As a publisher for The Reverse Review, I am fortunate to be part of the team that brainstorms possible contributors and story concepts for the magazine. In January, we created a list of interview ideas for 2013 that we thought might be interesting for our
readers, and one of those was an interview with longtime industry ally Barney Frank.
As many of you may know, Frank retired from the House of Representatives at the end of the last congressional session. Despite his busy schedule, TRR was able to secure time with the former congressman following a speech he gave in Scottsdale, and on February 12 I accompanied our editor, Jessica Guerin, to Arizona for the interview.
Brisk and businesslike, Frank kindly answered our questions about the reverse mortgage program and the legacy of his push for financial reform, flashing subtle signs of his trademark wit. Whatever your personal opinions of him may be, it’s hard to deny that Frank’s work in Congress will have a lasting impact, and it was an honor to talk with him about his experiences on Capitol Hill.
As I reflect on the interview, I feel grateful for the contribution Frank has made to the industry as a pioneer for the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage. He has been and continues to be a passionate supporter of the program, even though he no longer has a vote. It is very clear that with his departure from Washington, we must continue to build new alliances in the halls of Congress to help protect and advance the reverse mortgage program so that we can continue to provide this valuable service to our nation’s seniors.
