OPENING GENERAL SESSION: Welcome and A Look at the Political Landscape

Chris Mayer

CEO, Longbridge Financial

Dr. Christopher Mayer has led Longbridge’s growth from a startup company in 2013 to the third largest securitizer of newly issued HECM reverse mortgages. He has guided the construction and funding of new proprietary reverse mortgage products. From 2018-2021, Mayer helped manage an 8x increase in the volume of funded loans, propelling the company to become the industry’s fastest-growing major reverse mortgage lender. Previously, he served as Senior Vice Dean and Director of the Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia Business School, where he continues to teach today. Dr. Mayer received his PhD in Economics from MIT and has held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and the Federal Reserve. Mayer has spent his career writing on housing and mortgages, publishing in top academic journals, and receiving funding from the National Science Foundation. During the Financial Crisis, he often engaged with policymakers, testifying six times before Senate and House Committees, and writing for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. He is often quoted in the press, including The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and new media such as Vice Media and Yahoo Finance. A true innovator and “Industry Changemaker,” Dr. Mayer is committed to bringing the value of reverse mortgages to today’s older Americans, with a responsible approach that helps ensure a more secure retirement.

Robert D. Broeksmit, CMB

President & Chief Executive Officer, Mortgage Bankers Association

Robert D. Broeksmit, CMB, is MBA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He is a senior finance executive and corporate officer with over 30 years of experience in the mortgage sector. He has directed all aspects of lending activities, including marketing, sales, operations, secondary marketing, loan servicing, and default management. He has also served as a mortgage underwriting expert testifying on many large, high-profile cases. Prior to joining MBA, Broeksmit served as President and Chief Operating Officer with Treliant, heading the firm’s mortgage litigation support practice. He previously held senior leadership positions in the mortgage business, including 14 years with Chevy Chase Bank (including after its purchase by Capital One) and 7 years as Vice President at Prudential Home Mortgage. He has overseen annual originations of $9 billion, a balance sheet of $10 billion in residential mortgage, and a servicing portfolio of $20 billion. He is past Chairman of MBA’s Residential Board of Governors and a member of its Board of Directors.

Bill Killmer

Senior Vice President, Legislative and Political Affairs, Mortgage Bankers Association

Bill Killmer is Senior Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). A veteran of over three decades in the housing arena, Bill joined MBA in 2010 and is responsible for managing the real estate finance industry's federal legislative, grassroots, and political fundraising activities, in close coordination with the MBA member leadership and its public policy, economics, public affairs, and lobbying teams. He oversees MBA's direct outreach to Congress, and is a regular guest speaker on the intersection of politics, policy, and industry issues. Under Killmer's leadership, grassroots participation through MBA's Mortgage Action Alliance has doubled, while donations to MORPAC, the industry's political action committee, have more than tripled, enhancing the association's ability to develop and execute effective advocacy strategies on the industry's behalf. Killmer came to MBA after nearly 20 years in the policy space at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), where he last served as Executive Vice President for Advocacy, managing all aspects of the group's public policy outreach. During his tenure at both organizations, he has been named as a Washington trade association "Top Lobbyist" by publications such as The Hill and CEO Update. He previously served as a Senior Legislative Officer for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor during the George H.W. Bush administration. Killmer holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (BBA), with a concentration in Finance, from Baylor University.