Member Benefits
There are many benefits to being a member of the Alabama
Mortgage Brokers Association. The association provides you
with continuing education, networking opportunities, and the
latest legal information that could affect mortgage brokers.
AMBA is committed to a continuing effort to provide as many
member discounts as possible.
Here are just a few of the benefits AMAB offers: All AMBA
members also receive membership in the National Mortgage Brokers
Association (NAMB) and have access to all of those benefits.
Check out www.namb.org for more details.
Member Services
AMBA puts on education classes in all areas of the state in
an attempt to make getting your state required continuing
education hours as convenient as possible. In addition to
continuing education, AMBA also holds a monthly luncheon and
some social functions throughout the year to provide you with
current industry news and great networking opportunities.
AMBA also keeps you alerted to changes and potential changes
in the state and federal regulations and policies. The association
has enjoyed a good relationship with the Alabama State Banking
Department and elected state officials. This, along with help
from NAMB, allows us to get your opinions to our governing
bodies. These relationships and support of our members allowed
us to keep HUD's new Proposed Rule from being passed. Most
brokers felt this rule would have been very detrimental to
our industry.
Member Discounts
AMBA currently has a discount set up with Fed Ex. Contact
your account representative for details on your member discount.
NAMB offers several affiliate discounts to its members. The
association continues to look to establish more discount programs,
including the most requested benefit Health Insurance.
Monthly Meetings and Conventions
AMBA holds a monthly luncheon on the second Wednesday of each
month. The meetings are held at the Hoover Country Club in
Birmingham, Alabama. Each monthly meeting has a speaker and
usually a luncheon sponsor. This is a great way to keep in
touch with what is going on at the state level as well as
on the national front. The meetings also offer great networking
opportunities with all of our affiliate members. Learn about
new programs, who has the best rates, where you can place
that "special" deal, or who has the quickest underwriting
times. AMBA is once again partnering with Mississippi and Louisiana
for the 2005 Greater Gulf States Mortgage Convention.
This is a once a year event held for brokers. It is held in New
Orleans and hosts special education classes, event hall exhibits
with numerous lenders and affiliates, special meetings, and alot
of fun. For more details
visit www.ggsmc.com.
Website
AMBA's website offers current information on the state and
national level. You can submit your membership application
or renewal online, as well as register for education classes
or luncheons. There is a calendar of events and a complete
listing of all the board members. In addition to AMBA's website,
members also have access to NAMB's website at www.namb.org
Certification
AMBA offers the designation of Alabama Residential Mortgage
Lender. This designation separates you from the competition.
To obtain your ARML designation, review the process at www.almba.org/compliance.cfm
NAMB offers two designations for mortgage brokers, The CRMS
(Certified Residential Mortgage Specialist) and the CMC (Certified
Mortgage Consultant). These certifications are national certifications
and allow you to demonstrate your knowledge and commitment
to the industry. More information on qualifying for these
certifications is available at the NAMB website, www.namb.org under Certifications.
Legislative Issues
AMBA stays in tune with all current legislative matters that
could affect mortgage brokers in our state through our legislative
committee and our state lobbyist. In addition to staying tune
to state issues, we also keep abreast of national issues through
NAMB. This is one of the most important benefits of the association.
Making sure potentially damaging legislation does not make
it through, or through our support of good legislation, AMBA
represents our interest on both the state and national level.
Two very important funds have been setup to help our political
concerns. AMBA PAC Fund was setup to make funds available
to help support candidates who favor our position. This fund
is very important, so please contribute to it. The NAMB PAC
fund is a similar type fund, which represents our interest
on the national front. This fund is equally important if not
more important. Past members contributions were a big part
of the recent defeat of HUD's proposed rule. HUD will be coming
back with a new rule soon, so contributions to this fund are
more important than ever. Mortgage Brokers have many elected
officials that support us. They must have our support in order
to ensure someone is looking out for our interests.
How to become a Mortgage Broker
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