Chairman’s Welcome and Opening Remarks

President & Chief Executive Officer, Mortgage Bankers Association

Robert (Bob) Broeksmit is President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Bob is a senior finance executive and corporate officer with over 35 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 in 2018, Bob served as President and Chief Operating Officer with Treliant, heading the firm's mortgage litigation support practice and serving diverse financial services clientele including large banks, independent mortgage lenders, community banks, credit unions, and service providers to the mortgage industry. As a Washington-based financial services consultancy, Treliant's mortgage practice included strategic advisory for executive management and corporate boards; litigation defense, including file reviews, litigation strategy, expert reports, and expert testimony; CFPB examination preparation and implementation of mortgage regulations promulgated by the CFPB and other regulators; and operational aspects of mortgage banking, ranging from origination to servicing and loss mitigation. Before Treliant, Bob held senior leadership positions in the mortgage business, including fourteen years with Chevy Chase Bank (including after its purchase by Capital One), where he was Executive Vice President and President of its B.F. Saul Mortgage Company subsidiary. Bob also was a Vice President at Prudential Home Mortgage for seven years. He has overseen annual originations of $9 billion, a balance sheet of $10 billion in residential mortgages, and a servicing portfolio of $20 billion. He also held positions at Great Western Mortgage, Krupp Residential Mortgage, and The Money Store. Bob has served as the Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association's Residential Board of Governors and as a member of its Board of Directors. Firms under his leadership have garnered multiple awards for servicing operations excellence, including Freddie Mac's Tier One and Hall of Fame designations. He is a Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) and a graduate of Yale University.

2025 MBA Chair; President, Lennar Mortgage

Laura Escobar is a 35-year real estate finance industry veteran who has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking. Since 2018, she has been President of Lennar Mortgage, the mortgage lending subsidiary of Lennar Corporation, leading a team of more than 1,650 associates in 34 locations across 28 states. Escobar joined Lennar Mortgage in 2002 as Branch Manager; in 2004, she was promoted to Senior Vice President managing the Eastern Region; and in 2016, she became Executive Vice President, overseeing operations and production of the company's Builder Division. Escobar currently serves on several advisory boards and committees, including MBA’s 2022-2023 Board of Directors. She is also a member of the MORPAC Steering Committee; Fannie Mae AHAC; Freddie Mac Advisory Board; NAHREP; NAMMBA Visionary Ambassador; and United Way’s chapter – Women United. Passionate about “Paying It Forward,” Escobar is on the MBA Opens Doors Foundation’s Board of Directors and is very active in her local community in South Florida, showing support and volunteering through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. She is also a licensed mental health counselor and devotes much of her time working with underprivileged women and minorities.