Fri, Dec 14 2012, 10:39 AM
Yesterday I journeyed to San Jose to visit with the Silicon Valley Chapter of
CAMP. Casey Fleming, the president, reminded the capacity crowd how imp...
Thu, Dec 13 2012, 10:59 AM
The average person is curious about what their neighbor, or co-worker,
earns. And in this age of transparency, where nothing is private and there is ...
Tue, Dec 11 2012, 4:33 PM
IndyMac is back in the news. Last week a jury ordered three former IndyMac
loan officers (in the homebuilder division) to pay $168 million to the F...
Mon, Dec 10 2012, 11:22 AM
"Rob, I am on the board of directors of a bank. Is there a guide
or manual that would help me understand what the QC gal is talking about during
pr...
Fri, Dec 7 2012, 10:17 AM
We've made it to December 7, Pearl Harbor Day, and for something totally
unrelated to mortgages to end the work week send this clever short video t...
Thu, Dec 6 2012, 9:37 AM
...While we're discussing big banks, how much is not enough? There is no
answer to that question, but apparently there are questions whether or not
...
Wed, Dec 5 2012, 12:41 PM
Here's a recent inquiry: "Rob, what is up with government going
after Gfee money ? Why does Congress have to vote to intrude into areas where it
...
Tue, Dec 4 2012, 11:38 AM
As many lenders think back on record-breaking Novembers, and I head to
Pennsylvania for the rest of the week, here is a quick bit of trivia. James
P...
Mon, Dec 3 2012, 11:22 AM
It seems that Congress is once again tempted to come back to the "mortgage
well" since the House passed HR 1629, the STEM Jobs Act of 2012. The bil...
Fri, Nov 30 2012, 10:57 AM
"If I could rearrange the alphabet, you and I would be
together." Before you roll your eyes at that one, a buddy of mine said
that to a gal at a bar...
Thu, Nov 29 2012, 10:19 AM
Better to be approximately right than precisely wrong. And a lot of
neighborhoods are trying new things in real estate - thanks to Tony B. for this.
...
Wed, Nov 28 2012, 10:19 AM
In ancient days, when mortgage rates were different for various areas
around the country and people relied on carbon paper and Fannie gold book
am...
Tue, Nov 27 2012, 9:39 AM
Let's see the local appraiser tackle this one .
Here's one case that the mortgage industry, is watching: UBS is striving to
block a lawsuit by...
Mon, Nov 26 2012, 10:26 AM
Even if you had to have the borrower come back to resign a document, or
you had to eat a one day extension, or locked a loan under the wrong program,...
Fri, Nov 23 2012, 12:48 PM
The ability to send a petition directly to the White House brings out the
interesting folks. Who doesn't want cat-girls? Here you go .
Hey, we ...
Wed, Nov 21 2012, 11:43 AM
While you're dining on turkey and watching football tomorrow (maybe not
in that order) remember this touching story .
Folks continue to wonder ab...
Tue, Nov 20 2012, 11:43 AM
Well, if you can't fix your brakes,
make your horn louder . Odd logic is somewhat humorous. But as any LO or
servicer knows, just because you modi...
Mon, Nov 19 2012, 10:41 AM
"Be good to your neighbor - they know where you live!" The Pilgrims did
not have many neighbors, but in the in the fall of 1621 they held a three-day...
Fri, Nov 16 2012, 10:24 AM
Why fit in when you're born to stand out? I remember when every computer
had McAfee anti-virus software - it stood out. This has nothing to do with
...
Thu, Nov 15 2012, 9:44 AM
The median age of a Realtor is 56 - as in "fifty six."
I...
Wed, Nov 14 2012, 11:19 AM
Switching
gears to servicing, it is no surprise that Wells Fargo, BofA, Chase, Citi, and
USBank made up the top five in terms of portfolio size . H...
Tue, Nov 13 2012, 10:29 AM
Well, you gotta hand it to those independent-minded folks over in Texas,
who once again are asking to secede from the Union .
Let's see what that d...
Fri, Nov 9 2012, 10:39 AM
I don't know if this short video says more about the strength of the
bridge, or the IQ & preparation of those truck drivers.
Speaking of prepara...
Thu, Nov 8 2012, 12:49 PM
Yesterday the commentary reported on the news that New Traditions
National Bank will become a subsidiary of Old Florida Bancshares, prompting one
pu...
Wed, Nov 7 2012, 11:12 AM
"Rob, don't you find it somewhat intriguing that one of the most important
and critical actions we as Americans partake in is voting for of all thing...
