Making Waves at Ford Lake: AD Mortgage at the MMLA Annual Lending Conference

Detroit and Eastern Michigan have become one of the major financial centers of the US in recent years. The mortgage industry is a key reason for this boost. All the more reason the MMLA Annual Lending Conference in Ann Arbor this October is an important event for mortgage professionals in the region.

The event takes place October 4-6 at the Ann Arbor Marriot Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest to bring Michigan’s lending community together.

A Packed Agenda

Sunday, October 4

The conference opens Sunday, October 4, with a Tailgate Reception and Dinner from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Grab your badge and drink tickets at the outdoor Garden Gazebo and settle into a casual outdoor networking dinner.

At 8:30 p.m., the Afterglow Watch Party keeps the evening going with the Detroit Lions Sunday Night game on the big screens, an open bar, and snacks.

Monday, October 5

Monday, October 5, is the main conference day, opening with a full breakfast and Expo access at 7:30 a.m. From there, the day moves through keynotes and three parallel breakout tracks – Sales, Operations, and Leadership. You can build a schedule around what your business needs right now:

• A keynote on developing high-performance sales culture. Learn how to set expectations and form habits creating accountability, plus how to align your team around results that last.
• An economic outlook session with Michigan-specific data. Receive a clear read on where mortgage rates and housing are heading into the mid-term election cycle, so you can set realistic expectations with borrowers.
• Sales Track: The Execution Gap. Learn why loan officers who already have the right tools and CRM still don’t use them consistently, and walk away with a practical framework for closing that gap in your own business.
• Sales Track: Navigating Variable Income. Learn how to qualify variable-income borrowers. It’s useful whenever your pipeline includes self-employed or commission-based clients.
• Operations Track: MSHDA and Workflow Updates. Get current on Michigan program updates and learn how to align sales and operations more efficiently on files.
• Operations Track: Live Working Group. Work through real operational questions with peers in a hands-on session, where you can bring your own pain points.
• Leadership Track: Leading in the Age of AI. Learn secrets of AI in mortgage business, and how to start using technology before your competitors do.

Lunch at 12:30 p.m. provides time to reconnect with familiar faces and visit the Expo floor. The afternoon continues with a session on leading with accountability and trust. It’s then followed by a final round of breakouts covering social media strategies for self-promotion, a live UAD working-group update, and a Non-QM panel discussion.

Tuesday, October 6

Tuesday, October 6, opens with breakfast in the Atrium at 8:00 a.m., followed by two closing sessions:

• A session on brand storytelling. A step-by-step playbook for finding and telling your own brand story. You’ll learn how to use emotion, to capture and preserve the stories that already exist in your business, and how to get customers telling your story for you.
• An industry trends conversation. A discussion on how the mortgage industry has shifted in recent years, what current administration policies mean for lenders, what MISMO is, and how it can support your business.

Business sessions close at 10:30 a.m., after which the day splits in two directions: golfers head to Eagle Crest for the MMLA Classic, while non-golfers can join the new Ann Arbor Scavenger Hunt through the city (additional registration required for the Scavenger Hunt).

AD Mortgage at the Conference

AD Mortgage will be at the expo. Michigan’s mortgage market has its own dynamics, and being present at this event allows us to stay close to local MLOs and help them overcome their challenges.

Stop by the AD Mortgage booth to speak with our account executives about a file you’re working on or what programs might fit borrowers you’re currently trying to place.

Let’s Meet!

Three days at the MMLA Annual Lending Conference bring hands-on education and direct access to Michigan’s mortgage market leaders. If you’re in the state this October, we look forward to seeing you there.