MBA Chair to Form Leadership 'Think Tank'

In her first official act as chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association, Regina Lowrie says she will create a new council to develop a "tactical plan" that will serve as a guide for the now 3,000-member trade group through the next decade.Described by the Horsham, Pa., lender as a "think tank," the panel of 15-20 members will include "some of the most accomplished leaders" in the housing finance field, Ms. Lowrie said at the MBA's annual convention in Orlando. She said she has "someone in mind" to chair the council but declined to name the person because he, or she, hasn't been asked as yet. Ms. Lowrie told MortgageWire that the group will consist of nonpartisan, independent thinkers who represent all facets of the "food chain," including large and small, commercial and residential, and all the production channels. The MBA's current three-year strategic plan is entering its second year, and Ms. Lowrie expects the council's report, due by the end of summer 2006, to set the framework for the trade group's next blueprint. "I think that, as the trade association that speaks for the housing finance industry, this is a major undertaking," she told MW. "This will be a big part of my legacy."