Non-QM, AI LOS Products; Webinars and Training; Freedom's Stan Middleman Interview

It is right around now that people give up saying “Happy New Year” to others, mostly because they’ve lost track to whom they’ve said it. Welcome back to a 5-day workweek, despite storm severity increasing, the first since mid-December. Oh, and happy 45²! Yes, 2025 = 45² is a “perfect square” year, and is represented by the square of the sum of all the digits: (0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9)² = 2025. It also represents the sum of the cubes of all the digits: 0³ + 1³ + 2³ + 3³ + 4³ + 5³ + 6³ + 7³ + 8³ + 9³ = 2025. Continuing on in the “fun with numbers” vein, be careful who you focus on in the real estate agent world. Now that 2024 is over with, a good question is “How many deals did you close last year?” If you ask, “How was 2024?” you might hear “Fine” with the agent closed no deals. If you go back to 2023, nearly half of real estate agents sold 0-1 house! We’re still waiting on the 2024 stats, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend time catering to an agent that isn’t doing any business. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by CoreLogic. CoreLogic is giving mortgage professionals the tools they need to establish long-term relationships with their clients, helping them keep future business in-house and transforming the way they do business. Today’s has an interview with Freedom Mortgage’s Stan Middleman on his multi-decade career in the mortgage industry and how to maintain success regardless of market conditions.)

Correspondent and Wholesale Non-Agency Products

“As we step into 2025, the mortgage industry is entering an era of transformation. Scalability and revenue growth have never been more critical for navigating market complexities and positioning for long-term success. At Dark Matter Technologies, we believe these priorities should be at the forefront of every lender's strategy. To support this focus, we’re excited to announce Brad Vasto as our new Chief Revenue Officer. With decades of experience in mortgage technology and a deep understanding of lenders' challenges, Brad is uniquely positioned to guide our efforts in helping clients achieve scalable growth. This leadership alignment, alongside Sean Dugan’s upcoming transition to CEO, reflects our commitment to delivering solutions that drive meaningful impact. In 2024, we concentrated on bringing Dark Matter to the industry and advancing tools that directly address lenders' needs, from AI-driven efficiency gains to expanded Loan Origination System (LOS) offerings with the NOVA LOS. In 2025, we are building on that foundation, working with you to scale operations, streamline processes, reduce origination costs, and boost profitability. Let’s start the conversation. Schedule a consultation with us today to explore how we can help your business thrive in 2025 and beyond.”

Coming off an extraordinary 2024, Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC. is excited for 2025. To that end, we are ringing in the new year with a Wholesale Non-QM special! Borrowers will receive a lender credit for up to $1,000 at closing toward the cost of a single appraisal on a Non-QM loan. This special applies to Non-QM loans only submitted in the month of January. We understand the challenges in the housing market today and just want to make it a little easier for both you and your borrowers. Speak to your account executive or reach out to us today. Carrington is looking forward to a successful 2025. Let’s work together to grow in the new year!

Training, Webinars, and In-Person Events

A good place for longer term conference planning is to start is here for in-person events in the future; and organizers can post their event!

Technology and innovation in residential lending are the focus of Now Next Later Mondays at 1pm ET.

Tomorrow and all Tuesdays at 11am PT, two veteran LOs discuss all things mortgage with Industry Leaders: Mortgage Pros 411 with Audrey Boissonou and Kevin Casey. Tomorrow’s features Partner’s Credit COO Tracey King.

Join Rebecca Lorenz on Tuesday, January 7, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST, for Collaborative Business Planning With Referral Partners.

On Wednesday, January 8, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PST, National MI University will present Market Outlook 2025: A Transformation Year? Speaker Scott Weghorst will share his insights on the state of the mortgage market, recent changes and impacts, and the future of the mortgage industry.

Looking for more in-depth commentary on weekly mortgage news? Register here for Wednesday’s 11AM PT "Mortgage Matters: The Weekly Roundup” presented by Lenders One.

Thursday will be another episode of The Big Picture at 3PM ET. Rich Swerbinsky hosts a variety of guests. You can click here to register for Thursday’s 3 PM ET show which features the CEO of Floify, Sofia Rossato.

