ACUMA meeting LAS VEGAS – With almost 400 attendees at its 18^th annual conference, the American Credit Union Mortgage Association found it needed a very large ballroom space at the Wynn Encore Resort to hold its general sessions. Trade show attendees arranged their display booths around the edges of the room and many attendees both took notes and ate around large round tables in the center of the room.

Photo credit: The View Finders

ACUMA meeting But with the larger than expected attendance, not everyone got table seating.

Leadership consultant and speaker Steve Farber set the tone for the event on Monday afternoon with an inspirational presentation on the power of love in the business world. Business executives need to understand their lives and work as taking part in things greater than themselves, something he called GTY (Greater than Yourself).

“Love is not a word many people associate with the business world, but if you can think about it, love is a key element of everything we do as executives, as leaders, as human beings,” Farber said.

Farber recounted how people in his life had helped him attain his goals and how he came to realize that he needed, in turn, to help someone else attain their goals. He challenged attendees not to necessarily do that immediately, but at least come up with a short list of two or three people in their lives for whom they might make a positive impact.

Everyone can and should make room for GTY in their lives, Farber told the audience.

Tim Rood, chairman of the Washington-based Collingwood Group, a business and financial consultancy explained to attendees that even though individual federal lawmakers might strongly favor legislating reform at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it's unlikely. Upcoming elections, along with a very crowded legislative calendar remaining for the short amount of time this year and vastly improved GSE performance, would prevent any change.

Fannie and Freddie are charging some of the highest fees ever on the cleanest book of business they have ever seen and offloading much of the remaining risk, Rood said.

“I can't see anyone being really anxious to change that,” Rood added.

Erik Wahl, a former corporate executive who left the corporate world to reconnect with creativity and art, demonstrated how creativity could spark innovation and improved performance.

He delivered a high-energy presentation that used art, music videos and audience participation to drive home the idea that tapping into creativity when confronting business challenges not only makes men and women better executives, it also helps them become better people.

Over the course of his presentation, Wahl painted three works of art: A portrait of Abraham Lincoln, a picture of an American eagle and a portrait of Apple Computer founder and former CEO Steve Jobs. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln went to an attendee from Chicago who accepted the invitation to become involved with its creation. ACUMA is holding a silent auction for the American eagle picture shown above.

ACUMA Tim Mislansky (far left), chief lending officer at the Dayton, Ohio-based Wright Patt Credit Union joined Craig Olson, senior vice president of 1^st mortgage operations at the Alexandria, Va.-based Pentagon Federal Credit Union and housing finance consultant Tracy Ashfield on a panel to discuss adjustable rate mortgages at credit unions.

Mislansky is also president of myCUmortgage, the credit union's wholly owned housing finance CUSO.

Ashfield, CEO of Ashfield and Associates, moderated the panel that discussed the ways adjustable rate products can benefit members who are not planning to remain in a property they are purchasing for more than 10 years and are not any riskier for the members than longer-term products.

“We particularly believe the 5/5 product costs significantly less over a ten year period than does a fixed rate product,” Mislansky said.

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ACUMA Conference: Photos

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