Wed, Jun 14 2017, 8:59 AM
Depository banks are in the business to lend, and are now concerned about commercial lending. What do Cleveland, Memphis, and Chicago have in common? ...
Tue, Jun 13 2017, 9:02 AM
How do you like these two headlines today, good news/bad news for lenders? “Fed set to shrink huge bond portfolio, pushing up interest rates.” And, “T...
Mon, Jun 12 2017, 9:15 AM
There is news out that Brian Brooks, general counsel for Fannie Mae, will be nominated as deputy secretary of the U.S. Treasury. Brooks worked at Cali...
Fri, Jun 9 2017, 9:38 AM
The House of Representatives voted to roll back some of the main regulations contained in the 2010 Dodd-Frank law. It was an almost perfect party-line...
Thu, Jun 8 2017, 9:26 AM
No one has a crystal ball, but CNBC makes the point that, as a nation, home prices won't fully recover until 2025 , and that "price gains during the l...
Wed, Jun 7 2017, 9:59 AM
Summer is here, school is out for many, and it’s time for vacation, right? Here’s a little trivia for your co-workers. What is number of available vac...
Tue, Jun 6 2017, 9:40 AM
I received this note/suggestion regarding broker business. " Is California dysfunctional? In California, brokers are typically regulated by the BRE , ...
Mon, Jun 5 2017, 9:02 AM
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) published a Press Release announcing an update to the Cybersecurity Assessment Tool . C...
Fri, Jun 2 2017, 8:50 AM
In celebration of National Doughnut, or Donut, Day, let’s talk about a subset of real estate agents. The typical Realtor , and there are 1.2 million o...
Thu, Jun 1 2017, 9:02 AM
Some may have the perception that no MI company has ever paid a claim, which isn’t true. USMI, the trade group for the majority of MIs, states that MI...
Wed, May 31 2017, 9:13 AM
It has been interesting talking to residential lending folks around the nation about their mix of business and how it has changed - if at all. It turn...
Tue, May 30 2017, 8:52 AM
Congrats to Indiana’s Ruoff Home Mortgage and president & CEO Mark Music. Why? The lender helped sponsor the winning Indy 500 car this weekend! Capita...
Fri, May 26 2017, 8:54 AM
Ready to rush off and join the blockchain rush? Not so fast. The implementation of blockchain technology in the financial-services industry is meeting...
Thu, May 25 2017, 9:50 AM
Montana may have its issues with politicians vying for the WWE title belt, but the state does seem to steer clear of cyberattacks. At least, it does i...
Wed, May 24 2017, 8:43 AM
Trends in New Home Sales "Pending" Home Sales, "Existing" Home Sales, and "New" Home Sales - take your pick. They all show something slightly differen...
Tue, May 23 2017, 1:33 PM
Ask anyone house hunting this spring, and they'll tell you there are far too few homes for sale. But, really, it's the price tags of the homes for sal...
Tue, May 23 2017, 10:01 AM
I do my best to group updates to create a narrative that is more "user friendly" than to just throw news out there. But some updates don't fit into co...
Mon, May 22 2017, 8:53 AM
I recently heard a CEO say, “I am fine competing on product, price, and service. But we shouldn’t have to compete on subjective interpretations of rul...
Fri, May 19 2017, 9:33 AM
For me this week included time in Salt Lake City, Columbus, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Raleigh. (The mood is good as individuals continue to share ...
Thu, May 18 2017, 9:57 AM
Imagine being able to keep the money you earn!? Per Mr. Mel Watt, Fannie & Freddie might have to keep their profits to avoid rescue . Mr. Watt, who ha...
Wed, May 17 2017, 8:51 AM
A Bank Director survey of bank directors, execs, and HR officers finds the top compensation challenges last year were, in order, tying compensation to...
Tue, May 16 2017, 9:18 AM
In compensation news, Merrill Lynch's wealth management unit will discontinue signing bonuses for experienced brokers beginning June 1, instead focusi...
Mon, May 15 2017, 8:56 AM
Economists, like royal children are not punished for their errors. Data revision can be a career strategy for some, and certainly some companies wish ...
Fri, May 12 2017, 11:49 AM
Want to help educate a real estate agent, or a home buyer? Show them this site . "...comprehensive, accurate, and reliable neighborhood information. F...
Thu, May 11 2017, 10:32 AM
For me this week includes Maryland , Utah, Wyoming , and California. There are all kinds of rumors out there, ranging from Donald Trump naming Brian M...
