MBA Cancels National Advocacy Conference, State & Local Workshop
Amid continued concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Mortgage Bankers Association this morning canceled its upcoming National Advocacy Conference (Apr. 21-22) and State & Local Workshop (Apr. 20-21).
Both events were scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. Last week the District of Columbia announced a state of emergency and banned gatherings of more than 100 people. Over the weekend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a nationwide ban on gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, through mid-May.
Additionally, MBA Education has canceled its School of Mortgage Banking I course scheduled to take place at MBA headquarters May 5-8.
“As the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak becomes a national emergency and a growing concern, the health and well-being of our members, conference attendees and MBA staff remain our top priority,” wrote MBA Senior Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs Bill Killmer in a message to conference registrants. “Given the health issues, high degree of uncertainty and the sense of urgency to limit the level of personal contact allowed on the campus of the U.S. Capitol, MBA has made the decision to cancel our National Advocacy Conference.”
The NAC and the State & Local Workshops are among the largest gatherings of real estate finance professional advocacy in Washington. “We recognize that NAC provides you with the important opportunity to help directly educate lawmakers with information regarding your business operations and the industry’s key policy priorities,” Killmer said. “With that in mind, we will be providing opportunities for you to obtain much of the same information, meetings and experiences virtually in the weeks and months ahead.”
MBA will automatically refund all registration and sponsorship payments. “We ask for your patience as we work through the administrative processes required to do so., MBA said. If you booked a hotel room through our online portal, we have cancelled your room and you will not be charged. If your room was booked outside of our room block, please reach out to the hotel directly and cancel your reservation.”
MBA continues to evaluate future events, such as MBA Education courses and the upcoming MBA National Secondary Market Conference & Expo (May 17-20 in New York) and MBA Commercial/Multifamily Servicing & Technology Conference (May 17-20 in New Orleans) on a case-by-case basis; more information will be forthcoming.
For more information on the MBA/industry response to the coronavirus pandemic, visit the updated MBA Coronavirus Resource Center at https://www.mba.org/news-research-and-resources/mba-coronavirus-(covid-19)-updates/mba-coronavirus-(covid-19)-resources; and check in with MBA NewsLink for frequent updates.
