Program

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Gearing Up For the Revolution!
Preliminary Program

 

Sunday, March 7

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
RESPRO® Legends in Our Own Minds Golf Outing
click here for details

Monday, March 8

Debussy 1
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
RESPRO® Board of Directors Meeting
RESPRO® Directors Only

Chopin 3 & 4
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Opening General Session

Revolutionary Ideas in One-Stop Shopping!
The nation’s most successful diversified companies continue to develop innovative ways to cross-market their menu of services to their real estate agents and home buyers/sellers, streamline the delivery of their delivery of diversified services to ensure a problem-free consumer transaction, and accurately measure the success of their cross-marketing efforts so that they can further grow their revenues from their affiliated businesses. During the winter of 2010, RESPRO® will collect the most revolutionary ideas from our members and they will be unveiled by a panel of leading executives in an interactive session with the audience!
 

  • Gerard F. Griesser, Principal, Prudential Fox & Roach / Trident
  • Rosie Koberlein, President & CEO, Long Companies
  • Terrie Stickle, Vice President for Business Development, Rose & Womble Realty
     

2:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Workshops
A combination of panel discussions and highly interactive roundtables will provide you (1) strategies to help you grow your affiliated businesses; and (2) regulatory compliance advice to help you make your affiliated businesses and marketing agreements legally compliant with RESPA and other federal/state laws. 

2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Handel
AFFILIATED BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGY TRACK
No-Cost Ways to Recognize Manager and Agent Support for Your Affiliated Businesses 
Hear about innovative ideas on how to reward and/or recognize real estate managing brokers and real estate agents for their support of the company’s affiliated mortgage, title, and insurance businesses – while staying within RESPA guidelines.  This session will focus on the value and examples of “no-cost” efforts such as simple “thank-you” programs for “at-bats” and closed business. 
 

  • Anna Ruotolo, Prospect Mortgage
  • Patrick Smith, Realty South

 
Debussy 1
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE TRACK
The New RESPA Rule is Here!  Implementation Challenges for Mortgage Originators
HUD’s new RESPA disclosures took effect on January 1, 2010 and compliance will continue to be a challenge during the implementation period!  This workshop will identify the most common compliance issues faced by mortgage originators, with advice on how to effectively deal with them.  

  • Jed Mayk, Esq., Stevens Lee, PC
  • Phil Schulman, Esq., K&L Gates LLP
Debussy 2
Marketing and Work Share Agreements -- Make Sure That Yours Comply With RESPA!
Marketing and work share agreements have long been an efficient alternative to a joint venture or affiliated business, but they also are on the radar screen of HUD and state regulators.  Find out where the “red flags” are, how you can minimize your legal risks when structuring your agreement. 
  • David Sands, Esq., Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP
  • Mitch Kider, Esq., Weiner Brodsky Sidman Kider PC
4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Handel
AFFILIATED BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGY TRACK
Marketing Your Affiliated Services Directly to Every Real Estate Buyer/Seller
How can you directly cross-market your affiliated businesses to your real estate buyers/sellers without alienating their real estate agent?  This workshop will identify methods to capture the seller’s or buyer’s attention and business for your mortgage, title, insurance, or other affiliated services as early in the process as possible.
  • Carol Scarborough, Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Alliances, Bank of America Home Loans
  • Alan Miller, Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Alliances, Bank of America Home Loans
  • Chuck McNeal,Chairman & CEO, The Title Group, Inc. Real Estate
     

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE TRACK
Debussy 1
The Top RESPA Challenges for Diversified Real Estate Brokers – And How to Overcome Them
Real estate brokers, like all settlement service providers, are struggling in the current economic environment. This session will explore pricing and marketing issues with an emphasis on discussing compliant ways to find additional income streams.   It will explore affiliated business arrangements, marketing agreements, work share agreements and transaction management platforms from the real estate broker’s perspective; provide "do's and don'ts" on motivating your managers, employees and real estate agents to promote your in-house mortgage, title, and other core services; and explore issues that may arise when increasing fees or charging new fees.

  • Jed Mayk, Esq., Stevens Lee PC
  • Phyllis Shuster, Esq., Shuster Legal Solutions, LLC


Debussy 2
The New RESPA Rule is Here!  Implementation Challenges for Title and Closing Companies
HUD’s new RESPA disclosures took effect on January 1, 2010 and compliance will continue to be a challenge during the implementation period!  This workshop will identify the most common compliance issues faced by title and closing companies, with advice on how to effectively deal with them.

