Startup Bazaar, held April 12 at the Smith School, showcased the state’s tech ecosystem and featured leaders including Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller. The event highlighted Smith’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and AI, and drew strong participation from startups and state officials.

Merging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a critical step before privatization, argues Clifford Rossi, to reduce systemic risk, eliminate duplicative costs, and simplify the mortgage system—setting the stage for a safer, more efficient housing finance market transition.

Clifford Rossi, Academic Director of the Smith Enterprise Risk Consortium, warns that pharma tariffs could disrupt supply chains, raise costs, and pressure manufacturers, especially generics. Adopting continuous manufacturing (CM) offers efficiency gains, balancing risk mitigation with strategic investment.

The Smith Enterprise Risk Consortium (SERC) at UMD’s Smith School released Q2 2024 results for its Mortgage Credit Risk Index (MCRI) and Mortgage Redtail Risk Index (MRRI). SERC Director Clifford Rossi noted that credit risk remains stable despite a slight year-over-year rise.

Smith MQF students, guided by SERC Director Clifford Rossi and Google’s Pedro Morales, use AI tools to analyze financial data for credit risk signals. This project builds on prior ELP successes in climate and credit risk modeling.

Registration is open for the SERC Risk Academy, a three-day workshop on risk management fundamentals, led by UMD professors and industry leaders. Presented by SERC and coordinated by Smith Executive Education, the program features expert instruction, including insights from SERC Director Cliff Rossi.

Risk expert Clifford Rossi testified before Maryland lawmakers on January 21, 2025, warning that extreme climate events, like the recent LA fires, are overwhelming insurance companies. He proposed creating a federally chartered National Hazard Insurance Corporation (NHIC) to address the crisis.

Cyber risk is a top concern for organizations worldwide, intensified by AI's dual role in bolstering defenses and enhancing attacks. The Gordon-Loeb Model offers a cost-benefit framework to optimize cybersecurity investments, emphasizing AI's evolving, game-theoretic complexities.

Risk events often deemed "unprecedented" are typically extreme iterations of past occurrences, argues Clifford Rossi, Professor of the Practice and Director of the Smith Enterprise Risk Consortium. Comparing these to “Killer Bees,” he emphasizes proactive risk management, urging organizations to anticipate and mitigate low-probability, high-severity scenarios with robust strategies and resources.

Cris deRitis, deputy chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, delivered the keynote at the Smith Enterprise Risk Consortium Advisory Council meeting, offering insights on economic resilience, interest rates, consumer behavior, entrepreneurship, and geopolitical risks, advancing SERC’s mission of industry-academic collaboration.