OPENING GENERAL SESSION: The View from Washington and Beyond
MBA’s Chairman Laura Escobar and MBA’s President and CEO, Bob Broeksmit, CMB, provide the association’s latest updates on issues impacting our industry. Following their recap, an expert panel provides perspective from both sides of the aisle on the latest developments in Washington following the change in administration. Sponsored by First American Mortgage Solutions.
Speakers
Welcome
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.
Laura Escobar is the 2025 MBA Chair and President of Lennar Mortgage. A 30-year mortgage industry veteran, Escobar has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking, including production, operations, compliance, accounting, and training. Her personal ground level experience in every facet of mortgage lending has enabled her to manage and fully integrate all of these departments within Lennar Mortgage. Escobar is highly engaged in the industry, serves on MBA’s Board of Directors, and was co-chair of MBA’s IMB Executive Council from 2020–2022. She is also a director of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, which she has supported by successfully fundraising for the foundation’s work and leading Lennar in company campaigns. Beyond her industry work, she is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time to working with underprivileged women.
Moderator
Bill Killmer is Senior Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). A veteran of over twenty-five years in the housing arena, Bill is responsible for managing the real estate finance industry’s legislative, grassroots, and political fundraising activities, in close coordination with the MBA member leadership and its public policy and lobbying teams. He directs MBA’s outreach to Congress and is a regular guest speaker on the intersection of politics, policy, and industry issues. Previously named one of CEO Update's trade association Top Lobbyists, Killmer joined MBA in July 2010, after nearly twenty years in the policy space at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). During his NAHB tenure, Killmer served as the association's Chief Lobbyist and, more recently, as Executive Vice President for Advocacy, managing all aspects of the group's public policy outreach. 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/Economics from Baylor University.
Speakers
Kurt Pfotenhauer is Vice Chairman of First American Financial Corp (NYSE: FAF), a family of companies whose core business lines include title insurance, settlement services, property data, home warranty products, banking, trust, and wealth management services. Reporting directly to the CEO, Kurt is also a member of the corporation’s Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of its title insurance subsidiary. His responsibilities include maintaining executive level relationships with the company’s largest customers, the U.S. Congress, executive branch and state regulators. He also has responsibility for the corporation’s marketing and communications functions. Prior to joining First American, Kurt served as chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based American Land Title Association (ALTA). Prior to joining ALTA, Kurt served as senior vice president of government affairs for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where he was twice named one of Washington, D.C.’s top lobbyists. He previously served as chief of staff for Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Rep. Denny Smith (R-OR), and was vice president of public affairs for United Parcel Service. Kurt currently serves on the Board of First American Title Insurance Company, the ICE Mortgage Services Board of Directors, the MBA Opens Doors Foundation Board of Directors, and the Housing Policy Council's executive committee. He previously chaired the Board of Directors of MERS Corp, is a past chair of the MBA’s political action committee (MORPAC) and past chairman of the Board of MISMO, and had served on MBA’s Board of Directors. Kurt holds a master’s degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Jennifer Rust (Jenn) is a Principal at Rich Feuer Anderson (RFA). Prior to joining RFA, Jenn was Senior Vice President and Counsel at a leading government affairs firm where she represented clients across the financial services industry, including banks, trade associations, asset managers, insurance companies, fintechs and digital asset companies. There, she helped clients navigate Congress as well as the federal financial regulators, providing valuable insight to help advance their policy priorities. Jenn has strong relationships with senior Democratic Members and staff on the House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committees, though she is highly regarded in Washington for her pragmatism and ability to forge relationships across the political spectrum. Jenn’s experience includes senior positions on the Hill as well as in the executive branch. She most recently served as Deputy Chief Counsel for Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) on the House Financial Services Committee. In that role, she assisted with the implementation of the Committee’s legislative agenda and helped manage the Committee’s hearings, markups and floor activity. She also oversaw the Committee’s Member Services operation and managed the Committee’s external relations with industry. Jenn previously served as Senior Counsel on the Committee, assigned to oversight and investigations. She was the lead staffer on the Committee’s investigation into financial institutions’ compliance with various Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) policies and procedures, coordinating with House Leadership, the House Office of General Counsel, and other House Committees. Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Jenn was a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, working in the Real Estate Assessment Center. A native of Rhode Island, Jenn holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross and a Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law.
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