Vanguard Mortgage & Title and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers Honor Oregon Mortgage Broker With Trailblazer Award
Leaders from Vanguard Mortgage & Title and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) joined forces on Sunday in Seattle, Washington to announce the recipient of the First Annual Vanguard Mortgage & Title Trailblazer Award. The Trailblazer award was created by Vanguard Mortgage & Title, the nation's only pioneering mortgage partnership, to demonstrate clear, irrefutable evidence of trailblazing, enlightened, ethical mortgage brokers across the country partnering with the communities in which they live and work. As calls for mortgage fraud reform grow louder on Capitol Hill, it is time for some good news about mortgage brokers.
Littleton, CO (PRWEB) June 25, 2007
Leaders from Vanguard Mortgage & Title and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) joined forces on Sunday in Seattle, Washington to announce the recipient of the First Annual Vanguard Mortgage & Title Trailblazer Award. The award honors a mortgage broker who has upheld NAMB's Code of Ethics and demonstrated a sustained commitment to community volunteerism, dedicating their time, energy, or resources to local non-profit organizations.
With the retrenchment of the nation's housing market and rising rates of foreclosure in recent months, the mortgage industry has come under increasing pressure from politicians and the general public. Positive stories about brokers have been few and far between. The Trailblazer award was created by Vanguard Mortgage & Title (http://www. vanguardco. com), the nation's only pioneering mortgage partnership, to demonstrate clear, irrefutable evidence of trailblazing, enlightened, ethical brokers across the country partnering with the communities in which they live and work.
"As calls for mortgage fraud reform grow louder on Capitol Hill, it is time for some good news about brokers," said Joe Falk, 2001 NAMB President and current NAMB Legislative Chairman. "All NAMB members subscribe to NAMB's Code of Ethics. Bad brokers are the exceptions, not the rule. The overwhelming number of brokers are hard working, honest, and ethical. They contribute to their communities. It is time to tell their stories."
This year's winner was chosen from finalists across the nation by an independent audit and selection committee. The call for nominations was submitted to NAMB membership and promoted aggressively on Vanguard Mortgage & Title's website. Award nominations were accepted from the NAMB board, staff, Vanguard partner companies, and the general public. Self-nominations were also considered.
Vanguard Mortgage & Title named Linda MacCoy the first annual Vanguard Mortgage & Title Trailblazer Award winner at a Sunday press conference held during the annual NAMB membership meeting. Ms. MacCoy is the CEO of First Independent Mortgage Group (Beaverton, Oregon) and Director of Mortgage You, Inc., a consumer lending education academy. Over the past 30 years, Ms. MacCoy has held various non-profit board leadership positions including the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women (NAPMW) and the Mortgage Lenders Education Board. As part of her volunteer activities, she has conducted free training seminars for aspiring future mortgage industry leaders at local real estate schools and at Portland State University. She has also relentlessly hosted free consumer homebuyer awareness seminars within her community.
"Vanguard Mortgage & Title is pleased to honor Linda MacCoy for her dedication and local community service," announced Michael Knight, CEO of Vanguard Mortgage & Title. "Linda, like Vanguard, represents the future of the mortgage industry, defined by integrity, support and pioneering partnership across mortgage brokerages and communities."
Amidst 2,000 mortgage originator, lender, loan service specialist and appraiser conference attendees, Mr. Knight presented Ms. MacCoy with a $10,000 grant, underwritten by the Vanguard Foundation. The Vanguard Foundation was formed in May to benefit at-risk youth and education. The grant money is being furnished to help the Trailblazer award winner further their community volunteer efforts.
"Mortgage brokers do good work," commented Armand Cosenza, Jr., current NAMB Industry Partner Liaison and Past President, immediately following the press conference. "The National Association of Mortgage Brokers and Vanguard Mortgage & Title issue a call to action to mortgage brokers everywhere to continue to uphold NAMB's Code of Ethics and recommit themselves to giving back to the communities in which they live and do business."
With her $10,000 Vanguard Mortgage & Title Trailblazer Award grant, Ms. MacCoy plans to create a non-profit arm of her training company, Mortgage You, to provide free financial literacy training for high school level youth. Having researched available consumer education, she plans to partner with Money Smart, an FDIC program. MoneySmart's mission is to enrich financial literacy amongst young consumers.
"It is an absolute dream to receive this award and to have an opportunity to inspire financial literacy in our nation's youth." said award winner Linda MacCoy. "I'm grateful to the Vanguard Foundation for their partnership and support."
For more about the Vanguard Mortgage & Title Trailblazer Award, including the detailed nomination process and selection criteria, please visit www. vanguardco. com.
About Vanguard Mortgage & Title
Vanguard Mortgage & Title is the nation's only pioneering partnership for mortgage brokers. Vanguard partnership presents the nation's top 3.3 percent of all mortgage brokers with an opportunity to transform into mortgage bankers. The only viable alternative to joining a net branch or securing a warehouse line, Vanguard ensures partner companies enhance both short and long term wealth creation.
About the National Association of Mortgage Brokers
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (http://www. namb. org) is the voice of the mortgage broker industry with more than 25,000 members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NAMB provides education, certification and government affairs representation for the mortgage broker industry, which originates over 50% of all residential loans in the United States.
###
