http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/topic/rob-chrisman Pipeline Press - Rob Chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09112026 Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:05:09 GMT 6aa3f6c6c5030ead101ef35d Rob Chrisman Most of us 30 years old and older have tales about where they were and what they did 25 years ago. Being in capital markets, and selling MBS, for over 40 years, I knew people who died in New York that day. That said, as an industry, we’re very good at looking forward to, and planning for, the future. Minority home ownership is something every major lender is witnessing. For example, on Monday, September 14, NAHREP and the Hispanic Wealth Project will unveil the 2026 State of Hispanic Wealth Report on Latino economic progress. More than 1.2 million Hispanic households have reached millionaire status, with total Hispanic household wealth more than tripling since 2014. Hispanic households drove all net U.S. homeownership growth in 2025, reaching a record 10.2 million owner-households; real estate remains the largest pillar of Hispanic wealth at 45.5 percent. “For the first time, the report devotes a full section to the risks federal policy changes from the current Administration pose to this progress.” (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the MLO's favorite HELOC platform. A broad buy box and hands-on mortgage expertise mean more loans close, faster, for banks, credit unions, and brokers. Clean files close in as little as zero days. Today’s has an interview with Agile’s Greg Vacura on connecting mortgage lenders and broker-dealers to make MBS trading faster, more efficient, transparent, and less reliant on phone-based processes.) Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09102026 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:43:35 GMT 6aa2a4976758579818d0ad17 Rob Chrisman Here in San Antonio, TX, interest rates are obviously part of mortgage event discussion. (On today’s The Big Picture Guild’s David Battany will be discussing rates and recent developments impacting them with Robbie C. and me.) Here’s what happens when you mix campaign promises, mortgage rates and the markets. Texas is a border state, obviously impacted by changes in immigration policy, especially when it comes to employment. Last Friday’s employment data showed strong job growth, but overall, a muddled picture. For example, the hiring rate is very low, and hiring is concentrated in restaurants, bars, and health care. The “worry” driving rates is on the inflation side. The U.S. Federal Reserve is likely on hold for the September meeting, given current data, and on hold in October given the meeting is a few days before the mid-term election. Our Mortgage Bankers Association recently moved its mortgage rate prediction higher and brought down 2026 volume and unit predictions and estimates that 2027 is expected to be close to this year’s production. Meanwhile, lenders are acting. Ryan Grant with NEO Home Loans, for example, wrote to say that the company created an assessment for mortgage professionals to take that helps them better understand the opportunity to take a new path in origination. “To date, we have had 500+ mortgage professionals take this assessment. Here is the quick 10-minute YouTube video that explains what we have created and why it’s so important.” (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the MLO's favorite HELOC platform. A broad buy box and hands-on mortgage expertise mean more loans close, faster, for banks, credit unions, and brokers. Clean files close in as little as zero days. Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09092026 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:05:57 GMT 6aa14cf5285fa232ce495b5d Rob Chrisman What should we talk about today? Besides TSA bringing back gate access, here’s a leading IMB exec and his wife putting their Florida home on the market for “a pretty penny.” There’s talk at conferences, not only about things being slower than expected in 2026 and potentially even slower in 2027, but also of LO and branch movement. It reminds me of the adage, “If you came here for a signing bonus, you’re going to leave for a signing bonus.” In legal news, there’s Brian Levy's latest Mortgage Musing which summarizes the MBA's doctrinally strategic lawsuit launched late last week against New Jersey's aggressive disparate impact rules. The MBA and its counsel, Pacific Legal Foundation, argue that the state ignored the constitutional safeguards Justice Kennedy built into Inclusive Communities over a decade ago. (Sign up for free on Levy’s Substack site if you would like to get an email every time he publishes a new Musing.) In market news, today’s Capital Markets Wrap will discuss inflation, the not-so-new Fed Chair, and the MBA’s ’26 and ’27 forecast. (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the fully branded or private label HELOC platform for banks, credit unions, and brokers. Close in zero days with warehouse funding. Power your home equity lending with NFTYDoor. Today’s has an interview with Curinos' Ken Flaherty and Rich Martin on the growing home-equity opportunity, using speed as a competitive advantage, reaching the next generation of borrowers, and tracking key mortgage-market trends over the next year.) Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09082026 Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:03:30 GMT 6a9ff176594d9d0bdde2ccc2 Rob Chrisman Many years ago, it seemed like people bragged about how late they stayed up at conferences. Now they brag about how early they went sleep. Today I head to San Antonio, in the Great State of Texas, for a private mortgage event. We’ve plunged into the mortgage conference season, and there are dozens of them in the next month or two. I hope that some people are staying at their desks to work! The talk in the conference hallways? Consumer Direct channels, not sensing a higher volume environment, appear (through my email traffic and signing up for this Commentary via home email addresses) to be scaling back, personnel-wise. There is a heightened focus by originators on where the servicing is going. Interest rates certainly aren’t helping anyone, and the continued war with Iran and its impact on oil prices continues to impact inflation numbers and therefore rates. So, lenders are focused on products and service… and technology of course. (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the fully branded or private label HELOC platform for banks, credit unions, and brokers. Close in zero days with warehouse funding. Power your home equity lending with NFTYDoor. Today’s has an interview with PCV Murcor's David Schiffmayer on the significance of UAD 3.6, who needs to prepare, where organizations should invest, its impact on appraisal efficiency and complexity, and the key misconceptions.) Broker and Lender Products, Software, and Services Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09042026 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:47:06 GMT 6a9abbabaf42b3743594f5b6 Rob Chrisman Make sure that your air conditioning is in good condition, as well as clients’. Loan servicers are wondering about their collateral: “Heat in the oceans releases more slowly into the atmosphere, pushing up global temperatures the following year. The powerful 2023-24 El Nino contributed to 2024 being the warmest year on record, and we should not be surprised if this record is broken. El Nino is a natural part of the weather cycle, and is not caused by climate change.” Weather prediction can be dicey, especially months in advance, but predicting population trends that lenders and investors should be aware of is easier. The world is getting older, faster than ever before. In the U.S., the share of population age 65 and over is projected to jump from 18.9 percent in 2025 to 23.4 percent by 2060. Despite continued growth of its older population, the nation will still be younger than nearly half the world’s countries by 2060. “In 2025, the United States ranked as the 48th oldest country out of 227… “By 2060, the country will fall to 110th place because countries in other regions are aging much more rapidly.” By 2025, for the first time in human history, the share of adults age 65 and over outnumbered the share of children ages 0 to 5 in the world’s population, a gap projected to increase in the coming years. (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Zillow Home Loans, Zillow’s in-house mortgage lender. With tools built for modern lending, Zillow Home Loan’s loan officers can focus on guiding buyers with care and confidence. Today’s has an interview with RETR’s Steven Wynands on putting mortgage and real estate data in the hands of originators.) Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09032026 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:04:13 GMT 6a996a20c8575acbe19071e1 Rob Chrisman Broker and Lender Products, Software, and Services As AI becomes embedded across the mortgage lifecycle, lenders are rethinking how they use data to drive decisions and automate workflows. They aren’t looking for more reports. They want solutions that help them detect signals, whether it's a change in borrower status, a counterparty risk flag, or a market shift, and then act on those insights. Chris McEntee, VP of Corporate and Product Development at ICE, recently sat down to discuss how ICE approaches data accessibility, governance, and scalability to help lenders build AI-ready mortgage operations and get the timely insights they need. Watch the video to learn more. Bananas are technically berries. Strawberries aren't. What else have we been looking at backwards? For years, mortgage market analysis has focused on understanding what already happened. The Optimal Blue Market Advantage report helped advance that effort with direct-source data covering more than a third of U.S. mortgage lock volume. But now the conversation is shifting from hindsight to foresight. Join Optimal Blue's Kevin Foley and Brennan O'Connell on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. CT to see how Optimal Blue’s new Virtual Economist is designed to help lenders look through the windshield instead of the rear-view mirror. Powered by AI and machine learning, Virtual Economist helps organizations forecast potential rate and lock-volume scenarios, model market dynamics, stress-test economic assumptions, accelerate research, and identify emerging opportunities. Learn how AI-powered market intelligence can support more informed strategic planning and decision-making. Register now to explore what’s next and prepare for what may be ahead. Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09022026 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:25:01 GMT 6a9818b4e60e299e259ec8c5 Rob Chrisman I’ve been in capital markets for over 40 years, and this rate and affordability environment is tough. Any lender who finds these higher rates boring, well, don’t hold your breath waiting for them to come down.) Principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (PITA) is only part of the affordability equation, but market forces determine long term rates, not the government or the Fed. Some estimates have property taxes and insurance up 20-30 percent over the last year. Condo special assessments? Here’s a story about some condo owners hit with a $5 million “emergency” roof bill. What does that do to owner’s financial situations? (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Zillow Home Loans, Zillow’s in-house mortgage lender. With tools built for modern lending, Zillow Home Loan’s loan officers can focus on guiding buyers with care and confidence. Today’s has an interview with Lender Toolkit’s Brett Brumley on the proper due diligence necessary with counterparties in the artificial intelligence era.) Broker and Lender Products, Software, and Services Summer may be cooling down, but Symmetry’s HELOCs are still HOT. According to Q1 2026 data from Federal Reserve Bank, homeowners continued tapping into their equity at the highest first-quarter level since 2021, with 54% of all equity withdrawals coming through second liens. The upshot is that there’s an estimated $11 trillion in home equity available to borrowers. Accessing available equity for extra cash can be tempting. That's where a HELOC can make sense. Whether it's home improvements, debt consolidation, investment opportunities, major expenses, or simply creating financial flexibility. Don't let the summer slowdown slow down your HELOC business. If you have a deal you're working on, or just want to see where HELOCs could fit into your business, contact your Symmetry AE today! Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-09012026 Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:50:03 GMT 6a96c429763d0ccf494eb6e1 Rob Chrisman I don’t know where August went, but it went somewhere. We’re now two thirds of the way through the 3rd quarter of 2026. Lenders and vendors are adapting to a lackluster homebuying “season,” stubborn rates, and origination costs around $11k per loan. Lenders are trying to drive that cost down through higher pull through. Labor Day is next Monday, and “Talk Like a Pirate Day” is the 19th. Loan originators are watching demographics, people in their 20s, and are also following trends in the rental markets and with landlords. Along these lines, here are some great landlord stats (updated regularly). For stats about households, our Census Bureau puts out some good information. For example, in 2022, more than half of American households were childless: 29 percent were married households without children, and 28.9 percent were single households without kids. More than a quarter of households included parents: 17.8 percent were married households, while 8.1 percent were single-parent households. Certainly households are changing… does your product mix, originator base, and investor mix reflect that? (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Zillow Home Loans, Zillow’s in-house mortgage lender. With tools built for modern lending, Zillow Home Loan’s loan officers can focus on guiding buyers with care and confidence. Today’s has an interview with Zillow's Meg McGrath Vaccaro on Zillow Home Loans’ AI strategy: from helping buyers and automating mortgage workflows to enabling smarter pricing conversations, and how Zillow’s unique ecosystem could reshape the entire mortgage industry.) Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-08312026 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:34:09 GMT 6a95735c2f5ebb9826f785f3 Rob Chrisman Grammar is important. Let’s not forget the comma… the difference between “I want you to eat, my friend” and “I want you to eat my friend.” Let’s not forget training, and I received this note. “Rob, plenty of conferences offer continuing education. Do any organizations offer CE?” Yup. Lenders One members receive it as a free benefit for all their LOs. (Contact Tricia Migliazzo.) Let’s not forget community housing, and more than 100 community-based fair housing organizations facing potential funding losses received a reprieve after a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding overhaul that advocates said threatened to close organizations or sharply reduce services nationwide. The U.S. District Judge granted relief sought by the National Fair Housing Alliance and Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, setting aside HUD’s fiscal year 2025 funding notices and directing the agency to distribute the money under the structure used the previous year. Let’s not forget to have some fun: They’re already talking about the annual mortgage ski trip in early March to Park City, some of the banter is social, and some is focused on business. (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Zillow Home Loans, Zillow’s in-house mortgage lender. With tools built for modern lending, Zillow Home Loan’s loan officers can focus on guiding buyers with care and confidence. Today’s has an interview with Two Dots’ Henson Orser on the wave of innovative tech products and vendors flooding the mortgage market.) Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/opinion/pipelinepress-08282026 Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:45:43 GMT 6a9180c4ba4c454766c1a770 Rob Chrisman STRATMOR’s 2026 Technology Insight® Study Lender Intelligence Survey is now open, giving mortgage lenders a chance to share their firsthand experience with the technology that powers their businesses, and to help shape a clearer picture of what’s working, what isn’t, and where the industry is headed. The study reflects actual lender experience, providing an independent view of user satisfaction and Lender Loyalty Score® across a wide range of mortgage technology categories. Complete the survey and receive the results free of charge, giving you valuable intelligence you can use to understand how your technology experience compares across the industry. (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Experian. From lenders and landlords to employers and consumers, Experian helps connect the housing ecosystem with the data and insights needed to make faster, confident decisions. Lead a smarter housing journey with Experian. Today’s has an interview with Figure’s Alysse Guitar on marketing lending products in a digital environment where both trust and attention spans are waning.) Broker and Lender Products, Software, and Services Traditional CRM is dead... Total Expert just said so, out loud. Not as a rebrand, but as a category shift: CRMs were built to log tasks and manage transactions, and they start losing value the day you deploy them. Total Expert's Customer Operating System works the opposite way, getting smarter with every interaction by pairing a system of context—Customer IQ—with a system of action—AI Sales Assistant, Journey Orchestration—so rate opportunities, tappable equity, and life-event signals get caught and acted on automatically, with loan officers stepping in only when a customer actually needs their expertise. One top 10 lender used it to drive over 1,000 HELOC originations in six weeks. Total Expert has enabled more than $7 trillion in funded loan volume since 2016. Read the full breakdown. Mortgage News Daily 0 http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/rss/chrisman