March is women’s history month and MBA NewsLink is hosting a series of interviews with women in the industry to learn about their experiences, challenges and get their advice. First up is Mortgage Bankers Association 2026 Chair Christine Chandler, also M&T Realty Capital Corp. chief operating officer.

In February 2026, with job losses in health care due to labor strikes, there was nothing left to support aggregate job growth, and total nonfarm payrolls declined by 92,000. Furthermore, job growth for December and January was revised down by a total of 69,000. Wage growth increased slightly to 3.8% over the past year.