MBA Presents Burton C. Wood Award to Legacy Mortgage’s Jack Thompson

The Mortgage Bankers Association presented its annual Burton C. Wood Legislative Service Award to Legacy Mortgage President and CEO Jack Thompson.

The award is given annually to an MBA member employee in recognition of his or her sustained superior service to the association and the real estate finance industry as a whole. Thompson was honored at MBA’s virtual 2020 Annual Convention & Expo.

This year, Thompson took his grassroots advocacy to the next level, initiating several meetings with Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, with whom he had developed a personal relationship. These meetings led to the introduction of The Promoting Access to Credit for Homebuyers Act (H.R. 6794), and eventually helped impact the bill’s Senate introduction as well.

Thompson is an active MAA member, MORPAC contributor and long-time member of the MORPAC Steering Committee and consistent MBA National Advocacy Conference attendee. He also runs annual MAA and MORPAC campaigns at his company. In December 2019, Thompson hosted one of the first MBA Advocacy Roadshow events in New Mexico, generating MORPAC contributions from the leadership of the New Mexico Mortgage Lenders Association as well as two company campaigns in conjunction with the roadshow.

“This past year, Jack took his grassroots advocacy efforts to the next level and developed relationships with key members on Capitol Hill to help advance our legislative agenda,” said Susan Stewart, 2021 MBA Chair and CEO of SWBC Mortgage Corp. “Jack works tirelessly for our industry, and I am thrilled to see him win this prestigious award.”

The award is named after late MBA Legislative Counsel Burton C. Wood, who devoted more than 30 years of service to MBA’s advocacy efforts. Wood was the first recipient of the award in 1990, and his lobbying skills gained the respect and attention of both Republicans and Democrats alike. He passed away in 2010.