We caught up with mortgage professionals at AIME Fuse to find out
When it comes to setting out in the mortgage broker space – either entirely from scratch, or in a switch from the retail channel – the value of working with an association is clear.
That was the message of brokers who spoke with Mortgage Professional America at the recent Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) Fuse conference in New Orleans, where over 1,100 mortgage professionals convened for a two-day blend of networking, education, and celebration.
For Darren Copeland (pictured, top left), getting started with AIME proved a seminal moment in his journey to the broker channel. While still working in the retail space but mulling a switch in 2018, he and his wife decided to attend the association’s Fuse event that year, an experience that proved an eye-opening one. “It blew me away,” he told MPA.
“It really made me see what the organization is about, how many rock stars are around here. So that’s a great idea for people thinking about it.”
The opportunity to network and develop new industry contacts at Fuse has proven a constant benefit for Copeland – now president and chief executive officer at Summit Lending USA – in the years since he entered the broker channel. “I always encourage people to get out of town, go meet some new friends – because you just never know who you’re going to come across,” he said.
“I’ve met some amazing people. We even get loans out of it because some brokers might not be licensed in Kansas City [his local market]. I might get someone that is going to New York or something like that – and we’re not licensed in New York, so I send it to one of my buddies. It’s relationships, it’s getting better… and just getting smarter.”
Mortgage rates have dropped to a two-year low, boosting market activity, with applications rising 14.2% last week, reports the MBA.
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) September 20, 2024
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Opening doors in the mortgage industry
Jay Lessard (pictured, centre), president at Sonoran Lending, said AIME – and its Brokers are Better network – had been an instrumental ally both in his early days as a broker and throughout his career since.
A program called Spark, geared towards helping military members, veterans, women in mortgage, and minorities enter the broker channel, was a key reason he decided to open a brokerage. “Part of it was grant money to help fund your business, but it was more than that,” he said.
“It was mentorship. I had people in my corner. There were special trainings that we went through. There was a whole focus on development. And Katie Sweeney [the then-CEO of AIME) and her team at the time did a really good job of helping new brokers establish a brokerage.”
Rebranded as Brokers Are Best at Fuse this year, the Facebook group is another invaluable resource for brokers, Lessard said. “There’s a lot of collaboration that goes on,” he explained. “In times where I may have an odd situation, the first place I go to is that group just to search who else has had that.
“Sometimes I’ll reach out to that person: ‘Hey, whatever happened with this? What was the final resolution?’ And that’s invaluable.”
A valuable resource during leaner times
The association’s focus on helping brokers succeed is constant through thick and thin, according to Meredith Brush (pictured, top right) of Brush Mortgage Team, who told MPA that it had provided a welcome boost during an especially lean market in 2019 moving into 2020.
At the time, Brush was working virtually alone, with just a processor for help. “What AIME did for me was when I was struggling in business, they reached out to me and supported me, and sponsored my Fuse attendance online during COVID, when it was virtual,” she said.
“To have an organization like this reach out to me directly and help me to set something in place, to help me progress back in business and get back on track has helped me to rebuild the team.”
Having attended her first in-person AIME conference in 2021, this year’s New Orleans event was Brush’s fourth in a row – and she says she doesn’t think she’ll ever skip it. “Just being able to come here and be inspired and motivated after 20 years in the business [is essential],” she said. “You tend to get burned out, but every year that I’m here I come back motivated and stronger than ever.”
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