Wed, Jun 29 2016, 9:58 AM
Huh? People burned while walking across fire at a Tony Robbins event in Texas? Imagine that! Speaking of incendiary activities, an amendment passe...
Tue, Jun 28 2016, 10:21 AM
How could it have been 30 years since everyone was watching “Top Gun” in the theaters? Yes, time flies, and before you know it, well, you’re old. Wher...
Mon, Jun 27 2016, 10:12 AM
Everyone is talking about the future of the European Union. Tad Dahlke sends, “Brexit to be followed by Grexit, Departugal, Italeave, Fruckoff, Czech...
Fri, Jun 24 2016, 11:17 AM
At Happy Hour tonight, besides talking about refis, you can throw this one out: the number of homes worth $1 million has doubled in the last 4 years ...
Thu, Jun 23 2016, 10:04 AM
Jobs and housing make up the lion’s share of our economy, and the two intersect when a house is being built. But what is the exact impact? For any LO ...
Wed, Jun 22 2016, 11:03 AM
I've mentioned the upcoming changes to the 1003 form, the Uniform Residential Loan Application, and mentioned that the "target implementation date is ...
Tue, Jun 21 2016, 10:45 AM
Today I am in Kansas City, where it is “only” 96 degrees. Phoenix hit 119 degrees this week. Let’s ask the folks over there what they think about hou...
Mon, Jun 20 2016, 10:40 AM
To start off the week, besides the first full moon on a summer solstice since 1967, here’s an interesting Bloomberg chart about the Federal governme...
Fri, Jun 17 2016, 9:11 AM
There are plenty of owners remodeling their houses. (If you want to take the time, the National Association of Home Builders ranks the 25,000 ZIP code...
Thu, Jun 16 2016, 10:00 AM
If you’re a loan officer and need some data for a presentation to some real estate agents, here’s a decent source. Using data collected by the U.S. Ce...
Wed, Jun 15 2016, 9:58 AM
The Fed’s latest report on household debt and credit finds US households owed $12.25 trillion at the end of the first quarter, up 1.1% from the end of...
Tue, Jun 14 2016, 10:14 AM
"In about five years, I see myself with the same job title, about the same salary, and significantly more responsibilities." Time has a way of flying....
Mon, Jun 13 2016, 7:58 AM
Everyone's thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the horrible shooting in Orlando. But yes, Father's Day is coming up, and the first presidenti...
Fri, Jun 10 2016, 10:08 AM
For laughs all you have to do is read the news, and this story will fit right in with anyone’s 5th grade sense of humor. The Union Recorder reports on...
Thu, Jun 9 2016, 10:15 AM
Today I am in Albany for the NY MBA conference , but yesterday I was in Las Vegas with its hordes of retirees. People who say they want to live to be...
Wed, Jun 8 2016, 9:13 AM
In reviewing Fannie MORA and Freddie CORE reviews it's clear that seller/servicers continue to struggle with establishing and implementing an internal...
Tue, Jun 7 2016, 10:13 AM
Welcome to a day of primary elections in New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, South & North Dakota…and California. As one pundit pointed out, “The problem...
Mon, Jun 6 2016, 9:45 AM
Uh oh: New York state’s financial regulator sent a letter to 28 fin tech companies seeking information about their online lending activities. But ...
Fri, Jun 3 2016, 9:41 AM
“Rob, do you know of any banks looking to buy pools of home equity lines of credit?” Ah, the Holy Grail for plenty of non-bank lenders. You can check ...
Thu, Jun 2 2016, 9:53 AM
Last night in Texas I had dinner with Seattle AE Bryson Bede and regional manager Dennis Waller from Parkside Lending. The discussion was focused ...
Wed, Jun 1 2016, 9:36 AM
Fed Chair Janet Yellen appears to be doing her part to warn the markets that the odds of a short-term rate hike in the next few months are pretty goo...
Tue, May 31 2016, 10:17 AM
Research by the EBRI on retirement finds while 67% of workers plan to work for pay in retirement, only 27% of retirees do so. Of the retirees who work...
Fri, May 27 2016, 10:01 AM
Do you think your company’s computer system is immune from hacking? It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” – just ask Equifax about its data breaches...
Thu, May 26 2016, 10:23 AM
According to Reuters, the NY state financial regulator is gearing up to launch an investigation into the entire online lending industry . (The regu...
