The Mortgage Bankers Association has announced key staff promotions. Staff attorney Rod Alba has been named senior director of government affairs, and Daniel Szparaga is now a senior director of the Commercial/Multifamily Real Estate Finance Division. The MERS electronic loan registry has recorded its 20 millionth loan on Nov. 28, 2003. USAA Federal Savings Bank submitted the loan. The real estate finance industry created the MERS system to eliminate assignments when trading