Schedule

Commercial real estate markets have been slowed by changes in some properties’ fundamentals, uncertainty about property values and interest rates higher – and more volatile – than they were a couple of years ago. Is the logjam breaking? Come hear the latest on trends and conditions in CRE markets and what to expect as we enter 2025.

The high interest rates that have been a headwind for CRE transaction activity have been a tailwind for MSR values. This session will provide an overview of the key trends and assumptions driving CREF MSRs and what experts expect may be ahead.

What does MBA’s latest economic and mortgage forecast say about where the industry is headed in 2025 and beyond? Hear MBA’s originations volume and rate estimates for the next two years, combined with the economic and housing factors that come into play in determining this outlook. Not to be missed: the latest on mortgage company profitability and performance and the state of mortgage servicing.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been active. In this popular session, hear directly from FASB leadership about the latest FASB pronouncements, current work projects and other issues of interest.

When the rubber hits the road, what are outside accountants and auditors seeing in today’s market as the key issues for CRE finance firms? Hear straight from industry leaders on top issues such as CECL, loan loss reserves, MSRs and more. As the industry prepares to close out 2024 and head into 2025, learn more about the latest accounting and finance issues and how auditors are applying them to the commercial/real estate finance sector.

In this interactive Q&A session, experts discuss timely accounting, financial management and audit topics that impact your bottom line, and share their views on FASB, SEC, PCAOB, and AICPA agendas. This is your chance to have your questions answered on current and upcoming accounting standards updates, and audit issues and challenges. Topics include accounting for ASC Topic 326 (CECL), derivatives and hedging, provisions for repurchases and other compensatory fees, reference rate reform, leasing, and more.

CECL is still relatively new and is getting a real-world work-out. This session highlights how today’s challenging CRE market environment is working through CECL and other loan loss modelling and provisioning.

Servicing has provided a financial windfall and strong cash flows over the past two years. Will it continue? Hear from the experts about their thoughts on servicing as an investment moving forward, with a special focus is on servicing strategies for different loan types. Whether your company retains or releases mortgage servicing rights, this session covers MSR market insights you won’t want to miss.

Well, that was interesting. On the heels of the House, Senate and Presidential elections, listen over lunch as we discuss how the outcome in Washington is likely to affect the climate for real estate finance over the next four years. There’s a lot to talk about.

Every CRE finance firm is different but with many key functions and activities. Thanks to the work of MBA’s CREF Financial Officers Roundtable, we are getting a better view into the operations of firms and some key benchmarks. This session provides an overview of some key findings and includes a discussion of what next steps most benefit MBA member firms.

In this tough market, massive cost cutting measures can only go so far. Mortgage lenders must also review their revenue proposition, but how? Key topics will include ways to analyze competitive pricing and market share data to inform pricing decisions, rethinking hedge and secondary marketing strategies, and potential diversification of product offerings, among others.

FASB, FHFA, FHA, IRS, SEC, NAIC… the alphabet soup goes on. Hear the latest on regulatory and other changes affecting CREF firms. In the wake of 2017’s tax rules expiring, changes at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHLBs, to name a few – now is the time to prepare your business for what’s coming.

How are warehouse lenders analyzing and assessing mortgage bankers these days, especially given the extended low-volume market of the past few years? This panel discusses variables affecting warehouse line terms and best ways for companies to leverage their warehouse relationships. The panel will also provide insights on financing MSRs and servicing advances, and what Washington can do to facilitate market liquidity.

Expert panelists share approaches to forecasting staffing needs, building flexibility into workforce models, balancing in-house vs outsourced resources, and managing remote teams. Attendees also learn about remote work tax implications and other employer obligations across state and county lines.

This session explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence for accounting and finance professionals in the mortgage industry. We’ll discuss practical applications of AI in mortgage finance including streamlining operations, enhancing risk assessment, improving forecasting accuracy, and facilitating decision-making.

The CRE Lending Landscape continues to change. Join our session to hear from treasury and industry leaders about changes to Banking, Treasury, Cash Managed Loans, FDIC, Servicer interpretations of ratings and more. There’s a lot for CRE Finance firms to work through.

The accounting and finance team is often the last level of defense for compliance with RESPA (LO Comp, MSAs, marketing expenses) and other regulations, which means they can also be put in a difficult ethical dilemma. This session arms financial managers and accountants with tools and resources to respond when/if such a dilemma occurs. Hear from this panel of experts on the long-term costs to the company when compliance corners are cut, and how to ensure this doesn’t happen on your watch.

Back by popular demand, find out what’s keeping your CFO up at night. A panel of mortgage industry finance veterans discuss – and debate – the top financial and accounting challenges affecting the mortgage business; including origination environment, compliance, audit and regulatory issues, repurchase risks, pros and cons of various business models, the future of production, financial accounting and reporting tools, and much more.

What better way to close out the conference than getting together with your peers to post-game the meeting, dig into topics that need a little more coverage, raise issues that weren’t discussed and hear how others are addressing your most pressing concerns. Wear your travel clothes and bring your bags.