Wed, Jul 24 2019, 9:00 AM
Today, in Utah, it is either Pie & Beer Day, or Pioneer Day, I can never remember which. Words are funny things. How about “partners,” as in Amazon’s ...
Tue, Jul 23 2019, 8:57 AM
During my travels someone recently told me that the “x” at the end of Cajun names was attributable to illiterate Cajuns “making their mark.” But inste...
Mon, Jul 22 2019, 8:54 AM
There are more stars in the universe than words ever uttered by all the humans who ever lived. (That’s a good line for tonight’s Happy Hour.) Money, o...
Fri, Jul 19 2019, 9:20 AM
Some people pray for ice cream, and their prayers will be answered as this Sunday is National Ice Cream Day. An MLO prayer? “Dear Lord, just give me o...
Thu, Jul 18 2019, 8:46 AM
There’s a lot going on out there! Rocket Mortgage is creating new technology that will allow the State Farm agents to offer a Rocket Mortgage loan as ...
Wed, Jul 17 2019, 10:04 AM
I encounter plenty of people in the mortgage biz, from part-time receptionists to owners, who are focused on helping consumers. It’s a good thing! And...
Tue, Jul 16 2019, 9:01 AM
Although lots of small lenders don’t seem interested in being acquired any longer (“Hey, our pipeline is full and we’re making money again! Autumn is ...
Mon, Jul 15 2019, 8:47 AM
You don’t think your spouse listens to you? What about Google? You bet: “Google Very Angry After Contractor Leaks Over a Thousand Assistant Recordings...
Fri, Jul 12 2019, 9:16 AM
Glenn Freezman sent, “I have a step ladder. I never knew my real ladder.” Toddlers, drunk people, and yoga pants don’t lie. What about statistics? Den...
Thu, Jul 11 2019, 9:09 AM
In honor of World Population Day today, the Census Bureau tells us that the world’s population will hit 7.58 billion this month. But why believe that?...
Wed, Jul 10 2019, 9:59 AM
There are still, surprisingly, people who deny that climate change is occurring. There are plenty of low-lying areas of this country that are threaten...
Tue, Jul 9 2019, 8:48 AM
I find it amusing when someone tells me, “The stock market is too risky for me. I have my money with some investment gal/guy.” What do you think they ...
Mon, Jul 8 2019, 8:55 AM
Welcome to “Work from Bed Day” around the nation. Okay, I just made that up, but it sounds enticing. Perhaps it would lead to greater worker satisfact...
Fri, Jul 5 2019, 9:47 AM
The IRS has only been with us since 1862, modern nationwide income tax since 1913. But, just like the gfee income “share” with Freddie and Fannie, and...
Wed, Jul 3 2019, 9:05 AM
I was in Park City, Utah recently, and the real estate agents gave me an interesting statistic: it is believed that 80% of the land and buildings are ...
Tue, Jul 2 2019, 10:10 AM
This weekend I helped my son change apartments in San Francisco, and all over were billboards for ZeroDown.com : “Smartest Way to Buy a Home.” And if ...
Mon, Jul 1 2019, 9:12 AM
Huh? We’re in the 3rd quarter of 2019 already? To where did the first six months fly off? I am hearing from some lenders that solid April, May, and Ju...
Fri, Jun 28 2019, 9:09 AM
VA lenders are talking about the “cap” being removed as the Department of Veterans Affairs can now back loans that exceed the conforming loan limit. P...
Thu, Jun 27 2019, 9:32 AM
Did you know that in 2018 the U.S. birth rate dropped for the fourth consecutive year? In fact the number of people born in the United States last yea...
Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:35 AM
When I grow up, I want to own… 16,000 single family homes? Yes, here’s an article about how artificial intelligence has helped a landlord, and fund, a...
Tue, Jun 25 2019, 9:08 AM
Guys with an eyepatch and three fingers sell the best fireworks. Who does the best job selling mortgage products to consumers? Regulators, Agencies, a...
Mon, Jun 24 2019, 9:32 AM
I start the last week of June in Park City, Utah at a STRATMOR meeting and with a correction. In discussing tax laws in Saturday’s commentary I wrote,...
Fri, Jun 21 2019, 9:06 AM
That mortgage prices change every day, and often during the day, is about as surprising as sheriffs finding marijuana on Willie Nelson’s tour bus. Pri...
Thu, Jun 20 2019, 10:13 AM
“Enable” is such a vague, over-used tech term. The same with “repurpose.” But over the next 10 years Google is going to “repurpose” (aka, re-zone) a l...
