Departing Chief Touts NAMB Successes

In his final speech as president of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers at the group's annual convention in Indianapolis, George Hanzimanolis told attendees that members have come out of the industry's difficult times "head and shoulders" above the competition. The group has fought for a more level playing field for mortgage brokers and has raised the level of professionalism, Mr. Hanzimanolis said. Members of the group testified 11 times at congressional hearings in the past year and have had an influence, he said, noting changes the NAMB was able to bring about to H.R. 3915. Another triumph cited by Mr. Hanzimanolis is the introduction of the Lending Integrity program. Since the program was unveiled late last year, 1,700 members have qualified and 21 states have met the criteria for program participation. These brokers are being recognized as the cream of the crop, Mr. Hanzimanolis said. The NAMB can be found on the Web at http://www.namb.org.