  • Loretta Salzano, Esq., Franzen and Salzano, P.C. 
  • Phil Schulman, Esq., K & L Gates LLP

Brahms Patio
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Wells Fargo Opening Night Gala
End the first day of the conference excitement by attending our Opening Night Gala sponsored by Wells Fargo.  You are invited to come and relax and enjoy great food and top shelf beverages on the Brahms Patio!!


Sponsored by:

Tuesday, March 9

Chopin 2 & 3
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Rise & Shine Breakfast
Sponsored by: 

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Workshops
A combination of panel discussions and highly interactive roundtable discussions will provide you (1) strategies to help you grow your affiliated businesses; and (2) regulatory compliance advice to help you make your affiliated businesses and marketing agreements legally compliant with RESPA and other federal/state laws. 

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Handel
AFFILIATED BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGY TRACK
Tips for Effectively Managing Agent/Home Buyer Closing Expectations in a Challenging Environment
Regardless of the type of property a real estate agent is working to close -- REO, short-sale, primary residence, etc. -- the path to homeownership has gotten even more complex over the past 18 months with systemic industry-wide challenges that aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon.  Unfortunately, many agents do not fully understand the impact of new regulations or the underlying lender and investor constraints with REOs and short sales.  This session will show diversified real estate brokerage firms how to gain a competitive advantage by educating office managers, agents, and in-house mortgage/title teams on how to better manage their own – and their clients’ -- expectations. 

  • Andrea Zimmerman, Managing Partner, Strategic Consulting Partners
  • Steve Barker, Loan Officer, Prosperity Mortgage Company
  • Jon Coile, President, Champion Realty, Inc.

Debussy 1
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE TRACK
RESPA and Pricing:  Almost Ten Years Later
Since HUD’s 2001 announcement that it would scrutinize fees on the HUD-1 to see if they were justified by the services provided, the courts have been divided over whether you are subject to a RESPA challenge when you increase a fee or add a new fee without providing additional services.  The 2009 controversial decision of Busby v. Realty South – involving a real estate administrative fee -- added to the confusion.  Find out in this session what your legal risks are when you price your real estate brokerage, mortgage, or other settlement services, and what you can do to reduce them.

  • Jay Varon, Esq., Foley & Lardner, LLP

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Handel
AFFILIATED BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGY TRACK
Understanding Income and Expenses in Your Affiliated Businesses
You have a mortgage or title joint venture or are considering one, but are confounded by the financial statements.  Whether you are new to affiliated businesses or have learned your lessons the hard way, this panel will highlight and explain the various items of income and expense that often are confusing.   Understanding your affiliated company’s financial statements is essential to both good communication with your partner and to increasing your affiliated business revenues.  Participants are urged to bring a recent financial statement or pro-forma to ask questions about line items (without sharing numbers or other confidential data).

  • Brian Levy, Katten & Temple
  • Charles C. Cain, President of Alliance Solutions, LLC

Debussy 1
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE TRACK
How Well Do You Know Your RESPA?  A Workshop for Affiliated Business Managers
You know the basic RESPA rules for affiliated business – disclosure, no “required use”, and no “prohibited payments”.  You’re familiar with the basics of HUD’s Sham Joint Venture Guidelines.  But how good are you at applying RESPA to common (and sometimes complicated) day-to-day problems and situations as you attempt to market your affiliated services to real estate agents and home buyers?  In this workshop, two RESPA legal experts will present you with fact scenarios they often hear about from their clients and challenge YOU to come up with the RESPA answer (you’ll know whether you get it right or wrong)!  This also is an opportunity to present your own RESPA challenges to the legal experts and the group for their input.

  • Phil Schulman, Esq., K&L Gates LLP
  • Loretta Salzano, Esq., Franzen and Salzano, P.C. 

Debussy 2
Watch Out for the Plaintiffs’ Bar!  New Trends in Class Action Litigation
Class action plaintiffs’ lawyers are filing new lawsuits every day challenging fees that are charged on the HUD-1, marketing agreements, and the offering of incentive discounts when affiliated companies are used.  Whether you are a mortgage lender, real estate broker, home builder, title or settlement service company, you will benefit from hearing about the latest litigation trends brought on by the class action bar.

