Mon, Jan 4 2016, 10:23 AM
"Rob,
I can't help but notice the enormous TRID frustration among so many of
your readers. While we/MBA were successful in getting the letter fr...
Thu, Dec 31 2015, 12:41 PM
Given
my Resolutions from a year ago, and looking back at 2015, I've got
today to get skinny, save money, learn French, and undrink 987 bottles
...
Wed, Dec 30 2015, 10:39 AM
Death
is rarely funny, and the aftermath can be even worse. But here's an
interesting twist on things. Even in our digital world where e-mortgages...
Tue, Dec 29 2015, 11:45 AM
Are
you reading this while figuring out what you're going to do New Year's
Eve? The latest research studies find it is nearly impossible for our
...
Mon, Dec 28 2015, 12:02 PM
Fetch
your HP 12c - here's some math magic. Take 259, multiply it by your
age, and then multiply that by 39. You'll see an interesting result.
(...
Thu, Dec 24 2015, 11:45 AM
As
much of the nation reels from storms and their damage, and lenders
review their disaster policies, there is one thing we don't have to
worry ...
Wed, Dec 23 2015, 11:22 AM
It
is the holiday season. Some of us abstain from drinking alcohol, some
of us don't. And among those that don't abstain, some drink a little and
...
Tue, Dec 22 2015, 12:11 PM
Yesterday I posted some USDA rural housing updates ,
and received a couple notes from astute readers on a couple errors. The
upfront guarantee fe...
Mon, Dec 21 2015, 11:00 AM
Congratulations
- from here on out we'll see more daylight in the Northern Hemisphere
every day. And for readers living in Anchorage, Alaska, wher...
Fri, Dec 18 2015, 10:51 AM
Few people grow up wanting to be an LO
or a capital markets gal. But plenty grow up wanting to be astronauts.
Ever wondered what an astronaut earn...
Thu, Dec 17 2015, 11:39 AM
What are lenders talking about?
Besides the CEO of Wells Fargo saying in a recent speech that he sees,
"the wealth and investment management busin...
Wed, Dec 16 2015, 10:12 AM
The financial services sector continues to evolve, or devolve as the
case may be. Certainly the wave of mergers and acquisitions continues,
and ju...
Tue, Dec 15 2015, 10:04 AM
What
is this? Fear of a bubble in commercial real estate? Apparently the Fed
is increasingly concerned about asset pricing and lending practices i...
Mon, Dec 14 2015, 9:40 AM
"The
mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher
demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." So said William Arthur War...
Fri, Dec 11 2015, 10:56 AM
Women who own small businesses in the United
States are overall more satisfied than their male counterparts with
their banking experience, accordi...
Thu, Dec 10 2015, 10:55 AM
Someone
is always upset when they are left off of some list, but Owners.com, a
national brokerage, has published the top 25 metro areas by home pr...
Wed, Dec 9 2015, 9:20 AM
Among other debt instruments the U.S. Treasury issues
(auctions/sells) T-Bills (maturing in one year or less), T-Notes (2-10
year maturities), and...
Tue, Dec 8 2015, 10:43 AM
"I
remember the words to every song from the 1970s, but I forgot why I
walked into this room..." Memory is a funny thing. But remember when it
w...
Mon, Dec 7 2015, 10:37 AM
"Rob,
you discussed TRID issues Saturday. Anything else you're hearing from
investors?" Sure. Remember that investors, whether it is Fannie or
F...
Fri, Dec 4 2015, 9:50 AM
Hiring
quick-thinking candidates is important, and Martin H. contributed,
"There's another great answer to the traditional interview question,
'...
Thu, Dec 3 2015, 10:55 AM
Once
again we can all listen to the yammering about the Federal Reserve's
Open Market Committee meeting. But for those who would actually like to ...
Wed, Dec 2 2015, 10:53 AM
"I
spent half my money on gambling, women, and booze. The other half I
wasted." Not that politicians would ever waste money - after all, they
ca...
Tue, Dec 1 2015, 10:23 AM
In response to yesterday's blurb about the movie "Home Alone" being 25 years old Carol K. sent, "You know you're old when you watch 'Home Alone' and w...
Mon, Nov 30 2015, 9:30 AM
Hiring
can be tough during the holidays for a variety of reasons. Plenty of
people don't want to make a move, have full pipelines destined to clo...
Fri, Nov 27 2015, 11:28 AM
There
are 50 states in the U.S., and 3007 counties in those states. (The
numbers of counties per state ranges from the 3 in Delaware to 254 in
T...
