“The One” Show You Can’t Miss: MBA Annual 2017 in Review

While October may mean college football and pumpkin spice lattes to some, for our agency and many of our clients, October is dedicated to all things MBA Annual. This year, MBA’s Annual Convention & Expo took attendees to the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado for a full four days of professional development and networking with some of the biggest names in the mortgage industry. And while Denver’s signature snowfall may not have made an appearance for this year’s show, some familiar names and faces did make the trip…

What do you get when you combine a 10-time Grammy award winner, a former neurosurgeon turned high ranking government official and one of the all-time greatest players in the NFL? Answer: MBA Annual 2017. Aside from hosting several thousand members of today’s mortgage industry, the speaker docket for this year’s show included some impressive names ranging from two-time Super Bowl champion, Peyton Manning, to U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, Ben Carson. To top things off, attendees were treated to a private concert from multiplatinum recording artist John Legend after a full day of sitting in on expert-led sessions and walking the tradeshow floor. Where else would you encounter that line up of individuals (just to name a few) under the same roof!?

Aside from a dynamic range of keynote speakers and entertainers, this year’s MBA Annual provided insight into the future of the mortgage industry as we look toward 2018 and the looming regulatory updates around HMDA taking effect January 1. While HMDA has been a key topic of conversation across the industry and for the past few MBA conferences, we saw many companies showcasing new innovations aimed at easing the transition into new regulations, as well as the mortgage process as a whole. The term “Digital Mortgage” seemed to be thrown around a lot and although this phrase has been part of the industry’s vernacular since the mid-90’s, the technologies and best practices highlighted throughout the conference seem to support the notion that a fully “Digital Mortgage” experience may become a reality in the very near future.

With each passing year, MBA’s Annual Conference aims to breathe new life into the industry by providing a platform for key players to share the steps they’re taking to help better the overall mortgage process. As the industry continues to evolve both from a technological and regulatory standpoint, the Mortgage Bankers Association itself is experiencing new changes, announcing the retirement of CEO David Stevens to focus on his health and family following his diagnosis with prostate cancer in 2016. Although Stevens will remain at the helm of MBA until September 2018, his tremendous impact on MBA is already abundantly clear as the association currently boasts its greatest financial health since its inception 104 years ago. Highlighting the on-going support of MBA’s various members and the industry as a whole, Stevens also announced that the association is currently searching for its next CEO before he officially steps down next year.

With another MBA Annual now in the books, we look forward to what’s in store for the industry moving into 2018 and anticipate many new innovations between now and next year’s show. Speaking of next year, MBA’s 2018 Annual Convention will take attendees to the very epicenter of the industry’s regulatory evolution in Washington, D.C. We hope to see you there!

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