Wed, May 10 2017, 9:35 AM
For appraisers, sometimes a simple 3 bedroom, 2 bath tract home can have complications that make things difficult. What about houses that actually "hi...
Tue, May 9 2017, 10:08 AM
I hate to break the news, but racial diversity exists in the United States. In fact, many will tell you that it is one of the U.S.’s strongest attribu...
Mon, May 8 2017, 9:31 AM
Is LBHI's third wave of claims against and lenders and brokers starting? According to the American Mortgage Law Group's Managing Member, James Brody, ...
Fri, May 5 2017, 9:31 AM
Today on “Jobs Friday,” don’t think California has some pull? It is home to 1 in 8 Americans and its economy is the 6th largest in the world. It has 5...
Thu, May 4 2017, 11:22 AM
May the 4th be with you! People wonder if anyone from Freddie Mac has ever actually visited Fannie’s location for an office visit. Yes! Here’s actual ...
Wed, May 3 2017, 9:28 AM
As the 1,400 or so registered participants in the MBA’s Secondary Marketing conference head home, bleary-eyed, the tag-line for the conference could h...
Tue, May 2 2017, 9:55 AM
Overheard yesterday here at the National Secondary Conference: “She is not the brightest crayon in the box.” Funny. But there are plenty of “bright cr...
Mon, May 1 2017, 9:27 AM
Do you think the regulatory environment in residential lending is tough to navigate? Just think about who is going to regulate flying cars? Dust off t...
Fri, Apr 28 2017, 9:17 AM
For 2015, retail originators averaged total compensation of $88,415 versus $80,376 for Consumer Direct originators, per a STRATMOR Insights report on ...
Thu, Apr 27 2017, 10:20 AM
In a recent survey, 97% of millennials said that they were tired of being surveyed. Seriously, well that probably is seriously, according to a new Tra...
Wed, Apr 26 2017, 8:44 AM
How about this quote from the tech world? “If you're not paying for the product, you are the product.” If you don't want companies to collect and sell...
Tue, Apr 25 2017, 9:23 AM
How much do the CEOs of builders make? Turns out they make some decent gravy , certainly good news for them. In other good news, this time for WF, the...
Mon, Apr 24 2017, 9:55 AM
Nature always bats last. Just ask singer Paul Simon who is moving his New York cottage away from the eroding ocean. Thinking about things like "oceans...
Fri, Apr 21 2017, 9:28 AM
The origins of job interviews? Here you go . And speaking of employment, yesterday the commentary mentioned companies coming and going. Here in Florid...
Thu, Apr 20 2017, 9:41 AM
Do you think your small competitor is going to be around at the end of 2017? Perhaps. But I am reminded of some Deloitte research from late 2015 that ...
Wed, Apr 19 2017, 9:16 AM
The English language is always changing. For example, when did “blackstone” become a verb, as in, “I was ‘blackstoned’ last week and will start collec...
Tue, Apr 18 2017, 9:36 AM
There are plenty of companies out there, banks and non-banks, trying to raise money. Since lots of folks like lists, let’s start Tuesday with the top ...
Mon, Apr 17 2017, 9:24 AM
“It was a Monday, a day like any other day. I left a small town, for the apple in decay” - so sang Foreigner many years ago. But the Big Apple’s real ...
Thu, Apr 13 2017, 9:16 AM
The Trump administration is working to revise or replace the Dodd-Frank Act, President Donald Trump told a group of CEOs. House Financial Services Com...
Wed, Apr 12 2017, 9:24 AM
“Marriage is a legal and religious alliance entered into by a man who can’t sleep with the window shut and a woman who can’t sleep with the window ope...
Tue, Apr 11 2017, 11:07 AM
Soaring prices are hitting the vacation home market, as a growing number of Americans now choose to rent rather than buy their beach and mountain home...
Tue, Apr 11 2017, 9:09 AM
TD research finds rising home prices have driven up equity so much tha t 33% of millennial homeowners now say they are considering applying for a home...
Mon, Apr 10 2017, 9:03 AM
In response to a note I had Friday about Domino’s Pizza being required to post all 34 million calorie combinations of its pizzas, ThomsonReuters’ Mich...
Fri, Apr 7 2017, 9:55 AM
If you think mortgage regulations are running amok, as part of the Affordable Care Act, restaurants with 20 or more locations will soon have to post s...
Thu, Apr 6 2017, 9:36 AM
Want a good statistic to demonstrate how tight the housing market is? 57% of all realtors have been involved in a sale with at least 10 offers on a si...
