Kurt Pfotenhauer, the chief of staff to Republican Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, has been hired as chief lobbyist for the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. As senior vice president of government affairs, Pfotenhauer will set the trade group’s legislative and regulatory agenda. He had been Smith’s top man since 1996. He also worked for Rep. Denny Smith, R-OR, in the House after resigning from UPS, where he spent five years as vice president