There’s Dr. Bruce Lund for “Making and Keeping New Year's Resolutions.” This Thursday, January 9, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST webinar is designed to help you break this cycle and make real, lasting change.

Friday, listen in to opinions (Last Word Fridays at 1pm ET) from Kevin Peranio and Brian Vieaux! Register here.

End this week with The Mortgage Collaborative’s The Fix with Melissa Langdale covering current events in the mortgage market for 30 minutes starting at noon PT.

Educate & Elevate with National MI University's January Webinars.

NAMB Focus will be January 9-11. This marketing, sales and technology conference will be held in Margaritaville Orlando.

The new Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) training to educate all stakeholders about using the dynamic appraisal reports and updated dataset is now available. This training includes the Appraisal Update Report and the Completion Report, which are separate from the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR). Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (the GSEs) collaborated to develop consistent training for all stakeholders, Access the Training.

To support FHA Catalyst Mortgagee Administrators, FHA has made available a series of training videos consisting of six “how-to” tutorials for Mortgagee Administrators. The tutorials can be accessed on the FHA Catalyst User Access Management webpage on hud.gov.

Don’t let Early Pay Offs (EPOs) catch you off guard, watch Tips for Managing EPOs from Mark Boleky, VP of Business Development at Plaza Home Mortgage®, as he breaks down what EPOs are, why they happen, and how to avoid them.

There’s the MISMO Winter Summit, January 13-16, in Miramar Beach, FL.

Empower your confidence in calculating income and assets for USDA approvals. Register for a live, virtual training opportunity, Wednesday, January 15, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET. Available at no cost to all USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed lenders and real estate agents.

If you’re in Washington on Wednesday, January 15, join Puget Sound RMA and Washington Mortgage Bankers Association’s luncheon with Matthew Gardner, Housing Economist & Public Speaker, for 2025 Economic Forecast.

We have the 2025 MBA Economic and Housing Forecast Webinar, January 16, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EST).

Educate & Elevate with National MI University's January Webinars.

Join TMBA on January 16, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm for a comprehensive Texas legislative update presented by Meredyth Fowler, General Counsel of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association. This session will focus on critical changes and trends affecting the mortgage industry, covering legislative, regulatory, and relationship-building insights gained from the latest Texas legislative session.

Join MMA for an hour of learning about and how to use this tool in your profession. Danielle Swerczek, Senior Account Manager from MGIC, will be leading this instructional webinar.

1/27-1/29 is the MBA’s Independent Mortgage Banker Conference in Austin, Texas. Be sure to say “hi” if you go!

Capital Markets

Last week was relatively quiet due to the New Year’s holiday, with limited market activity. U.S. Treasuries saw strong demand driven by safe-haven buying amid a broader market sell-off, while mixed economic data was released. The Chicago PMI showed a slowdown in manufacturing, but November Pending Home Sales rose 2.2 percent, signaling strength in housing. Housing price indices from the FHFA and S&P Case-Shiller showed moderate monthly increases, but mortgage application activity dropped sharply, down 21.9 percent, due to seasonal factors and rising mortgage rates, which approached 7 percent. U.S. construction spending remained flat in November, with slight gains in residential construction offset by a decline in nonresidential activity, as higher interest rates and tight credit conditions continued to slow overall construction. Despite recent rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, mortgage rates have continued to rise, further reducing affordability for homebuyers.

This week brings the December payrolls report on Friday, with prior updates including services PMIs, factory orders, trade, ADP employment, consumer credit, Challenger job cuts, wholesale inventories before payrolls and Michigan sentiment. Treasury will auction $119 billion in 3-years, 10-years and 30-years over Monday to Wednesday and the bond market will see an early close on Thursday in observance of the National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. The corporate calendar is expected to be very for the first full week of the new year. Several Fed speakers are scheduled and the minutes from the December 17/18 FOMC meeting will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

Today’s economic calendar gets under way later this morning with final December S&P Global services PMI, which will be followed by November factory orders and a Treasury auction of $58 billion 3-year notes. We begin the week with Agency MBS prices roughly unchanged from Friday’s close, the 2-year yielding 4.25, and the 10-year yielding 4.58 after closing Friday at 4.60 percent.

Non-QM, AI LOS Products; Webinars and Training; Freedom's Stan Middleman Interview

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