  • Mitch Kider, Esq., Weiner Brodsky Sidman Kider PC
  • David Sands, Esq., Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP
  • Jay Varon, Esq., Foley & Lardner, LLP

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Chopin 2 & 3
Luncheon & RESPRO® Annual Meeting
Open to All Attendees

1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Idea Sharing Roundtables
You’ll be able to join your colleagues and expert discussion leaders in one of two rooms filled with several roundtables of 10 or less to talk informally and off-the-record about your specific one-stop shopping strategies or regulatory compliance issues.  No presentations, just one-on-one interaction! 

  • AFFILIATED BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGY ROUNDTABLES
    Practitioners in affiliated business/strategic alliance management will serve as discussion leaders. The best idea(s) from each roundtable will be presented to the entire room. 
    Debussy 1 
    • How to Compensate Your Managers for One-Stop Shopping Success
      RESPA allows companies to compensate bona-fide employees for the success of affiliated mortgage, title, or other settlement service operations, and many companies pay their managers based on affiliated revenues or capture rates.  What kind of compensation packages best motivate managers to help you achieve your revenue goals, and who are the best candidates for receiving them?  
    • How Your Affiliated Companies Can More Effectively Capture REO, Short Sales,  and Foreclosure Business
      Real estate brokerage firms can have difficulties cross-marketing their affiliated title services in  REO and foreclosure listings since the seller tends to drive control of the transaction and there is a mistaken belief by broker/owners, managing brokers, and real estate agents that they have to use the bank’s title company.   Yet, these transactions are the majority of sales in many areas.  Hear a discussion by affiliated business managers who do capture this business on how they do it.
    • Using Your Affiliated Businesses to Help Agents Move Listings and Increase Sales
       How to use your affiliated businesses to differentiate the seller’s homes and increase their ability to get the price they want; sales strategies and training activities to help agents sell more homes – along with your affiliated services -- in today’s market.
    • Boosting Your Revenues Through New Services
      Join this interactive roundtable for innovative ideas for maximizing revenues through new products and services, whether they be offered through wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, or marketing agreements.
       
  • REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ROUNDTABLES
    Legal experts will serve as discussion leaders. The most important regulatory compliance tip from each roundtable will be presented to the entire room.
    Debussy 2
    • The New RESPA Rule is Here!  Implementation Challenges for Mortgage Originators
      Was your question not answered in the earlier workshop?  Here’s another chance for representatives of mortgage companies to ask RESPA experts at an interactive roundtable about their remaining challenges as they continue to try to implement HUD’s new RESPA disclosures.
    • The New RESPA Rule is Here!  Implementation Challenges for Title and Closing Companies
      Was your question not answered in the earlier workshop?  Here’s another chance for representatives of title and closing companies to ask RESPA experts about their remaining challenges as they continue to try to implement HUD’s new RESPA disclosures.
    • How to Reduce Your Legal Risks When Pricing Your Services
      The courts are divided over whether you are subject to a RESPA challenge when you increase your fees or add a new fee without justifying it, and the 2009 controversial decision of Busby v. Realty South has caused consternation throughout the industry.  In this roundtable, you’ll be able to get your questions answered about your particular legal risks.
    • Marketing and Work Share Agreements -- Make Sure That Yours Comply With RESPA!
      Here’s another opportunity to get your legal questions answered about your current or potential marketing and work share agreements. 
       

3:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Encore 4-8
All Conference General Session
"Revolutionary Thinking"

  • FHA Commissioner David Stevens:  FHA’s share of the mortgage market has skyrocketed, going from less than 3% in 2006 to 30% today.  In 2010, the new RESPA rule is in full effect and HUD will continue its RESPA enforcement efforts.  Hear directly from the top regulator over FHA and RESPA about what lies ahead for these programs over the coming year!
  • HomeServices of America CEO Ron Peltier:  The head of the Berkshire Hathaway/Mid-America real estate enterprise, the second largest brokerage in the country, will share his perspective on the housing market, where it is heading, and the important role of diversification into mortgage, title and insurance businesses as an antidote to weathering challenging real estate markets.  
  • Technology Pioneer and Best-Selling Author Guy Kawasaki:  A legendary figure in the technology world, having been Steve Jobs’ right hand man at Apple Computers in its early days, a blogging pioneer, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine.   He is the author of nine books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way.

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Joint Networking Night Reception and Vendor Fair with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
Optional - Contact Rae Brevard for details.