Wed, May 27 2015, 3:45 PM
"There
are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to piddle on the electric
...
Tue, May 26 2015, 10:43 AM
Pew Research
finds Millennials (18 to 34 years old) have now surpassed Gen X as the
largest generation in the workforce. Millennials reached 53.5m...
Fri, May 22 2015, 11:22 AM
Yes,
I know it is the Friday before a 3-day weekend, after which it is okay
to wear white shoes to formal events. (And yes, there will be a
comm...
Thu, May 21 2015, 10:41 AM
Hundreds
of capital markets folks have returned, bleary-eyed, to their roosts
around the country. Unfortunately, as Cantor Fitzgerald's Dave Gottf...
Wed, May 20 2015, 10:36 AM
Lots
of folks here in New York were interested in Freddie Mac bumping its
2015 residential volume estimate to $1.35 trillion*, the upcoming
ho...
Tue, May 19 2015, 11:41 AM
There
are 1,700 capital markets folks wandering around Manhattan, and one of
the topics is that one week Janet Yellen and other Fed officials are ...
Mon, May 18 2015, 9:40 AM
The
last seven days has involved a little travel for me: Oregon, Incline
Village in Nevada, and now Manhattan for the MBA's Secondary Marketing
...
Fri, May 15 2015, 10:43 AM
The NMLS has commenced a study on the role of a MLO -
besides being at the receiving end of jokes about AARP in the
workplace. All kidding aside,...
Thu, May 14 2015, 10:17 AM
Quicken Loans, besides raising $1.25 billion in debt (leaving folks wondering if that is what attorneys to fight HUD & the DOJ cost these days), rel...
Wed, May 13 2015, 10:47 AM
In
1963 President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month
and then in 1980 President Jimmy Carter changed the name to Older Ameri...
Tue, May 12 2015, 10:46 AM
I
am attending a conference in Oregon and yesterday someone asked me,
"Rob, have you heard of the MBA doing something to educate anyone in
schoo...
Mon, May 11 2015, 10:52 AM
Taking a quick look at what people are doing with their money, just 14% of American households own individual stocks,
according to Federal Reserve d...
Fri, May 8 2015, 10:11 AM
According
to the MBA's Quarterly Index of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers
Originations for the first quarter of 2015, the YoY origination ...
Thu, May 7 2015, 10:59 AM
For aging LOs and real estate agents, a report by Genworth Financial
finds the median bill for 1 year in a nursing home is now $91,250 vs.
$87...
Wed, May 6 2015, 12:47 PM
I
received this note from a veteran LO in a western state. "I was talking
with a top-producing Realtor on broker tour this week. Unlike too many
...
Tue, May 5 2015, 10:38 AM
I
grew up with a lock on my locker in school. Every once in a while
someone would have their combination stolen and locker broken into. Or
at le...
Mon, May 4 2015, 9:53 AM
By
now the remains of the pizza lunches for everyone working OT to deliver
a successful April have been cleared away, and lenders are optimistic
...
Fri, May 1 2015, 10:57 AM
Today
is Lei Day in Hawai'i. I guess Zillow doesn't consider Honolulu a "Metro Area".
Recently Zillow Research analyzed property taxes in the "la...
Thu, Apr 30 2015, 10:43 AM
I
travel around a fair amount, spending time with lenders, Realtors, and
TSA personnel. A major concern among the first two groups is whether or
...
Wed, Apr 29 2015, 10:39 AM
First
off, let me apologize for having the incorrect site in yesterday's
commentary regarding the funny history of the term "escrow" - this is th...
Mon, Apr 27 2015, 9:07 AM
Many LOs are watching rent prices . Increasing
rent is a two-edged sword, of course, simultaneously moving households
to stop renting and buy a p...
Fri, Apr 24 2015, 9:55 AM
Filling key positions in our industry is not
an easy task sometimes, but as one banking vet I know likes to say,
"give me someone with a little bi...
Thu, Apr 23 2015, 9:58 AM
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that nearly 10 percent of U.S.
residents are not happy with their current housing, neighborhood, local
safety or p...
Wed, Apr 22 2015, 10:59 AM
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 nd and this year marks the 45 th
anniversary. Leave it to the Census Bureau
(known as "The Bureau with a ca...
Tue, Apr 21 2015, 10:25 AM
True
or false: "Unnecessary regulatory burdens are preventing qualified,
credit-worthy borrowers from obtaining the American Dream of
homeowners...
Mon, Apr 20 2015, 9:31 AM
There is a lot going on in terms of upcoming events. In no particular order...
