Young Mortgage Bankers Association enjoys 35 years of success.

Originally created to meet the need of the commercial real estate industry for an association focused on professionals involved in financing properties, the Young Mortgage Bankers Association maintains an active membership of over 400 bankers, mortgage brokers and real estate owners and operators as well as appraisers, environmental consultants and other industry-related third party vendors. Formed in 1967, the YMBA has enjoyed 35 years of success as a leading industry association providing outstanding educational and networking opportunities.

The YMBA hosts a stimulating programs of luncheons, seminars and networking special events. Luncheon programs (presently at the Cornell Club with a new venue to be announced) are held four times a year and feature a prominent industry leader or panel of speakers who share their experience and expertise and provide insights into the current real estate environment.

The YMBA also hosts seminars. One annual, well-attended seminar focuses on educating members on issues, both legal and regulatory, that will effect the real estate finance industry. The organization's popular "Meet The Lenders Seminar", features local lenders--thrifts, commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies--who discuss the state of the commercial real estate market.

The YMBA also holds two outstanding special events: a gala holiday party and annual golf outing. The former is co-hosted with the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The annual golf outing--always a sold-out affair--is traditionally held in August and includes breakfast, lunch, a round of golf and/or day on the tennis courts, a cocktail hour followed by a sumptuous dinner as well as prizes for several different golf categories, door and raffle prizes, plus a Grand Prize raffled off to end the day. The Golf Outing is designed for members and guests to interact with other industry professionals.

This year's officers/board includes: chairperson, Chuck Merritt, Merritt Engineering; vice-chairperson, Kathleen McSharry, The Singer & Bassuk Organization; treasurer, Daniel Lisser, Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group; program chairpersons, Drew Anderman, CIBC World Markets and Keith Braddish, L.J. Melody & Company; social chairpersons Peter Doyle, LandAmerica Commonwealth/Lawyers Title Insurance and Jeffrey Horowitz, Cooper-Horowitz, Inc.; membership chairpersons, Angela Ortiz, ALO Business Solutions and Mitchell K. Gould, BRT Realty Trust; publicity chairpersons, Peter L Meyer, Citibank - New Real Estate Group and Terence McArdle, City & Suburban FSB; education chairpersons Michael Soffer, Emigrant Funding Corp and Ronald Bryant, Carver Federal Savings Bank; governors Benjamin Stacks, M&T Bank, Keith Braddish, L.J. Melody & Company, Glenn Grimaldi, HSBC Bank, USA; chief financial officer Frederick R. Berk, Friedman Alpem & Green LP; counsel Mitchell S. Berkey, Jenkins & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP.

The YMBA offers individual and corporate memberships to all those interested including all variety of lending institutions, third party vendors, technology, firms, et al. For membership and event information, call Carol Bensky at [phone].