Tue, Nov 6 2012, 9:35 AM
Instead of the two-party system, how about the "I want to party" system!?
Today, as one critic put it, is when the fate of the nation is determined b...
Mon, Nov 5 2012, 12:06 PM
Here's something that may sway a few undecided voters. (Is anyone
undecided at this point?) The U.S. debt ceiling is expected to be reached
before 2...
Fri, Nov 2 2012, 9:01 AM
"Spring ahead, fall back!" Sunday morning, folks in most states
will receive an extra hour of snooze time!
What's the difference between a hurri...
Thu, Nov 1 2012, 9:17 AM
Hey, it's November 1st! Just think: any 60 day rate lock (pretty
common place these days) expires in 2013! All those LO's with hefty incomes
in 20...
Wed, Oct 31 2012, 12:23 PM
With our without the storm damage, here in the U.S. there are 41 million potential
trick-or-treaters (children age 5 to 14; see joke at bottom) acros...
Tue, Oct 30 2012, 12:11 PM
Thank you to Julie F. from NJ on the FEMA declarations and re-inspections
normally required on properties in a disaster area . (A 2070, or 2075, wit...
Mon, Oct 29 2012, 10:33 AM
Although the credit markets are open until noon EST, and thus rates are
moving, the Fannie Trading Desk spread the word to clients, " Due to
Hurrica...
Sat, Oct 27 2012, 8:22 AM
I confess that I own three type writers: the first helped my Mom at
Stanford in the 1940's, the second I used to teach myself how to type while in
h...
Fri, Oct 26 2012, 10:39 AM
Here's a rare editorial comment from me if folks care to read it. I found
the MBA's conference earlier this week to be well attended, informative, an...
Thu, Oct 25 2012, 9:46 AM
This short video isn't funny in the least, but should not be missed
for anyone in the financial services sector, IT, or anyone else for that matter...
Wed, Oct 24 2012, 10:54 AM
Occasionally I am asked about the flow of taxes into and out of
various states . (Okay, I just made that up, but when you're in Kansas one
has to m...
Tue, Oct 23 2012, 2:03 PM
Wanna little scoop from this conference in Chicago? Try this one: Wells
Fargo has added operational capacity to its current
operations centers to ...
Mon, Oct 22 2012, 10:29 AM
The U.S. Census Bureau tells us that in many of the largest cities of the
most-populous metro areas, downtown is becoming a place not only to work b...
Fri, Oct 19 2012, 10:14 AM
Occasionally I am asked about a graphic presentation on foreclosures in
the United States, and how they've impacted different areas. Here you go .
...
Thu, Oct 18 2012, 9:38 AM
Pay no attention to those stories about "Shadow Inventory"!
Apparently that has all been soaked up. Or, at least, builders and the NAR
would like to...
Wed, Oct 17 2012, 10:03 AM
"Rob, in the old days, I'd go to conferences and secondary marketing
people would compare their status by comparing guarantee and guarantor fees.
Th...
Tue, Oct 16 2012, 9:53 AM
In terms of foreclosures, California has been having a rough go of things
recently. The state has one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the
co...
Mon, Oct 15 2012, 10:35 AM
Will Basel III be delayed? Maybe! Here is the latest: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-11/eu-said-to-weigh-delaying-basel-bank-rules-for-up-to-a-...
Fri, Oct 12 2012, 10:32 AM
The 2010 Census showed that people who reported multiple races grew by
a larger percentage than those reporting a single race . According to the 20...
Thu, Oct 11 2012, 9:30 AM
Welcome to 10/11/12...how many times do us adults get a chance at a date
like that here in the U.S.? I guess once a year up until 2014.
On the j...
Wed, Oct 10 2012, 10:29 AM
Here is one growth industry - lobbying on behalf of Wells Fargo.
But lobbyists probably won't be able to help Wells, which prides itself on,
among...
Tue, Oct 9 2012, 5:09 PM
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all
hang separately." No, the CEO's of Freddie and Fannie did not say
that, it wa...
Mon, Oct 8 2012, 11:47 AM
According to the 2010 US Census data and the Survey of Income and
Participation Program, working from home is on the rise : back in 1999,
9.5 milli...
Fri, Oct 5 2012, 11:13 AM
When I am bored, I dream about designing an entirely new secondary market
for loans . And then I think about designing an entirely new medical
insu...
Thu, Oct 4 2012, 10:42 AM
A favorite topic at water coolers and trade desks is "How sports and
entertainment stars, making millions every year, go bankrupt - can't they save
...
