ACUMA ONpoint

Accountability, both on the job and in life, is the responsibility we all have for accomplishing the tasks that we’ve chosen or have been given to us. Too often, however, the word becomes a negative used to connote failure. Sales consultant Dr. Bruce Lund knows the intrinsic power of the word “accountability” and wants to see it used on both sides of the management equation. Listen as he and ACUMA...

As November’s presidential election approaches, lawmakers are slowing their wheels in anticipation of a change in administration. Topics around housing (in particular junk fees), financial institutions' use of artificial intelligence (AI), and others are still in hot debate, but with vacations looming, Congress is literally running out of time. In this edition, Shareholder, Leah Dempsey of Br...

Women are vital in financial services and mortgage lending, especially among credit unions. Providing both support and opportunities is critical to helping them excel in their roles and provide excellent member service, or so says Kris Kully, a partner with Mayer Brown and president of the Women in Housing and Finance Foundation. In this podcast, Kris shares with ACUMA President Peter Benjamin how...

Mortgage lending is a complex business with many steps and multiple individuals involved in closing the deal for the borrower. In most cases the process follows the domino principle: When one domino falls, the rest are sure to follow. The only way to stop that from happening is to assure that all involved understand the entire process. Effective training is critical to success, according to Ask th...

It’s a year of turmoil and change, but one constant shines through from many agendas: housing, housing, and more housing. From interest rate volatility to inventory shortages to mortgage fees of all types, everyone from House and Senate leaders to presumptive presidential candidates from both parties sees housing issues among the most critical challenges currently facing American consumers. In thi...

April showers bring May flowers, but in the right environment they can also help nurture mortgage loan growth despite what are sure to be some stormy days ahead. That’s the message Patty Mason, Vice President of Real Estate Lending for American Eagle Financial Credit Union, shares with her staff when it comes to revitalizing credit union mortgage loan strategies and cultivating new ones. Be missio...

According to Logan Mohtashami, Lead Analyst for HousingWire, economics done right is often boring. The discipline is data-driven, and understanding how to read data is the secret to understanding economic conditions, right? Well, there’s more to it than that, and often it’s the “why” and “wherefore” of that data, where it’s been and where it’s going, that makes all the difference. The highly compe...

Like the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the current D.C. climate may be best described as one of “double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble,” or more commonly, Election Year. It’s a time when issues old and new are trotted out by friends and opponents alike to see what’s likely to stick when the new Administration takes office. In this episode, D.C. policy expert Leah Demps...

There are big differences between buying an existing home and building a new one. Likewise, there are similar differences in writing a mortgage loan on an existing home versus working with consumers to finance the various steps in the home-building process. According to Shannon Faries, Director of Risk Management for Land Gorilla, this is a market that credit unions can own because of their close...

Seeking graduate-level training in leading a credit union mortgage lending program? Ready to discuss everything from e-closings to improving the housing inventory to growing your mortgage loan portfolio? Look no further than Beth Eller, SVP of Mortgage Lending Truliant Federal Credit Union. She is among the “best” that the credit union mortgage industry has to offer when it comes to capability and...

With apologies to whomever said it first, the theme of the latest ACUMA podcast – and the first in its monthly series on policy updates – could well be “May You Legislate in Interesting Times.” According to experts polled in this first episode, 2024 is no ordinary year, but one when not only the presidential administration may change, but how we do business as financial institutions may come under...

The partnership between credit union mortgage lenders and Realtors is as symbiotic as it can be successful. But that success is greatest when the two professionals have a previously established relationship and understand how best to meet each other’s business needs in the process, according to Christopher Davis, AVP of Business Development with Navy Federal Credit Union. Listen in to this podcast...

Difficult times call for exceptional leaders, those who can maximize the talents and personalities of their staff to address the needs of credit union members. How you get there from here comes through a blend of personal traits, professional training, and a positive attitude to help staff members work through their own opportunities and challenges to better meet their professional obligations. Ca...

Looking back on ACUMA in 2023 may mean different things to different members, but it clearly meant good things – let’s say GREAT things – to the association’s powerhouse staff: Peter Benjamin, President; Krista Korfmacher, Director of Events and Member Relations; Justin Hawkins, Director of Marketing & Communications; and Camryn Hinton, Associate Director of Events and Member Relations. The fo...

The lack of affordable housing continues to plague society’s different economic strata, but there are things credit unions can and should do to foster greater homeownership among current and potential members. To credit unions, members are more than mere transactions, and it behooves them to act as servant leaders to make the dream of homeownership a reality. Join ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, C...

Sometimes the smallest decisions we make have the greatest consequences, often defining and shaping the trajectory of our lives. For Suha Zehl, founder and senior advisor with Z Technology Solutions, understanding and seizing those pivotal moments define us and, ultimately, influence the direction and the success of our lives. This is true not only for ourselves as individuals, but for those we me...

The clearest path to financial security is through homeownership, but how many of your members know your credit union not only offers mortgage loans but is sincerely interested in embarking on that journey with them? According to Wendy Dawson, Vice President of Mortgage Lending for Coastal Federal Credit Union, this awareness is especially critical for first-time homebuyers. Through propensity mod...

We've all heard it at some point or another in the past few years. Face-to-face conversations have seen a large decline. Peter Benjamin, President of ACUMA is coming to you live from ACUMA's Annual Conference in the beautiful Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor, MD where he is joined by Kathy Weber, VP of Residential Lending at Delta Community Credit Union; and Mike Vogue with Optimal Blue...

How do you motivate your loan officers – internal as well as external – during difficult times? For Nestor Villanueva, AVP for Mortgage Production at Northwest Federal Credit Union, motivation and success are built on the twin cornerstones of trust and accountability. These are not processes that happen overnight, and they must create a two-way street to assure mortgage lending success. If both si...

Mortgage lending success requires different skills, abilities, and levels of awareness. Central to those is being readily available to members, Realtors, and anyone else involved in the mortgage lending process. That means being there when they call if only to let them know you’re involved and working toward a resolution. Such immediacy works wonders, says Jen Poniatowski, Vice President of Member...

The financial market is always changing, but emerging generations have difficulty distinguishing between credit unions, banks, and other lenders. When it comes to home mortgages, most don’t understand and are fearful of the process, knowing little about credit unions’ natural advantages to help first-time homebuyers achieve their personal financial goals. Education, outreach, and sensitivity to pe...

Succeeding in any enterprise turns on your ability to understand the minds of your constituents. In credit union mortgage lending, your constituency starts with borrowers but stretches to include the Realtors you work with and the institutions you compete with to serve your members best. That quickly becomes a busy field of play, and ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, puts his head together with...

Everyone talks about leadership, but little is said about being a good teammate. Good leaders know that they, of course, can’t do it alone. Great leaders know that good teammates able to work together, support each other’s efforts, fill in the gaps, and score in whatever discipline they perform are both vital to success and themselves great leaders in the making. ACUMA president Peter Benjamin, CM...

Work brings value to time, or so the saying goes. High-level credit union professionals know how to manage time productively in ways that maximize their own days and those of their staff members. But it takes a certain level of emotional intelligence to look beyond mere efficiencies and find a rationale for time management, especially as it relates to serving members.  That’s the wisdom Amber Spee...

Few things demand more time and energy than our professions. One of the exceptions seems to be hot sauce, especially when shared among friends. Join ACUMA staff members Krista Korfmacher, Justin Hawkins, and Camryn Hinton as they put ACUMA President, Peter Benjamin, CMB, on the hot seat about what the association has accomplished in the first 18 months of his tenure, and what lies ahead for the fu...