Wed, Jun 19 2019, 8:51 AM
Good loan officers pay attention to demographics. For example, according to a new report from the United Nations, the population of the planet could r...
Tue, Jun 18 2019, 8:56 AM
With the backdrop of a global bond market rally today, let’s look back at Randy Newman singing, “It's money that matters, hear what I say. It's money ...
Mon, Jun 17 2019, 9:19 AM
I find builder’s naming policies amusing. Let’s call a subdivision “Hidden Valley” or “Lonesome Pines” when it isn’t hidden or lonesome anymore with 5...
Fri, Jun 14 2019, 9:05 AM
“The City of Baltimore, Maryland suffered a ransomware attack on May 7, 2019. Due to the attack, the City is currently unable to record documents unti...
Thu, Jun 13 2019, 8:49 AM
At the direction of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs) are communic...
Wed, Jun 12 2019, 8:45 AM
In the tech world, the question of, “What is real, and what isn’t?” is becoming more of problem to determine than ever before. The latest is in re-pro...
Tue, Jun 11 2019, 8:17 AM
As I head to Kansas today, I have a great quote. Lenders I visit with are optimistic, raising margins to slow volume based on capacity constraints, an...
Mon, Jun 10 2019, 8:25 AM
This morning I find myself in Albany for the NYMBA conference and there is a lot of talk about the political situation, debt levels, and interest rate...
Fri, Jun 7 2019, 8:55 AM
Today is National Doughnut Day, but those in financial services are probably more interested in U.S. equities having their second-best day of the year...
Thu, Jun 6 2019, 10:31 AM
Here on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, recall that, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” One could easily follow that with...
Wed, Jun 5 2019, 8:54 AM
I was walking by a classroom recently and I overhead the teacher telling the 1st graders, “Let’s work really hard today – your parents are eager for d...
Tue, Jun 4 2019, 9:28 AM
What does $3.4 million buy you in Joisey? A 5,600 square foot house on 1.5 acres. In this case, it was the house owned by New Jersey’s Tony and Carmel...
Mon, Jun 3 2019, 9:35 AM
If you had $85 million you could buy 85 $1 million homes in as many countries, or one apartment in Manhattan’s West Side that includes two Rolls-Royce...
Fri, May 31 2019, 9:09 AM
Congress has become adept at kicking the can down the road, the latest example being, for the 11th time, passing a two-week extension for the National...
Thu, May 30 2019, 9:01 AM
My cat Myrtle’s direct exposure to the falling stock market is minimal. Mine, however, has become a sense of concern as I watch the value of my holdin...
Wed, May 29 2019, 9:28 AM
Lenders ask themselves, “Would you fund loans where people cannot buy or sell houses because they can’t check, or record, liens?” Probably not, and th...
Fri, May 24 2019, 9:03 AM
The Memorial Day weekend... Wasn’t it just Christmas? Let’s wrap up what’s on the front burner for execs at the MBA’s Secondary Conference as we see t...
Thu, May 23 2019, 9:09 AM
As millions around the globe revel in World Turtle Day, others are more interested about what went on the hallway chatter at the MBA’s Secondary Confe...
Wed, May 22 2019, 8:18 AM
What’s going on behind the scenes and in the rumor mill at the MBA’s Secondary Conference? There is derision about HUD’s Ben Carson not knowing what T...
Tue, May 21 2019, 9:33 AM
What’s the banter, and in the unverified rumor mill, at the MBA’s Secondary Conference? Fannie, Freddie, and FHA are all concerned about being adverse...
Mon, May 20 2019, 8:28 AM
Tony H. sent, “A conference is a gathering of people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.” Not at this MBA eve...
Fri, May 17 2019, 8:57 AM
A capital markets friend relayed this note recently received from an LO. “When do you think stated pick-a-pay products will come back? I have some bor...
Thu, May 16 2019, 9:34 AM
Lender Products and Services My AMC, LLC is pleased to announce the hiring of Carolyn Covington as Sales Account Executive working in the Dallas, TX o...
Wed, May 15 2019, 9:07 AM
As we nip at the lowest interest rates in 2019, banking regulators are directing their attention to the declining quality of certain farm loans . A Fe...
Tue, May 14 2019, 10:48 AM
What’s in a name? Lots. Try asking someone what “gluten” is. ( Here’s a comical look at that.) Try asking someone in our business what the difference ...
Mon, May 13 2019, 9:08 AM
I want an Ethereum-powered home loan! It doesn’t matter that I don’t know what Ethereum is; apparently they’re on their way to NY and CA . “Tokenizing...
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