Mortgage Brokers to Gather in Long Beach

More than 1,600 people are expected to turn out today for a convention of mortgage brokers, focusing on new management techniques, more effective advertising and time-saving technology, among other issues.

The gathering of the California Assn. of Mortgage Brokers, which runs through Saturday at Long Beach Convention Center, also will explore such topics as government loans and the potential benefits and pitfalls facing brokers pondering a jump into mortgage banking.

Among the technological advances on display will be software that its developers say can compress the process of some loan applications into under two hours. Also under discussion will be the increase in the number of borrowers applying for loans over the Internet.