Laura Escobar Sworn in as 2025 MBA Chair
(Laura Escobar (left), Christine Chandler, Owen Lee (right). Photo credit: Anneliese Mahoney)
DENVER–Laura Escobar, President of Lennar Mortgage, was sworn in Sunday as 2025 Chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association during the association’s 2024 Annual Convention & Expo.
“Representing the real estate finance industry as MBA Chair is truly one of the greatest honors of my career. With Christine Chandler’s and Owen Lee’s leadership and support, I am confident that we will make meaningful progress in addressing the many challenges and opportunities facing our industry,” said Escobar. “I am committed to developing new ideas and strengthening MBA’s ongoing commitment to increasing housing supply and affordability for ownership and renting as well as investing – through mortgage education and training programs – in the next generation of industry leaders.”
Escobar, a 37-year industry veteran, has held leadership positions with both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies overseeing all aspects of mortgage banking. She has served as President of Lennar Mortgage, the mortgage lending subsidiary of Lennar Corporation, since 2018, leading a team of more than 1,100 associates in 54 locations across 26 states. Escobar joined Lennar Mortgage in 2002 as Branch Manager; in 2004, she was promoted to Senior Vice President managing the Eastern Region; and in 2016, she became Executive Vice President, overseeing operations and production of the company’s Builder Division.
Escobar currently serves on several advisory boards and committees, including MBA’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors and its MORPAC Steering Committee, as well as the TransUnion Mortgage Advisory Board, Fannie Mae AHAC, Ellie Mae Executive Advisory Board, NAHREP, NAMMBA Visionary Ambassador, and at the United Way’s chapter – Women United.
Passionate about “paying it forward,” Escobar is an advocate for women and minorities and is a proud supporter of mPower, MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach, the largest networking organization for women in real estate finance. Her philanthropic work includes supporting the Habitat for Humanity and the Make A Wish Foundation. Escobar is also a licensed mental health counselor who devotes much of her time working with underprivileged women.
Christine Chandler, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer and Chief Operating Officer with M&T Realty Capital Corporation (RCC), and Owen Lee, Chief Executive Officer at Success Mortgage Partners, Inc., (SMP) were also sworn in today as Chair-Elect and Vice Chair, respectively.
Chandler has been with M&T since 1991 and has more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate finance. Since 2018, she has been responsible for making credit decisions for M&T RCC multifamily and healthcare transactions underwritten in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Agency) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) platforms as well as managing the company’s operations and its Asset Management Group and Transformation team.
Prior to that, Chandler served 13 years as the M&T RCC Chief FHA Underwriter, was a senior Fannie Mae DUS Underwriter, and previously spent several years managing the closing and delivery for FHA and Ginnie Mae transactions. Chandler has also served as a relationship manager in the company’s commercial real estate division, focusing on construction and permanent portfolio lending.
Active in various committees and groups related to the mortgage banking industry, Chandler is a voting member of MBA’s Board of Directors, served as 2023 Chair of MBA’s Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Board of Governors (COMBOG), and was appointed to MBA’s DEI Committee in 2022 and its Audit Committee in 2021. She is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and is a passionate advocate for mPower.
Lee co-founded Success Mortgage Partners (SMP), located in Plymouth, Michigan, with his father, Vincent, in 2002 and serves as CEO. Under his leadership, SMP has closed billions of dollars of mortgage loans yearly since 2016, is licensed in 42 states, and has more than 600 employees. Lee is also Managing Member of Title Partners, LLC, a full-service title insurance and escrow services agency.
An active leader in the mortgage and financial services sectors, Lee serves on MBA’s Board of Directors, is Co-Chair of its Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council, and is currently the 2023-2024 Chairman of MORPAC, MBA’s political action committee, where he has been a successful political fundraiser, helping to advance the association’s top legislative priorities. Lee is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Mortgage Collaborative’s Technology Fund, a venture capital investment group specializing in the mortgage technology space. He also sits on the Board of Directors of TrAIned, a mortgage technology firm in Pittsburgh.
Additionally, Lee currently holds memberships and affiliations with the State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association, Lenders One, The Mortgage Collaborative, and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. He also sits on the Board of Directors of Camp Sweeney, the largest summer camp in the world for children with Type 1 Diabetes.
