AIME's Fuse Event Draws Thousands of Brokers, Launches Campaign to Consumers

The Association of Independent Mortgage Experts wrapped its biggest national conference yet, with a new standard for both attendance and content. It concluded with a groundbreaking announcement from CEO Katie Sweeney.

The Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME), the only trade association specifically for independent mortgage brokers, hosted its fifth annual gathering of mortgage professionals and wholesale brokers from across the country. More than 3,000 attendees descended upon the Paris Las Vegas last week for the fifth annual AIME Fuse National Conference, a record turnout for the event. This Fuse event wasn't just the biggest AIME has hosted, it was also the most impactful, with an increased emphasis on education, advocacy, and building the organization's future legacy.

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Three days of content was kicked off by a series of sold-out Summit workshops dedicated to promoting education and development within the broker community. AIME sold out its first-ever VA Summit, which was dedicated to sharing best practices on VA loans and learning how to better support Veteran borrowers. The Diversity Summit, also making its debut this year, sold out as well. Led by AIME's VP of Impact Janine Kempfer, the Diversity Summit was a standing-room only affair where attendees identified the challenges of diversity & inclusion in our industry, and worked together to create immediate actionable change by finding unity in diversity. At the third annual WMN Summit, women from all roles within the wholesale mortgage community came together to learn from each other and solidify best practices from female leaders. This Summit was capped off by a closing keynote from Casey "Blade" Cunningham, the CEO and founder of XINNIX. It was clear that these workshops resonated with attendees, who made their support clear; each summit drew more than 500 attendees, again record numbers for a Fuse event.

In a year during which the broker channel has experienced adversity in the market, Fuse stressed the importance of community and connection. Mortgage industry leader, Mat Ishbia, President and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage and AIME's title sponsor, shared expert insights in a rousing keynote and announced three key updates that specifically tackle the current needs of brokers – Safe Check, Title Review and Closing (TRAC), UClose 3.0.

"It's always exciting around Fuse because we know UWM is going to have an exciting announcement for the broker community," says Marc Summers, President of Membership. "And they didn't disappoint with their announcements this year – these enhancements will go a long way to propel the broker community for years to come."

Throughout the 3-day conference, the wholesale channel's best and brightest appeared on stage to reflect on the past successes of the channel and look forward to the future. In a featured keynote address, undefeated World Boxing Champion Laila Ali spoke about the importance of an unbreakable mindset and award-winning poet, Billboard-charting artist and author Dr. Billy Alsbrooks, brought his unique brand of motivation to the crowd.

The biggest news of the weekend came in AIME CEO, Katie Sweeney's, keynote address. Sweeney revealed that the non-profit organization has developed a cutting-edge website dedicated to educating the mortgage consumer about the mortgage loan process with access to local independent originators in their communities. Launching November 1, 2022, the Brokers Are Better website will support the nation's current and future homebuyers and will provide direct access to the resources brokers offer with a variety of consumer-friendly features.

"Our main focus as an organization is to protect, support and grow the broker channel," says Katie Sweeney, CEO of AIME. "We have focused on this internally within our industry but for the first time, we are taking this message directly to borrowers across the nation – to prove, without a doubt, that brokers are the best option for their homebuying needs."

The site includes a comprehensive Broker Directory that will enable visitors to browse brokers in their local area to help them find the mortgage professional that's right for them. A library of digital resources, including articles and videos, quizzes, and a comprehensive rate calculator, will be available to consumers as well. Brendan McKay, President of Advocacy, adds, "This website expands the reach of the broker network to a new level. It provides a seamless path to mortgage information that will empower consumers – and help us advocate for independent mortgage brokers on the frontline directly with borrowers. It provides unprecedented access to the nation's leading mortgage experts, and most importantly, it facilitates our primary mission: to help people help more people."

The announcement received an overwhelmingly positive response from attendees, who greeted the news with a standing ovation. "This site is really a game changer for us," said one audience member. "It's bringing us up to the next level and enabling us to continue to compete and dominate." AIME members who weren't in attendance voiced their support for the initiative on social media as well, with comments pouring in immediately following the address.

"Brokers are driven people. That's why they got into the business. They're always looking for new tools to add to the toolbox, new ways to help their clients and expand their capabilities," explains Sweeney. "That's what this website is – a power tool. It's a direct line to the people who need our services the most, and it comes with everything they need to understand what they're looking for."

"We're in a massive growth period right now," states Tom Ahles, President of Growth at AIME. "The market climate is challenging but we're seeing an influx of originators joining our channel at a fervent pace. Now, more than ever, we need the support from an organization like ours that is not only focused on helping the solo originator grow, but who is also propelling that message directly out to consumers nationwide."

Going into 2023, the organization is focused on continuing to provide brokers with the resources they need to thrive. This year has already seen the launch of AIME Academy, a training program for the wholesale channel, as well as a groundbreaking political effort in the form of the Broken Action Coalition PAC. "Brokers have come so far since the 2008 crash," says Katie Sweeney. "A lot of that is due to the work AIME has done to bring the broker channel together. When we come together as a cohesive community, we win. That's what Fuse is about – bringing people together from across the country to support each other, help each other, and ultimately, be better together."

About the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts

The Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) is a non-profit, national trade membership association created exclusively for independent mortgage brokers. With over 65,000 members, AIME is committed to establishing a community of independent mortgage experts by creating an association that empowers them with unparalleled technology, continued education and networking support necessary to successfully advise consumers nationwide with their residential mortgage needs. AIME operates with a growth-focused strategy, providing tools and resources to propel the wholesale channel beyond a 25% share of the mortgage market in 2022 and beyond.

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