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 ...
Fri, Mar 13 2015, 10:51 AM
Last
month I had the privilege of spending some time at the Florida Ellie
Mae Encompass event with CEO Jonathan Corr. I was reminded that he had
...
Thu, Mar 12 2015, 10:43 AM
Charles Dickens walks into a bar and asks for a martini. The bartender asks, "Olive or twist?"
Some things have a clever twist, others not so much -...
Wed, Mar 11 2015, 10:50 AM
"Most mortgage bankers know that if they're attacked by a mob of clowns to go for the juggler."
And most mortgage bankers know whether or not the co...
Tue, Mar 10 2015, 10:17 AM
The
mortgage industry continues to deal with unintended consequences of
over-regulation, including higher prices for borrowers. The barrel
indus...
Mon, Mar 9 2015, 10:25 AM
Occasionally
I am asked about how the agencies handle certain types of debt. As a
reminder, Fannie Mae requires that all deferred installment debt...
