With Congress primed to tackle reform of the financial services sector, the beleaguered Mortgage Bankers Association finally has landed a Democratic lobbyist. Tom Koonce, who starts work as the MBA's new vice pesident of legislative afairs next month, is a one-time legislative affairs director for Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., a member of the House Committee on Financial Services. The hiring of Koonce, who comes to the job from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, partially offsets the group's loss of two other Democratic lobbyists this summer: Francis Creighton, who left to join the staff of Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, and Catherine Cruz Wojtasik who went to work for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. It's a rare bit of good news for a group that has struggled with budget woes, layoffs, and a split among members.