Mon, Apr 23 2012, 9:50 AM
Sometimes
the investor news piles up, and there is so much going on in the mortgage and
real estate biz that a separate commentary is warranted. As ...
Fri, Apr 20 2012, 10:32 AM
Do you
live in a small town? Many in the real estate and mortgage business do live in
rural communities (FNC, for example, with the slogan "Know You...
Thu, Apr 19 2012, 10:33 AM
The United
States is an amazing place - everyone is different! But here's an interesting
chart someone sent me on state's teen pregnancy rates, and ...
Wed, Apr 18 2012, 12:29 PM
Do you
ever wonder how much time your employees spend checking their Facebook page,
looking up sports scores, and doing Google searches on old girlf...
Tue, Apr 17 2012, 11:02 AM
Remember
QRM? Not only is it not on the front
burner, but it may have been put back in the Tupperware container. QM , however, is very much alive...
Mon, Apr 16 2012, 10:31 AM
This note
from Investor's Business Daily reminds me why day-trading stocks never works for
me - even if you had the better-than-expected news ahead ...
Mon, Apr 16 2012, 10:22 AM
In an
anticipated, but nonetheless disappointing announcement for many in the
industry, GMAC Bank Correspondent Funding (GMACB) sent word out to its...
Fri, Apr 13 2012, 9:52 AM
The
financial industry has taken careful note of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
writing a $500 check on an account that had no money in it. Bot...
Thu, Apr 12 2012, 9:41 AM
I have
heard that there are some places on the outskirts of Detroit that are becoming
farms. That is pretty weird. But even weirder are some of th...
Wed, Apr 11 2012, 10:29 AM
I woke up
yesterday morning wondering how I could convince the government to reduce my
principal. What about all those unfortunate folks who don't h...
Tue, Apr 10 2012, 10:46 AM
Here is an
interesting question to ask your boss: "If a project is running behind
schedule, should the boss add personnel to it in hopes of speeding...
Mon, Apr 9 2012, 10:15 AM
How much
did your company make on every transaction in the 4th quarter? For lenders, in
basis points, the average production
profit (net productio...
Fri, Apr 6 2012, 10:24 AM
Happy Good
Friday to everyone! Corruption is the stuff of Tammany Hall and Tea Pot Dome,
right? Wrong. (Look 'em up, youngsters.) There is still co...
Thu, Apr 5 2012, 9:54 AM
In
yesterday's commentary, the information about ING should be clarified . Specifically, Capital One did recently
close on its purchase of the U....
Wed, Apr 4 2012, 10:25 AM
This
morning presented a real quandary for me: lead off with yet another investor
baling and sailing, discuss the umpteenth rumor that Wells Fargo i...
Tue, Apr 3 2012, 10:00 AM
Things are
decent in the mortgage insurance biz :
MI companies wrote $5.4 billion in new pools of risk in February. Mortgage
Insurance Companies...
Mon, Apr 2 2012, 12:30 PM
Besides wind surfers, sailors, wind farmers, and odd people who chase tornadoes, there aren't many people who like the wind. But this map of wind in t...
Sun, Apr 1 2012, 12:20 PM
The NMLS turned some heads late last week
with its latest press release. "At NMLS, We are doing our part to help the
mortgage industry! We enhance...
Fri, Mar 30 2012, 9:41 AM
What is
more fun to talk about, the latest CFPB power grab, an investor changing its
appraisal review process, or the 42-state Mega Millions lottery...
Thu, Mar 29 2012, 9:51 AM
"People
moving" is the lifeblood of Realtors. The Census Bureau just released
estimates from the American Community Survey showing how many people m...
Wed, Mar 28 2012, 9:55 AM
"Rob,
are you hearing that many companies are paying their LO's less for refinances,
and even less for refinances within a company's servicing portf...
Tue, Mar 27 2012, 9:53 AM
Are
mortgage brokers making a comeback? After the financial crisis, drop in
originations, regulatory tsunami (a "Reg-plosion"), and the recent exit...
Mon, Mar 26 2012, 10:36 AM
For those
playing along at home, the U.S. Treasury Department continues to wind down 2008's
TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program. More than 80%...
Fri, Mar 23 2012, 9:42 AM
Bank of America launched the "Mortgage to
Lease" program to fewer than 1,000 BofA customers selected by the bank in
test markets in Arizona, Neva...
Thu, Mar 22 2012, 9:50 AM
Do you do
business i n a "Sand State" or a "HARP State" ? Perhaps they're
the same. Yesterday's MBA numbers showed, as a percentage of overall
appl...
