Today, 11:46 AM
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that the median age of first-time homebuyers has increased significantly, reaching 40 years old, co...
Fri, Jan 9 2026, 11:10 AM
A frequent topic in this Commentary is how lenders are responsible for only a small portion of the affordability issue. A big hit to affordability is ...
Thu, Jan 8 2026, 11:41 AM
“Warning: don’t use your pet’s name for your password. We were hacked, and had to change our dog’s name.” “Experts” are saying that passwords will be ...
Wed, Jan 7 2026, 11:45 AM
What are the attributes of a successful loan officer? In my years of listening to LOs compare notes, many mention “mindset” since the job sometimes ca...
Tue, Jan 6 2026, 11:54 AM
As it turns out, not everyone has a loan on their house. In fact, 40 percent of U.S. homes don’t have a mortgage, per the Census Bureau. Should I repe...
Mon, Jan 5 2026, 11:41 AM
Redfin is calling next year the beginning of “The Great Reset,” when wages will grow faster than home prices for the first time since 2008. Eventually...
Fri, Jan 2 2026, 11:40 AM
Credit Union and Real Estate Agent Relationship A November webinar featuring Telhio Credit Union Loan Officer Allie Hager and Realtor Kelly Hamilton...
Wed, Dec 31 2025, 11:40 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software “At Optimal Blue, we’d like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to the incredible clients and partn...
Tue, Dec 30 2025, 11:41 AM
Loan originators are acutely aware of demographics (“know your borrower,” right?). Naming generations is relatively recent, and then-People Magazine E...
Mon, Dec 29 2025, 11:48 AM
Some percentage of readers reading today’s Commentary are doing so from an airport in the Northeast, waiting for their delayed flight to depart. Wheth...
Fri, Dec 26 2025, 11:51 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software In an open letter reflecting on a landmark 2025, Polly Founder and CEO Adam Carmel shares a power...
Wed, Dec 24 2025, 11:44 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software “What would 50-100 bps more per jumbo loan mean for your team? Winning in today’s market takes mo...
Tue, Dec 23 2025, 11:52 AM
Will rates impact the latest MBA origination forecast of $2.2 trillion next year? Sure, although… The Federal Reserve has cut overnight rates, but lon...
Mon, Dec 22 2025, 11:48 AM
As we approach the end of the year, we’re seeing the usual interest in other opportunities, especially if pipelines aren’t full or management is deali...
Fri, Dec 19 2025, 11:45 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software Newrez Wholesale has enhanced its partner protection program with Newrez Broker Protect, deliveri...
Thu, Dec 18 2025, 11:51 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software “The federal quality control standards under Dodd Frank for automated valuation models (AVMs) req...
Wed, Dec 17 2025, 11:47 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software Warehouse lending got a major upgrade in 2025. OptiFunder has transformed the industry with the f...
Tue, Dec 16 2025, 11:41 AM
Running a mortgage company, turns out, isn’t free, and lenders are trying to cut costs and increase efficiency everywhere. For example (and this is no...
Mon, Dec 15 2025, 11:46 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software Home equity may have been the headline in 2025, but the real story is what comes next. With nearl...
Fri, Dec 12 2025, 11:44 AM
“What happened with the DSCR appraisal issue in Baltimore earlier this year?” Good question. Baltimore is not alone: This week we have investors eithe...
Thu, Dec 11 2025, 11:46 AM
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software For some servicers, the idea of implementing workflow automation is both appealing and overwhelmi...
Wed, Dec 10 2025, 11:55 AM
Somewhere, in a parallel universe, Mariah Carey is walking around some supermarket, sick of listening to me sing Christmas carols. This is, of course,...
Tue, Dec 9 2025, 11:43 AM
“Seminar ‘How to avoid frauds’ is canceled. Tickets are non-refundable.” Collectively, we don’t want mortgage fraud, right? It’s a non-partisan issue....
Mon, Dec 8 2025, 11:26 AM
“Blimps are one of the only forms of advertisement people are actually excited to see.” “Rob, we see all kinds of companies advertising at conferences...
Fri, Dec 5 2025, 11:45 AM
Recently I paid over $10 for a simple Oscar Mayer 12-ounce package of bacon. Jerome Powell, help me! Well, the U.S. Federal Reserve doesn’t set bacon ...