Due to the high demand, Genworth has grown its live RESPA-TILA we...
Fri, Apr 17 2015, 10:48 AM
Since inflation doesn't exist much anymore in the economy, how about in your garage ? Detroit has plenty of empty garages and so the city announced a...
Thu, Apr 16 2015, 10:03 AM
Try
saying PSDS without sounding like you're from Boston saying "pierced
ears". And 3,100 miles away, in California, the latest report echoes
wh...
Wed, Apr 15 2015, 10:32 AM
Yesterday
we had plenty of CFPB updates , and let's continue with those. Remember
that even though although your bank or mortgage operation is th...
Tue, Apr 14 2015, 11:26 AM
As a reminder, many in the industry know that as of April 1 new rates kicked in under the National Flood Insurance Program . Policy premiums increas...
Mon, Apr 13 2015, 9:51 AM
We're approaching the home buying season. What could $412k pick up in Detroit during the last home buying season? Here you go . Thanks to Brian B. fo...
Thu, Apr 9 2015, 9:40 AM
According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, the national mover rate has remained stable
(between 11.5 and 12.5 percent) since 2008. In 1948, about 1 in...
Wed, Apr 8 2015, 9:10 AM
The Census Bureau published a
table showing median earnings and a wage comparison for men and women
depending upon occupation. In 2013, there were...
Tue, Apr 7 2015, 10:29 AM
Things
have a way of changing - even appearances. (Ray W. sent me news that
recently there was a Kenny Rogers look-alike contest. Kenny Rogers cam...
Mon, Apr 6 2015, 10:19 AM
Late last week someone asked me about HUD's Equal Access Rule .
A month or so ago Bankers Advisory released a notice regarding HUD's
update to eq...
Fri, Apr 3 2015, 10:11 AM
Mergers and acquisitions
valued at $811.8 billion have been announced this quarter globally, up
21% compared with Q1 of 2014, according to Thomso...
Thu, Apr 2 2015, 9:36 AM
The MBA tells us that independent
mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks "average
production volume totaled $417 million per ...
Wed, Apr 1 2015, 10:00 AM
Residential
lenders across the land wonder at their good fortune for great
origination volumes in March, with many setting records, and they are t...
Tue, Mar 31 2015, 10:57 AM
Amelia
Earhart was quoted as saying, "Never interrupt someone doing something
you said couldn't be done." Few thought that the refi boom could hav...
Mon, Mar 30 2015, 9:38 AM
In
like a lion, out like a lamb? Usually folks say that about March's
weather, not the economy. But economic data so far in the first quarter
ha...
Fri, Mar 27 2015, 10:35 AM
I
love it when I receive an e-mail warning me, "You've had unusual and
suspicious activity on your American Express Card." I don't have an
Ameri...
Thu, Mar 26 2015, 10:20 AM
Fannie announced some important news to any changes in the way self-employed income is considered. Sure enough, the folks on Wisconsin Avenue (soon ...
Wed, Mar 25 2015, 10:02 AM
Don't
think the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening? USA Today
reports the world's richest 1% of people control over 50% of total
gl...
Tue, Mar 24 2015, 11:11 AM
Thank you to Carol Kimball who sent along this site of " inexplicably terrible real estate photos ." My guess is that every underwriter has seen their...
Mon, Mar 23 2015, 11:02 AM
Today
I head off to Austin, Texas for four days of MBA STRATMOR Peer Group
Program meetings - a great opportunity to sit in a room with the MBA,
...
Fri, Mar 20 2015, 10:49 AM
Pro
Teck Valuation Services' Home Value Forecast (HVF) examined the impact
of lower oil prices on home values. Perhaps to no one's surprise, the
...
Thu, Mar 19 2015, 10:48 AM
"Rob,
with the Fannie price changes Tuesday, does the securities market still
charge a premium for high balance conforming? " Yes it does - pools...
Wed, Mar 18 2015, 10:40 AM
What is the Willis Tower? I don't know, but the $1.3 billion Sears Tower , complete with a $775 million loan, was sold to Blackstone.
The WSJ repor...
Tue, Mar 17 2015, 10:26 AM
Happy
St. Patrick's Day! Irish or not, many celebrated last Saturday instead
of tonight, although in honor of today Hal M. writes, "The Irish
in...
Mon, Mar 16 2015, 9:44 AM
Practically
everyone has been involved in failed business ventures. Some go away
entirely, but some try to bounce back. Anyone who has ever flown ...
