MBA Mourns the Passing of Former President and CEO David H. Stevens, CMB
The Mortgage Bankers Association announced Jan. 17 the unexpected passing of former President and CEO David H. Stevens, CMB.
Stevens served as MBA’s President & CEO from 2011 until 2018, following a career in real estate and mortgage finance that started at World Savings and included leadership roles at Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo and Long & Foster. Immediately before joining MBA, Stevens served as Assistant Secretary of Housing – Federal Housing Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama. After he retired from MBA, Stevens was Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Lake Consulting, a financial services consulting firm focused on the real estate finance sector, and served on the board of Dynex Capital.
MBA’s President & CEO Bob Broeksmit, CMB issued the following comment:
“The real estate finance community mourns the loss today of one of its great leaders and fiercest advocates. Dave Stevens grew up in the mortgage business before serving the industry and its customers both as FHA Commissioner during and immediately after the 2008 financial crisis and then as President & CEO of MBA, where he was instrumental in rebuilding our organization and leading the industry out of the Great Recession.
“To those who worked with him at MBA, Dave is remembered as a great mentor, boss and friend. He was quick with a joke, sometimes at his own expense, and truly cared about those he worked with and those who worked for him. Dave and his wife Mary were instrumental in the 2011 creation of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, which has helped more than 16,000 families with critically ill or injured children stay in their homes while their child is in treatment.
“Dave’s sincere belief in the value and benefits of sustainable homeownership led him to a career dedicated to making the American Dream achievable for more Americans. He had endless energy to engage in the fights that needed fighting to ensure that the industry could safely serve qualified low and moderate-income and first-time homebuyers. He was an outside-the-box thinker when it came to trying to solve some of the industry’s greatest challenges.”
Deborah E. Dubois, President of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, noted that as a founder of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, Dave’s commitment and passion for helping to keep families with sick children in their homes. “It is not possible to capture in a few words the spirit, kindness and brilliance of a man whose life, while cut short, loomed so large for so many,” she said.
Debra W. Still, Vice Chairman, Pulte Financial Services and Chair of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation Board of Directors, called Stevens an icon in the mortgage industry. “His energy and passion were inspiring,” she said. “As the 2013 MBA Chair and current Chair of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, I had the privilege of working closely with Dave for more than 10 years both in real estate finance and in fulfilling his vision for Opens Doors. Dave’s passing leaves an enormous hole in the lives of his family, friends and for all of us in the industry he did so much to transform.”
“MBA and the entire industry will miss Dave’s voice, leadership, and friendship,” Broeksmit said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mary, his children, and the rest of his family.”
Broeksmit noted MBA will pay tribute to Dave Stevens in New Orleans at the IMB Conference next week and in many other ways in the coming weeks. “If you have a remembrance of Dave, we have set up a special mailbox at RememberingDave@mba.org,” he said. “We will be sharing those notes with his friends and loved ones.”
