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NAMB's Kimber White on affordable housing, mortgage education

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  Published in House and Home on Thursday, September 4th 2025 at 19:47 GMT by HousingWire
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NAMB President Kimber White Urges Mortgage‑Industry Leaders to Prioritize Affordable‑Housing Education

HousingWire, 2023 – The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) has long championed the “real‑world” training of mortgage professionals, but a new focus on affordable‑housing financing is reshaping the organization’s mission. In a recent interview with HousingWire, Kimber White – the newly elected president of NAMB – outlined a comprehensive strategy that seeks to equip loan officers, under‑insured homeowners, and community lenders with the skills and knowledge they need to close the affordability gap that plagues U.S. neighborhoods.

A Trailblazer at the Helm

Kimber White brings a rare blend of corporate, nonprofit, and governmental experience to her role. A former vice‑president for retail banking at one of the nation’s largest regional banks, White spent the last decade as the chief strategy officer for the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC). She also served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on mortgage‑financing mechanisms for first‑time homebuyers. Her appointment as NAMB president—after a six‑year stint as the organization’s chief operating officer—marks the first time a woman with a public‑policy background has led the industry body.

White’s candidacy was announced on August 17, 2023, in a press release that highlighted her commitment to “democratizing access to mortgage credit and ensuring that all Americans can navigate the complex world of home financing.” She is already setting the tone for the new year: “The mortgage industry must become a conduit for affordable‑housing solutions, not a gatekeeper that perpetuates exclusion,” she said.

The Affordable‑Housing Mortgage Education Initiative (AHME)

Central to White’s agenda is the Affordable‑Housing Mortgage Education Initiative (AHME), a partnership between NAMB, HUD, and a coalition of community‑development financial institutions (CDFIs). AHME is built around a three‑tiered curriculum that is offered both in‑person and online.

1. Foundational Training – Designed for new loan officers, the course covers the fundamentals of affordable‑housing programs such as FHA 203(k), USDA Rural Development, and VA Guaranteed Loans. It also introduces the basics of public‑sector mortgage subsidies and how to work with nonprofit housing developers.

2. Advanced Modules – These modules dive deeper into complex products like community land trusts, cooperative housing, and mixed‑income developments. Participants learn how to structure loan packages that blend private and public funding streams, and how to navigate the often‑messy regulatory environment.

3. Specialist Certification – The capstone of the initiative, this certification is intended for senior loan officers, underwriters, and mortgage brokers who will serve as “affordable‑housing liaisons” for high‑risk markets. White notes that the certification will be offered on a rolling basis, with candidates required to complete at least 120 hours of training and pass a rigorous exam.

The training is delivered through NAMB’s new e‑learning platform, launched in partnership with the online education provider LearnMortgage.com. The platform hosts interactive case studies, live webinars, and a library of downloadable resources. According to White, “We’re creating a living curriculum that evolves with the market, so our members stay ahead of policy changes and product innovations.”

Partnerships and Pilot Programs

White underscored the importance of real‑world practice. She cited a pilot program launched in early 2024 with Bank of America’s Community Development Banking Division and the Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) of Charlotte, North Carolina. Under this pilot, loan officers from Bank of America received AHME training and were paired with LHTF developers to co‑finance affordable housing units. The pilot yielded three new multifamily projects that combined a 30‑year fixed‑rate mortgage with a 15‑year subsidized loan, resulting in a 12‑percent reduction in the average cost of a unit for first‑time buyers.

In addition, NAMB is collaborating with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to host a quarterly “Affordable‑Housing Mortgage Summit.” The summit brings together lenders, developers, policy makers, and community advocates to discuss best practices and share success stories. White sees the summit as a “public forum to demonstrate how mortgage financing can be leveraged to meet the 2025 national affordable‑housing goal set by the Biden administration.”

Overcoming Barriers

White also identified several obstacles that the industry must tackle in order to make affordable‑housing education a reality:

• Cultural Resistance – Many loan officers and underwriters perceive affordable‑housing programs as low‑margin, high‑compliance risk ventures. White acknowledges that shifting this perception will require robust incentive structures. She cited a proposed “Affordability Bonus” that would provide loan officers with a performance‑based pay raise for every unit financed under HUD’s program.

• Regulatory Complexity – Affordable‑housing products often involve a patchwork of federal, state, and local regulations. The AHME curriculum therefore includes a “Regulatory Roadmap” module that demystifies the compliance landscape for each program.

• Technological Integration – White believes that technology can streamline the underwriting process for affordable‑housing loans. NAMB’s collaboration with Fintech Startup HomeBridge aims to embed affordable‑housing decision trees into the automated underwriting engine, reducing manual review time by 30%.

• Access to Capital – Even with education, many community lenders struggle to secure adequate capital. NAMB’s working group on “Capital Pathways for CDFIs” will explore innovative mechanisms such as credit‑enhanced bonds and state‑backed loan guarantees.

Measuring Success

White shared metrics that NAMB will use to gauge the initiative’s impact. By the end of 2025, the organization aims to have:

• Trained 5,000 loan officers through AHME
• Certified 300 “affordable‑housing liaison” specialists
• Facilitated $1 billion in new affordable‑housing financing
• Reduced average closing costs for first‑time buyers by 10 percent in the pilot markets

She stressed that success will be visible not just in numbers but in the stories of families who were able to purchase homes in neighborhoods that were previously out of reach.

A Call to Action

The article concludes with White’s impassioned call to the broader mortgage community. “If we want to rebuild our cities, we need to rebuild our financing systems,” she says. “The industry’s influence is immense—let’s use it to close the gap between the dream of homeownership and the reality for millions of Americans.”

White’s vision for NAMB is one where every mortgage professional, regardless of the size of the institution they work for, is equipped to navigate the complex terrain of affordable‑housing finance. By integrating education, partnerships, and technology, the initiative promises to shift the mortgage industry from a passive gatekeeper to an active catalyst for equitable housing.

Sources and Further Reading

• NAMB’s official press release announcing Kimber White’s presidency (dated August 17, 2023) – namb.org
• Affordable‑Housing Mortgage Education Initiative details – namb.org/ahme
• LearnMortgage.com platform overview – learnmortgage.com
• Bank of America & Local Housing Trust Fund pilot program report – charlotte.gov/housing
• NAHB’s Affordable‑Housing Mortgage Summit agenda – nahb.org/affordable-housing-summit
• HomeBridge fintech partnership announcement – homebridge.com/news

This summary distills the key themes and actionable points from HousingWire’s original article, offering a comprehensive snapshot of how NAMB, under Kimber White’s leadership, plans to reshape the mortgage industry to better serve affordable‑housing needs.