The Mortgage Bankers Association’s chief economist,
Brinkmann said in a statement, “Having the opportunity to work for the mortgage industry through all of the changes of the last 13 years, not to mention becoming MBA’s chief economist at the onset of the recession, has been a tremendous but exhausting experience. My wife Nancy and I own an historic old home in New Orleans and we have decided that the time has come to relocate down there on a more full-time basis to be closer to family, especially our new grandson, and to see if we still remember how properly to boil a pot of crawfish.
“I am looking forward to seeing what it is like to trade the sturm und drang of daily life in Washington for the luxury of reading The Wall Street Journal on my front porch while the streetcars roll by.”
But MBA president and CEO Dave Stevens said, “Something tells me that he will not be sitting on his New Orleans porch watching streetcars for long and that we will see him back involved in the industry in some capacity. In the meantime, I hope to be able to announce Jay’s successor in a few weeks so we can begin the transition process.”
Among possible candidates are three “principal deputies” Brinkmann thanks in his retirement missive: Marina Walsh, Jamie Woodwell and Mike Fratantoni.