Wed, Mar 21 2012, 10:39 AM
Yesterday
the commentary discussed rotary phones and mobile phone banking . And last week
the Federal Reserve Board launched its Twitter channel, @...
Tue, Mar 20 2012, 10:09 AM
In the old
days, when rotary dial telephones roamed the earth, and it took more time to
dial a 8 or 9 or 0 than it did a 1 or 2 or 3, area codes wer...
Mon, Mar 19 2012, 10:27 AM
In this
environment, not only are many mortgage lenders making good returns, but the
Treasury is as well. The Treasury Department may announce today...
Fri, Mar 16 2012, 10:41 AM
In a
unique combination of "Babe" and "Now Comes Miller Time",
if you only watch one video today, make it this one .
Mortgage
bankers and broke...
Wed, Mar 14 2012, 10:53 AM
Happy Pi
Day. (Remember high school geometry...)
As
expected, the Fed did not make any policy changes at yesterday. Perhaps they most
of their ...
Tue, Mar 13 2012, 11:08 AM
Everyone
wants feedback these days: the CFPB, Burger King (I got a free $3 chicken
sandwich after spending 30 minutes filling out a survey!), servic...
Mon, Mar 12 2012, 10:10 AM
Here's
some good news for some: The Financial Times reports that, "The Federal Reserve
is this week expected to pave the way for a
doubling of ban...
Sat, Mar 10 2012, 10:04 AM
Sometimes
I revert back to 5th grade. (Some would suggest I'm still in it.) Have you
heard of the new HAMP-related Principal Reduction Alternative P...
Fri, Mar 9 2012, 9:21 AM
"Hey
Rob, just a hunch here but figured it probably plays into the equation. FHA is
requiring that we pull case numbers on or after June 11 on this ...
Thu, Mar 8 2012, 9:51 AM
Here's a
walk down Memory Lane. "From my point of view, if 80% of the sub-prime
borrowers are managing to make ends meet and make the mortgage payme...
Wed, Mar 7 2012, 10:28 AM
There are
some darned clever folks out there. Although this has nothing to do with
mortgages, making a Mercedes "invisible" is noteworthy (scroll do...
Tue, Mar 6 2012, 11:08 AM
As has
been said, there is plenty of blame to go around. Sometimes the press even
notices that not all borrowers are above culpability .
Texas i...
Mon, Mar 5 2012, 9:39 AM
Investors,
those left, have been somewhat busy recently, adjusting
underwriting and documentation guidelines to continue to make current
production...
Mon, Mar 5 2012, 9:36 AM
n the interesting
side, per the FDIC, there were no new banks created in the US in 2011, making
it the first year since at least 1984 that the count...
Fri, Mar 2 2012, 9:55 AM
March is
National Women's History Month. Contrary to what some believe, it is not in
honor of this "classic" 30 second clip . (Sometimes I crack my...
Thu, Mar 1 2012, 10:49 AM
Two-thirds
of the way through the 1 st quarter, and we find ourselves in Irish-American
Heritage Month, which, happily for Chicago, contains St. Pa...
Wed, Feb 29 2012, 11:04 AM
Happy Leap
Year! If you are a real astronomy nut, check out this youtube video .
If you are not, don't bother.
Underwriters
and LO's rarely rai...
Tue, Feb 28 2012, 12:02 PM
Please
excuse any grammar errors this morning - I am still recovering after fainting
during my visit to the gas station last night - $4.20/gallon fo...
Mon, Feb 27 2012, 9:07 AM
When
asked, most people would not want to know the exact date of their death. But an
idea of how an insurance company gauges and calculates your lif...
Sun, Feb 26 2012, 8:53 AM
Up in
Georgia, Central Bank of Georgia was closed by the Georgia Department of
Banking and Finance, which appointed the FDIC as receiver, which in t...
Fri, Feb 24 2012, 9:58 AM
"First
wash all the cars, then wax."
"Why do I have to..."
"Remember deal. No questions."
"Yeah, but..."
"Wax on right hand. Wax off left han...
Thu, Feb 23 2012, 11:59 AM
Money is
money, right? If Congress can place a " mortgage tax " in the form of higher
g-fees, and use the money to help cover a payroll tax waiver e...
Wed, Feb 22 2012, 10:20 AM
Under the
title, "Too much time on one's hands", anyone involved in the
residential construction/remodeling business might find this, uh, interesti...
Tue, Feb 21 2012, 10:38 AM
Welcome to
Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, a rowdy day of hedonism where shipping departments
across the nation have great parties and throw bead neckla...
Mon, Feb 20 2012, 7:35 PM
Out in
Northern California the weather is generally good, and Triserv Appraisal Management Solutions is searching for a Regional
Sales Executive f...