Wed, Nov 25 2015, 10:46 AM
As a reminder, the FFIEC has released a new version of the IT Management Booklet , available here . The Federal Financial Institutions Examination C...
Tue, Nov 24 2015, 10:45 AM
Nonbank online lender CashCall
has paid $2 million in restitution and fines to settle California state
allegations that the company duped consum...
Mon, Nov 23 2015, 9:58 AM
What
is a huge concern of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? It isn't rates, or
credit risk. It is having their business flow, and that of their
client...
Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:22 AM
Did
you know that November is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage
month? There are currently 5.4 million American Indians and Alaska
Nati...
Thu, Nov 19 2015, 10:46 AM
Every day we all hear rumors, big and small, mostly unfounded.
Rumors like that large companies in the vein of Franklin American and
Freedom Mortg...
Wed, Nov 18 2015, 10:58 AM
Where
the heck did 40 years go? Call any person who underwrites loans or
draws docs and ask if they'd like to do that for 40 straight years. The
...
Tue, Nov 17 2015, 10:10 AM
I
do a little traveling (this week, hopefully, is California, Colorado,
and Kansas) so it was interesting to see that Pro Teck Valuation
Service...
Mon, Nov 16 2015, 10:52 AM
Many
nations are a hodge-podge of ethnic diversity, and the U.S. Census
Bureau tells us that there are at least 350 languages spoken across our
...
Fri, Nov 13 2015, 10:46 AM
Lots
of people love Friday the 13ths - we've had a few this year but there
will be only one in 2016 (May). The Gregorian calendar is full of
won...
Thu, Nov 12 2015, 10:59 AM
WalletHub published its findings from analyzing the 2015 best and worst small cities in America .
The analysis compared 1,268 U.S. cities with a po...
Wed, Nov 11 2015, 1:31 PM
Today is November 11 th ,
Veterans Day. The bond markets are closed, as are many companies, but
what does this date represent? (On a personal note...
Tue, Nov 10 2015, 10:11 AM
Title companies , as well as real estate agents , find themselves in the middle of the MSA discussion.
Marketing and Services Agreements (MSAs) whe...
Mon, Nov 9 2015, 10:10 AM
The
end of the year is in sight. Banks are doing their usual search for CRA
loans, employees are lining up Christmas parties, and...bidding on cat...
Fri, Nov 6 2015, 10:05 AM
"Every
saint has a past, and every sinner has a future." The mortgage industry
has both, and it is important to remember that individuals and
co...
Thu, Nov 5 2015, 9:44 AM
The MBA spread the word that in Congress the House is going to vote today on ending "using gfees to support the highway program " today. "We sent a ...
Wed, Nov 4 2015, 9:06 AM
No
sooner does the commentary (once again) mention cyberattacks than the
FFIEC comes out with a bulletin yesterday on the escalating number of ...
Tue, Nov 3 2015, 10:46 AM
Are
we heading for a "Pearl Harbor" type event in the internet? Possibly,
and cyber security is certainly becoming critical . And it just isn't
...
Mon, Nov 2 2015, 9:14 AM
November
already? Thanksgiving is approaching, and in honor of that I shot my
first turkey yesterday. Scared everyone in the frozen food's section...
Fri, Oct 30 2015, 10:24 AM
Besides
the adults taking over Halloween, and the underwriting department
duking it out with accounting to see who takes home this year's
depart...
Thu, Oct 29 2015, 10:43 AM
Let's
start with something non-mortgage related but that may be of interest
to some. Who doesn't go faster than the posted speed limit on a freewa...
Wed, Oct 28 2015, 11:02 AM
I
head to Ann Arbor today, but 500 miles away is the Gateway Arch in St.
Louis - quite a sight on the Mississippi! The Gateway Arch was designed
...
Tue, Oct 27 2015, 10:34 AM
When
was the last time anyone used the term "elderly"? I think the industry
dropped the term when someone realized baby boomers didn't like thinki...
Mon, Oct 26 2015, 10:40 AM
Don't
ask me how we arrived at the last week of October already, but here we
are barreling toward Halloween and changing the clocks Sunday morning...
Fri, Oct 23 2015, 10:44 AM
There are reasons why FHA production has skyrocketed in the last year, and why that product was the talk of the MBA conference. It
seems that fina...
Thu, Oct 22 2015, 10:46 AM
If
anyone out there wants to be buy a big office building, Fannie has one:
the company is preparing to move to its new HQ downtown and is selling...
