News & Resources

First, hard work and a desire to learn go a long way. An attorney once told me that early in their career they made it a point to know every fact and document in a case better than anyone else and that made them indispensable. I have learned things from each person with whom I have worked.  Second, develop a supportive network of people that work in the industry. This is how you will learn, address challenges, grow in your career, and hear about opportunities.

I have seen a greater focus on workplace and thought diversity, which has fostered more women in leadership roles. The industry has greater awareness of the need to better reflect homebuyers, even more so now considering that single women own 2.71 million more homes than single men. In addition, the industry has become more cognizant of the value of having women in leadership positions, who bring different perspectives and skill sets that can advance change and progress in the housing and mortgage industries to better serve the current market.

It is important to have women in leadership positions in all workplaces because each person brings different perspectives, experiences, and approaches to an issue or problem, which leads to innovation and better decision-making. In fact, in its 10-year history, USMI was led for 7 years by a woman, Lindsey Johnson, who served as President before Seth Appleton, and set the foundations upon which the association advanced its policy priorities, seeking to enable access to mortgage credit backed by private capital for millions of borrowers across the country. Having women in leadership positions in the housing finance industry helps to ensure that women and all borrowers are better served in the marketplace. In addition, as part of my role as Vice President and Senior Counsel for USMI, I have the privilege of working closely with women in leadership roles within USMI member companies, promoting policies and regulations that ensure prudent, affordable, and sustainable access to homeownership for borrowers with low down payments.

The industry can better support women borrowers and enable affordable access to homeownership by continuing to support home borrower education and financial literacy efforts. Mortgage lending is highly regulated and very complicated. Additionally, we need to continue focusing on policies that support affordable, sustainable and equitable access to housing, which includes assessing current products and services, so they meet the needs of different types of borrowers. At the same time, homeownership is proven to be a critical part of intergenerational wealth building for many families. Helping women borrowers as well as enabling affordable access to homeownership is not only smart from a financial standpoint, but also helps reduce certain vulnerabilities associated with gender inequality. Access to the right information and tools can be key to overcoming historic disparities and building wealth, especially in the current housing environment with high home price appreciation, elevated interest rates, and lack of affordable housing supply.