Wed, May 25 2016, 9:11 AM
It is hard to trace what happens to the fines levied against company by various regulators seeking to make a name for themselves. But one agency is a ...
Tue, May 24 2016, 9:56 AM
What do banks have that non-bank residential lenders don’t? The fifth annual “State of Financial Marketing” survey conducted by The Financial Brand ...
Mon, May 23 2016, 9:50 AM
My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports nearly 20% of Ameri...
Fri, May 20 2016, 10:26 AM
Regarding this week’s MBA Secondary Marketing conference Marcus Lam with Opes Advisors writes, “Obviously this is not the most important thing, but ...
Thu, May 19 2016, 9:48 AM
Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day. My cat Myrtle isn’t a big fan, especially when the sedative wears off and she realizes that she’s in an old milk crate w...
Wed, May 18 2016, 7:56 AM
Here in New York the airplanes will be filled with capital markets staff and CEOs heading home from the MBA’s conference. More observations tomorrow.....
Tue, May 17 2016, 8:59 AM
Here’s something the funders can try in the lunch room today: bet a shipper that they can't catch a dropped dollar bill with their fingers.
Last ...
Mon, May 16 2016, 9:22 AM
The European Central Bank has been collecting data on cyber-instances at 18 major banks as part of a pilot program that will be expanded to other le...
Fri, May 13 2016, 10:36 AM
Critics of mortgage companies owned by money management firms (versus family or employee-owned companies) will often say that equity firms are in it f...
Thu, May 12 2016, 9:57 AM
Lenders can make, and lose, plenty of money on a) income from servicing, and b) changes in value of that servicing. Of course all the news about servi...
Wed, May 11 2016, 9:13 AM
The other day I was reading about customer loyalty programs. My cat Myrtle was sitting nearby, and seemed to have a look on her face as if to ask, “Ho...
Tue, May 10 2016, 10:34 AM
“Well, shakin' my moneymaker ain't ever made me a dime! And there ain't no sugar for you in this shaker of mine!” So sing Maddie and Tae. Conversely, ...
Mon, May 9 2016, 10:42 AM
At a car dealership: "The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment.” Some believe that the CFPB has shifted its spotlight, temporarily, ...
Fri, May 6 2016, 10:04 AM
In residential lending banks, and regulators, fret about non-banks. Do they have enough capital to originate and service loans? And everyone frets abo...
Thu, May 5 2016, 9:45 AM
May is Older Americans Month. Underwriters probably know that about 21% of the labor force is comprised of men 65 and older and only 13.5% of women in...
Wed, May 4 2016, 9:06 AM
Most people hate getting older, but during the month of May getting older is how you get into the party. May is Older Americans Month where it is a ti...
Mon, May 2 2016, 10:21 AM
Do mortgage loan originators think that they can’t go to prison for something they did ten years ago? They'd better think again . And let's not f...
Fri, Apr 29 2016, 10:37 AM
“They” say plenty of things about time flying as you grow older. (“Life is like a toilet paper role – the closer you get to the end the faster it goes...
Thu, Apr 28 2016, 10:20 AM
Do legal settlements between the government and lenders really do anything to expand credit to deserving home buyers needing to borrow money? I don’t ...
Wed, Apr 27 2016, 9:49 AM
The “Tiny Home” movement is interesting, but 84 square feet ? That is enough to store my Hot Wheels, Match Box, and slot car collections. Am I thinki...
Tue, Apr 26 2016, 9:18 AM
With news swirling of US Bank’s mortgage reorganization last week, let’s not forget the regulator that touches every residential lender: the CFPB. T...
Mon, Apr 25 2016, 10:01 AM
I call home improvement projects ‘teaching my son to swear” jobs.” One group of folks not swearing are people in the residential lending industry – at...
Fri, Apr 22 2016, 10:58 AM
What does $35 million get you in Austin, Texas? Here you go - I guess you can boost the price whenever someone mentions a "matriarch."
The priva...
Thu, Apr 21 2016, 10:14 AM
There is an ever growing problem about women in the workforce. Women make around 80% of what men make in the same job. Another scary fact is that the ...
Wed, Apr 20 2016, 9:44 AM
I was just in Denver the last few days where they were gearing up for the Colorado 420 celebration. But there’s not much to celebrate if you work for ...
Tue, Apr 19 2016, 9:49 AM
“Drive til you qualify.” That’s a little real estate agent ditty to start a Tuesday, and this advice to buyers certainly applies to urban areas where ...