The Week Ahead Oct. 11, 2021: Five Things to Watch

Good morning! We are less than a week away from the biggest event the real estate finance industry has seen in more than two years. That, and four other things to look for this week. Read on:

First, MBA Annual21, the MBA Annual Convention & Expo, kicks off this coming weekend, Oct. 17-20, at the San Diego Convention Center.

Keynote speakers include New York Times best-selling authors Malcolm Gladwell and Brad Meltzer; HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge; Teresa Bryce Bazemore, President & CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco; Sandra Thompson, Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency; Fannie Mae CEO Michael DeVito; Freddie Mac CEO Hugh Frater; MBA President & CEO Robert Broeksmit, CMB; outgoing MBA Chairman Susan Stewart; incoming MBA Chairman Kristy Fercho; MBA COO and mPower Founder Marcia Davies; MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni; MBA Vice President of Industry Analysis Marina Walsh, CMB; and MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting Joel Kan.

Concert MBA will feature Grammy-nominated recording artists OneRepublic, to benefit the MBA Opens Doors Foundation.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, we kick things off with mPowering You: MBA’s Summit for Women in Real Estate Finance, an inspirational all-day event for industry women to come together to learn from speakers and each other. mPower (MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach) is the largest networking organization for women in real estate finance.

mPowering You requires separate registration; for more information, click here.

The MBA Annual Convention & Expo is largest annual gathering of real estate finance professionals, this is the one event you need to gain access to the industry’s power players and innovators.

Be inspired and get informed by engaging speakers on the Main Stage; meet with hundreds of exhibitors in THE HUB and get hands-on access to the latest products and services; dive deep into Breakout Sessions to get the insight you need on all the facets of the business; connect with industry peers through unparalleled networking opportunities; Leave with actionable takeaways for future success.

For more information and to register for MBA ANNUAL 21, click here. And this week, look for special afternoon editions of the MBA Annual Convention eShow Guide on Monday, Oct. 11; Wednesday, Oct. 13; and Friday, Oct. 15.

Second, Congress. Earlier this month Congress and the Biden Administration narrowly avoided yet another potentially disastrous federal government shutdown by passing a Continuing Resolution that keeps the government funded until Dec. 3. And last week, Democrats and Republicans agreed on a (temporary) funding schema that increases the debt limit, thus avoiding a potential federal government default on its debt.

The tightrope walking continues this week, as the House and Senate continue negotiations on an infrastructure package, which increasingly looks like it will be pared down from its original $3.5 trillion price tag so something somewhat smaller to appeal to various factions within the Democratic Party. The urgency for passage appears to have passed for now, with President Biden last week saying he’d like to see the bill passed “soon,” without imposing a hard deadline. Stay tuned.

Capitol Hill this week is a mix. The Senate, which observes the Columbus Day holiday, is not in session. The House, which recognizes Monday as Indigenous Peoples Day, has scheduled a Committee Work Week. And the House Financial Services Committee is taking advantage of that—albeit remotely.

On Wednesday, Oct. 13, the House Financial Services’ Task Force on Artificial Intelligence holds a hearing on Beyond I, Robot: Ethics, Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Age. The remote hearing takes place at noon ET and can be accessed live here.

On Thursday, the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations holds a hearing on Cashed Out: How a Cashless Economy Impacts Disadvantaged Communities and Peoples. The remote hearing begins at noon ET and can be accessed here.

On Friday, Oct. 15, the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance holds a hearing on Zoned Out: Examining the Impact of Exclusionary Zoning on People, Resources, and Opportunity. The remote hearing begins at noon ET and can be accessed here.

Third, MBA kicks off another busy week of reports. The MBA weekly (for now) Forbearance & Call Volume Survey comes out this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET. MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni will provide analysis and commentary in Tuesday’s MBA NewsLink.

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, MBA will release its monthly Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), with commentary and analysis by MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting Joel Kan.

On Wednesday, Oct. 13, MBA will release its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, with commentary and analysis from Kan.

Fourth, Economic Reports. A fairly quiet week for housing and economic reports, with a few exceptions. The Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, comes out on Wednesday, Oct. 13; the weekly Initial Claims report comes out Thursday, Oct. 14; Friday sees Advance Retail Sales, the Empire State Manufacturing Survey, Imports/Exports, Business Inventories and preliminary findings of the University of Michigan Consumer Surveys.

Fifth, MBA Conferences. The fun doesn’t stop after the MBA Annual Convention. The fall conference schedule continues with the MBA Accounting & Financial Management Conference, taking place Nov. 10-12 in Nashville. For more information, click here.

And then…MBA prepares for its busy Winter/Spring conference series. For information about other upcoming MBA conferences, click here.

For the most up-to-date information regarding legislative activity at the state and local level, visit the MBA State Legislative Database here.

For information about MBA Education events, visit http://www.mbaeducation.org.  

For information about the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA), visit https://www.nammba.org/.

Enjoy the week! And…see you in San Diego!