From Nov. 1 to Nov. 5, 2021, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Mortgage Action Alliance (MAA) has its action week, a national, industry-wide campaign to help real estate finance professionals learn how to become more engaged in political advocacy supporting the industry.
MAA currently has 70,000 members and represents a broad range of industry professionals ready to act on key issues. During the 116th Congress (2019-2020), MAA supported both HR 6794 and S 4260. Both bills promoted access to credit for homebuyers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, MAA action week had more than 110 companies and organizations run campaigns to get real estate finance professionals engaged in advocacy,” the organization stated. “That level of involvement was pivotal in tripling total MAA membership and resulted in advocates sending more than 150,000 messages to elected officials at the local, state and federal levels.”
The program provides tools for its members to reach out to policymakers. For example, MAA currently supplies quick links and form letters for members to send directly to members of Congress, state legislators, and federal regulators on topics such as supporting remote online notarization; preserving industry tax priorities during the budget reconciliation, both for residential/single-family and commercial real estate finance; and expanding affording homeownership opportunities and revitalizing communities.
Steven Plaisance, Gateway First Bank president of mortgage banking, is the MAA chair for 2021-2022.
“Under the new Biden-Harris administration and the 177th Congress, MBA is poised to continue advocating for our industry,” Plaisance said. “MAA will be a significant cornerstone of that advocacy.”
Those who wish to join MAA do not need to be MBA members to do so. MAA is a voluntary, non-partisan, and free grassroots lobbying network dedicated to strengthening the industry’s voice and lobbying power in Washington, D.C., as well as state capitals.