New NAMB Prez to Stay the Course

If there is a theme to Harry Dinham's term as the new president of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, it is continuity.Elected at the NAMB's annual convention, the 39-year mortgage industry veteran from Plano, Texas, said he aims to maintain the good works of his predecessors. "I firmly believe in continuity from president to president," Mr. Dinham told the convention. One initiative planned by the new NAMB leader is a "serious effort to address the abuses that exist in some affiliated business arrangements." Such schemes "injure consumers because they inhibit and at times outright prevent them" from shopping for the best rates and terms, the soft-spoken Texan said. "We are against the use of affiliated business arrangements as a veil to coercive lending tactics," he said. On another front, the new president said he hopes to expand his group's educational efforts and certification initiatives. Along that line, it will soon pilot a new entry-level professional designation -- the General Mortgage Associate, or GMA.