the training program should reflect a blended learning approach through various modalities.

GreenPoint Mortgage Funding Inc. was awarded First Place in the category of Best Overall Corporate Training Program for the second consecutive year. GreenPoint Mortgage’s Learning Center Online (LCO) provides a variety of self-managed learning events and activities to 2,700 associates in 40 geographic locations, as well as to external customers and offshore partners. The Learning Center adheres to the philosophy that learning is an integral part of, not an addition to, role responsibilities. Ani Mukerji accepted the award on behalf of GreenPoint.

Ani Mukerji of GreenPoint Mortgage Funding Inc., with Jonathan Kempner, President and CEO of MBA. Unable to attend were Beverly Johnson, Carol Ward, and Susan Schold.

GMAC's Consumer Services New Hire Training was awarded the Honorable Mention in the category of Best Overall Corporate Training. The Consumer Services New Hire Training program provides GMAC Mortgage associates with the information and tools necessary to develop the skills required to perform their job functions. The curriculum is made up of a combination of computer-based, self-paced modules, web conferences, facilitator-led training, and an online Job Aid Library.

Jessica Malone-Lewis, Gary Culbreath, Terri Lewis, and Susan Reed of GMAC
with John Golden, Vice President of Education, MBA.

Education Advocate of the Year

Charlotte O'Donnell of the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association (CMLA) is CampusMBA's 2007 Education Advocate of the Year. Ms. O'Donnell's commitment and drive impressed our entire judging panel. As CMLA's Community Resource Director, O'Donnell has developed educational resources for her community, the industry, consumers and quasi-government entities while also managing CMLA mortgage lending classes at local community colleges.

Charlotte O'Donnell of the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association
with Jonathan Kempner, President and CEO of MBA.

To learn more about the CTE Awards, visit our website at www.campusmba.org/cte or contact Sandra Sigurdardottir at (202) 557-2880 or ssigurdardottir@mortgagebankers.org.

Year of the 1,000th CMB

At MBA’s Annual Conference and Expo in October, CampusMBA will proudly celebrate reaching 1,000 Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designees.

Since its inception in 1973, the CMB has been the highest professional designation for the real estate finance industry. The CMB community is made up of outstanding industry professionals and leaders.

By now, industry professionals are well aware of the hard work and dedication it takes to earn the CMB. Through professional experience, education, and industry participation, candidates diligently accumulate the points necessary to earn the designation. But it doesn’t end there; CMBs are also required to earn five continuing education points every two years.

But what is it all for? What are the perks?

Countless CMBs have told us how earning the designation helped them advance their careers, enhanced their industry knowledge, made them stand out among their peers, gave them confidence, and allowed them to better network with colleagues. CampusMBA staff has yet to meet the CMB who doesn’t feel the designation has positively impacted his or her career and life.

There are other benefits too.

• The Society of CMBs
  To maintain integrity and professionalism, the Society of Certified Mortgage Bankers was established to govern the designation. The leadership is composed of seven members who must also be members of MBA's Board of Directors, Residential Board of Governors, or Commercial Board of Governors. All CMB designees are active members of the Society.
• CMB Society Fellow Award
  The Society Fellow award recognizes a designee's contributions to the CMB Designation.
• MyCMB Online Resource Center
  On the CMB Resource Center, designees can find useful tips and resources to assist them in spreading the word about the Residential, Commercial, and Master CMB designations. This site also stores past issues of The Society Page newsletter, the online CMB Profile questionnaire, a list of upcoming Society events, and more.
• The Society Page newsletter
  The Society Page is the exclusive newsletter for the Society of Certified Mortgage Bankers. The newsletter is distributed regularly throughout the year.
• Society Events
  CMB designees are granted exclusive access to special Society events, meetings, and networking receptions at MBA conferences.
• CMB Conference Calls
  Open to all CMB designees, these quarterly conference calls provide participants with important CMB designation updates, such as new requirements, special events, exam updates, enhanced benefits, etc.
• Shop CMB – New!
  CampusMBA has recently launched an exclusive Shop CMB online store, featuring CMB branded merchandise, such as T-shirts, pens, key chains, etc.
• CampusMBA Web-Based Courses
  All CMB designees have access to CampusMBA's web-based courses free of charge.
• MBA Conferences
  CMB designees can register for MBA conferences at the member rate while in between employment.
• CMB Profiles
  CMB Profiles are regularly featured in CampusMBA's electronic newsletter, The Industry Campus .

To learn more about the CMB program, visit our website at www.campusmba.org/cmb , or contact Hannah Zippin at (202) 557-2780, or hzippin@mortgagebankers.org.

David W. Pulford, Jr., CMB, AMP
a CMB Profile

David W. Pulford, Jr., CMB, AMP President, Worthington Overlook Mortgage Consultants, LLC President, Maryland Mortgage Bankers Association Adamstown, MD

Dave Pulford, CMB, AMP, is the President and owner of Worthington Overlook Mortgage Consultants, LLC. Dave's company focuses on improving the efficiencies of mortgage banks and mortgage brokers, from the origination to delivery of loans to the secondary market. In addition, Dave recently took over as President of the Maryland Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Industry Campus caught up with Dave to ask him a few questions about his new responsibilities, the CMB designation, and teaching at CampusMBA's School of Mortgage Banking.

When did you earn your CMB and what motivated you to do so?

I earned the Master CMB designation in 2000 after completing CampusMBA's School of Mortgage Banking (SOMB). I decided to test through while the information I had just learned was still fresh in my mind. However, it was a goal I had set for myself 15 years earlier and I was glad to achieve it.

How has the CMB designation impacted your career?

The CMB gave me the confidence I was lacking before; I was now confident that I knew enough about the real estate finance industry to do just about any job in the industry. The designation has also opened me to a whole network of people I would otherwise not have been introduced to.

You are very active with CampusMBA, first as a student and later as an instructor, subject matter expert, serving on committees, etc. What have these experiences given you?

Being active with CampusMBA has given me a stronger sense of involvement and membership to MBA. And again, it has given me an opportunity to network with so many people in the industry.

How important are education and standards for professionalism to the real estate finance industry?

Education is extremely important and becomes more so every day with the increased legislation and the issues that have arisen in recent years. It is essential for all of us to understand the industry, become better professionals, and rise above those who don't know what they are doing.

In your new capacity as President of the MMBA, what are your goals?

My goal is to increase the number of professional designees within the local organization. Currently, we have five or six Certified Mortgage Bankers (CMBs) and a few Certified Residential Underwriters (CRUs). I'd like to increase those numbers substantially by encouraging members to seek designations. Many people are already well on their way to earning a designation, through education, professional experience, and industry participation, and don't even realize it.

I'd also like to see more employees of our members being active in our organization. On a similar note, I'd also like to see more CMB involvement at the local level, not just the national level, so that the local organizations can also benefit from their knowledge.

What advice do you have for people entering the real estate finance industry?

Get as much education as they can, as early as possible to eliminate the possibility of mistakes. Work toward a designation right from the start; it's important to increase professionalism right at the beginning when people enter the industry.