Members of a trade association for Hispanic real estate professionals will discuss the potential impacts of immigration reform on lending to undocumented immigrants during a conference this week at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.
The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals will meet Tuesday through Thursday this week to discuss public policy that affects Latino homeownership, “including the impact of current issues and the role of government on minority home-buying,” according to an association announcement today.
The national board of the trade association, which has about 14,000 members, along with other association leaders, corporate executives and government officials, are expected to attend the conference.
“Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a town-hall format exchange with panelists and exchange ideas with experts, government leaders, consumer advocates and appointed officials. A contingent of members is also expected to visit elected officials from their local districts,” according to the group’s announcement.
“Housing remains a strong force in our nation’s economy and yet Latino homeownership still lags behind the national average,” said Frances Martinez Myers, Chairman of NAHREP, in a statement. “As the fastest growing trade association representing Hispanic real estate professionals, these dialogues with policy decision-makers are essential to knocking down barriers to homeownership for Latino families.”
One conference session, titled, “Immigration Reform and its Potential Impact on Lending to Undocumented Immigrants,” will feature an discussion between Eduardo Ramos Gomez, former ambassador of Mexico, and Carlos de Icaza, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States. Icaza will share Mexico’s perspective on immigration and homeownership rights for undocumented workers, according to the announcement.
A panel discussion including Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, and Bruce Dorpalen, Director of Housing Counseling at ACORN Housing Corp., will follow.
Armando Falcon Jr., former director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Allen Fishbein of the Consumer Federation of America, and Freddie Mac representative Robert Zimmer will participate in a discussion on the reform of government-sponsored entities (GSEs). The discussion will focus on the impact of proposed reforms on Hispanics and the underserved market.
The event will also include panel discussions on predatory lending and small business access to affordable healthcare, according to the announcement.
Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez; U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral; and Brian Montgomery, assistant secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner, are also scheduled to participate in the conference.
A schedule of the event is available at www.nahrep.org.
***
What’s your opinion? Send your Letter to the Editor to glenn@inman.com; (510) 658-9252, ext. 137.
