Genworth U.S. Mortgage Insurance Redesigns MBA's Certified Residential Underwriter Training Courses to Reflect Market, Regulatory Changes

RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Genworth U.S. Mortgage Insurance (USMI), a unit of Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW), and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today announced that a redesigned training curriculum for CampusMBA's Certified Residential Underwriter (CRU) Specialist Designation will be available on September 17, 2013, to meet the growing demand for underwriters proficient in evaluating borrowers in today's rebounding home purchase market.

The CRU is the only specialized mortgage industry designation that signifies mastery of the specific skills needed to underwrite residential mortgages. Participants who complete the courses learn tangible skills to increase accuracy in underwriting, which contributes to reduced error rates, improved risk management, greater productivity and better loan quality for the mortgage industry. In addition, participants who successfully complete the course learn about the latest laws, regulations and issues regarding fraud and regulatory compliance.

The redesigned CRU courses were previewed at the Mortgage Bankers Association Risk Management and Quality Assurance Forum in Phoenix, AZ. All courses for the Certified Residential Underwriter designation are self-study and web-based, and offered through CampusMBA, the education division of the MBA. Course descriptions, registration and pricing information are available at: http://www.campusmba.org/CertificatesandDesignations/SpecialistsDesignations/cru.htm.

Each level of the CRU curriculum – Basic, Intermediate and Advanced – represents at least 50 hours of coursework, with each level requiring successful completion of a comprehensive exam. Participants must complete a total of 15 required courses to achieve the CRU Specialist Designation. Every Genworth USMI underwriter has completed the three levels of the CampusMBA training course and attained the CRU designation.

"Genworth USMI has been the exclusive partner with CampusMBA in developing and updating these courses since their introduction in 2006," said Joanne Rehm, director of training at Genworth USMI. "We're pleased to offer our innovative, award-winning training expertise to support efforts to improve the skills of industry professionals and help lenders respond to evolving mortgage market needs."

"Completion of each level of the CRU course denotes a high standard of learning that helps organizations and the mortgage industry reach a higher level of effectiveness, efficiency and competence," said Jeff Schummer, vice president, research and education at MBA.

New and substantially redesigned course content includes information on: the foundations for thorough underwriting; best practices in understanding and analyzing personal and business tax returns; regulatory compliance in loan origination; and detecting mortgage loan fraud, including a focus on current fraud trends, new legislation, and recent court cases.

Genworth USMI offers the mortgage insurance industry's most extensive slate of training courses, taught by a team of highly experienced, well-regarded trainers.

About Genworth Financial

Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is a leading Fortune 500 insurance holding company dedicated to helping people secure their financial lives, families and futures. Genworth has leadership positions in offerings that assist consumers in protecting themselves, investing for the future and planning for retirement -- including life insurance, long term care insurance, and financial protection coverages -- and mortgage insurance that helps consumers achieve home ownership while assisting lenders in managing their risk and capital.

Genworth operates through three divisions: U.S. Life Insurance, which includes life insurance, long term care insurance and fixed annuities; Global Mortgage Insurance, containing U.S. Mortgage Insurance and International Mortgage Insurance segments; and the Corporate and Other division, which includes the International Protection and Runoff segments. Products and services are offered through financial intermediaries, advisors, independent distributors and sales specialists. Genworth, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, traces its roots back to 1871 and became a public company in 2004. For more information, visit genworth.com. From time to time, Genworth releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found under the "Investors" section of genworth.com.

SOURCE Genworth Financial, Inc.