All real estate is local, the industry maxim goes. But for Kimber White, real estate finance is about to have a distinctly global feel.

White, who handed the president’s gavel of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) to Michael Farrell on Thursday, assumed a new title the same day: chairman of the International Mortgage Brokers Federation (IMBF).

That group describes itself as an “international organization for national mortgage broker and mortgage finance associations to share ideas, client referrals, market intelligence, trends, regulatory matters and best practices.” Its member associations include NAMB in the United States, as well as like-minded broker groups in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

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“If we want consumers to see brokers as trusted advisers, that trust has to be backed by something they can recognize,” White said in a press release. “An international certification, developed together with our member associations, would give brokers a mark of professionalism that travels with them anywhere in the world.”

White, a 40-year industry vet who co-leads a mortgage brokerage in Florida, said IMBF priorities for the upcoming year include launching a “find-a-broker-abroad directory” and expanding member education across the globe.

“Every national association already does important work at home,” he said. “By bringing those associations together, each one gains access to the knowledge, relationships and resources of all the others. Stronger associations make a stronger federation, and that gives brokers in every country a larger platform and a louder voice.”

White emphasized in a recent conversation with Scotsman Guide that he still plans to remain actively involved with NAMB in the role of immediate past president. The association is hosting its annual convention in Las Vegas from Oct. 16 to 19, with White delivering his outgoing president’s message on the 18th.