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Last week, I had the privilege of representing the IMA in Washington, alongside IMA President-elect Terry Gearhart. We met with members of Iowa’s congressional delegation, including Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), to advocate for greater housing availability, improved affordability, and meaningful regulatory reform. The conversations were focused and productive, and I left feeling encouraged the voices of Iowa’s mortgage professionals are being heard.
A top priority in our discussions was the elimination of predatory trigger leads — a practice many of you are already familiar with. These leads, sold by credit bureaus as soon as a consumer applies for a mortgage, often result in borrowers receiving dozens of unsolicited calls within hours. This undermines consumer trust and compromises the integrity of our client relationships. Encouragingly, there is growing bipartisan support to address this issue, and with the recent passage of the federal spending bill, we are optimistic that legislative action is within reach.
We also emphasized the need for regulatory reform to support homebuilders. With construction costs at record highs, many builders are unable to produce affordable homes due to insufficient margins. While federal agencies universally recognize the housing crisis, there is broad consensus that effective solutions must be developed at the state and local levels. National policy is too broad to accommodate the unique needs of Iowa communities. To that end, IMA board members will be meeting in May with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) to explore collaborative approaches for improving housing affordability and availability across our state.
As always, the IMA remains committed to advocating for policies that expand access to homeownership, promote responsible lending, and strengthen our communities. Thank you for your continued dedication to this important work.
Let’s keep raising our voices and leading where it matters most — right here at home.
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