Mortgage banking exec to head HBI

The Home Builders Institute (HBI) has named John Courson, the former president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), as its new president and CEO. Courson is a nationally recognized housing industry spokesperson and government affairs expert who served as MBA's president and CEO from 2008 to 2011. His initial priorities at HBI will be to identify new revenue streams and create new programs for the non-profit organization.

HBI is the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). It provides training, mentoring, curriculum development and job placement services in support of residential construction careers for both youth and adults. 

In addition to serving as the head of the national MBA, Courson was the MBA's elected chairman in 2003 and has served as a past president of the California, Dallas and Michigan Mortgage Bankers Associations. He has also served at the head of three different mortgage companies, Central Pacific Mortgage Company in Folsom, Calif., Fundamental Mortgage Corp. and Westwood Mortgage Corp. (formerly Fort Wayne Mortgage Co.), both in Texas. From 2004 to 2008, he was chairman of the California Housing Finance Agency, a position to which he was appointed by then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Courson also has a participated in international housing initiatives led by the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department.