I had trouble coming up with an article for this issue of Points of Interest, because I like to focus on the positive and all I could come up with were negatives. So I struggled with an article that was less than upbeat, to put it mildly, and I sent it on to a good friend and fellow CMA member to critique. Critique he did, which is fortunate for you, the reader. A portion of his reply to me follows, because I couldn’t deliver the message any better than he did:

George,

Could you, perhaps rewrite the piece indicating all the good things. True, all of those things have and continue to happen but, if we have lost 20% of membership it means that 80% are making it through. We are an organization of small and smart operators who respond instantly to changes in the market. We count on each other for advice, loan referrals and commiseration. There is no finer education than the one our Ed Committee provides. As bad as it is, and it is bad, without our Legislative Committee and advocates we would all be in much worse trouble. And without the efforts of our PAC Committee and the generous donations of the members, our Legislative Committee and advocates would be unable to give us the protection from even worse legislation. The entire Board of Directors, all of the committee chairs and their committee members work hard to provide these and even more benefits to our members. Most of all we have the CMA members. They are the professionals in the private money mortgage business. Our members who come to every seminar to stay ahead of an ever-changing regulatory environment; members who share their experiences, good and bad for the benefit of other members; members who support CMA. We will make it through and we will be smarter and better for it but only if we continue to help and rely on each other.

As I read his reply it struck me that this exchange between the two of us was a perfect example of his last point. I needed help and he helped me. He didn’t ask for anything in return, just shared his thoughts and insights with a fellow member in the belief that what helps one member helps us all.

I never fail to be impressed by the intelligence and professionalism of our CMA members. In more than 20 years of membership in CMA and its predecessors, I have been enriched by my interaction with some of the brightest minds in the industry, entrepreneurs who recognize that CMA as a whole has much more value than the mere sum of its parts. I am also encouraged by the number of new members who continue to join CMA despite the turbulent times, or perhaps because of them.

Although our industry will continue to face challenges on many fronts, your decision to be a member of CMA will continue to reap benefits far in excess of the cost of membership. I invite you to utilize the many resources CMA has to offer, from the new website, to the educational seminars, to the networking opportunities, to our legislative advocacy. We value you as members and look forward to continuing to serve your needs for many years to come.