Thu, Dec 4 2025, 11:39 AM
“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” While Freddie rolled out its AI plans, for some lenders, mortgage companies owned by builders, and the buil...
Wed, Dec 3 2025, 11:42 AM
Both Dick Van Dyke and Mel Brooks turn 100, Dick in less than two weeks and Mel next summer. 100 years is a long time, and it’s a big number. Despite ...
Tue, Dec 2 2025, 11:44 AM
I don’t know about you, but a hot shower or bath always sounds good. Tech wizards, however, have created a human washing machine. I’ll pass. At this p...
Mon, Dec 1 2025, 11:45 AM
A buddy from Kentucky wrote to me, saying, “Statistics show that the average person has sex 89 times per year. Looks like I'm in for a pretty wild Dec...
Fri, Nov 28 2025, 11:45 AM
When did our business start with the catchy slogans? Stay alive in ’25? Stay in the mix in ’26. It’ll be heaven in ’27. How about, “Try to earn a litt...
Wed, Nov 26 2025, 11:42 AM
The new phone books are here, the new phone books are here! Oh, wait a minute. The new conventional conforming loan limits are here! The new conventio...
Tue, Nov 25 2025, 11:52 AM
Want better affordability? Lower house prices certainly helps, and this article states that more than half of homes in the United States have fallen i...
Mon, Nov 24 2025, 11:45 AM
“Remember to bring up politics at Thanksgiving to save some money on Christmas presents.” “What do tornadoes and Tennessee divorces have in common? So...
Fri, Nov 21 2025, 12:04 PM
“Six cows were smoking joints and playing poker. That's right: The steaks were pretty high.” The steaks, uh, stakes, are high when changes to our hous...
Thu, Nov 20 2025, 11:46 AM
“Here we are, a week away from Thanksgiving, and I’m in Kansas City. My family told me to stop telling Thanksgiving jokes, but I said I couldn’t quit ...
Wed, Nov 19 2025, 11:41 AM
As I type these words, I am sitting in front of one of Chuck Berry’s early residences in St. Louis. STL has a good musical reputation, a fine mortgage...
Tue, Nov 18 2025, 11:44 AM
Supposedly commercial air travel is back to normal, good for anyone coming in for the Mortgage Bankers Association of St. Louis event tomorrow and Thu...
Mon, Nov 17 2025, 11:47 AM
Today’s trivia: Missouri and Tennessee are tied for bordering the most states: eight. This week I head to Missouri, the jumping off point for thousand...
Fri, Nov 14 2025, 11:47 AM
I always wonder, when I see two gas stations near each other in a small town, if the owners agree on pricing and share information. But when you’re de...
Thu, Nov 13 2025, 11:45 AM
In news underwriters will need to know, banks and satirists across the United States are taking Director Bill Pulte’s and President Donald Trump’s 50-...
Wed, Nov 12 2025, 11:53 AM
Its dog eat dog in the ranks of the FHFA and Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac. The question is, does anyone care, or is anyone surprised? We want to follow th...
Mon, Nov 10 2025, 11:46 AM
“6-7!” has swept the nation for youngsters of indeterminant age, and for no real reason. Other numbers have meaning, as do dates. For example, today i...
Fri, Nov 7 2025, 11:50 AM
How was the Louve in Paris robbed? The password for the cameras was… ready? Louve. (I’m sure that the Smithsonian, MOMA, and Vatican IT staffs are bus...
Thu, Nov 6 2025, 11:51 AM
Frequent conference goers or traveling salespeople are obviously concerned about the Trump Administration cutting 10 percent of flights for a variety ...
Wed, Nov 5 2025, 12:00 PM
“Did you hear about the Chinese guy who spoke out against the government? Exactly.” Hate the U.S. Government or love it, sometimes government and lend...
Tue, Nov 4 2025, 11:44 AM
“Being a parent is like being a psychic who is always right but is always ignored.” Here in Austin, TX, whether it was the Texas Women Mortgage Banker...
Mon, Nov 3 2025, 11:45 AM
“Daylight savings time: Is the government cutting off the bottom of a blanket and sewing it to the top and saying, ‘See? Its longer now.’” Here in Aus...
Fri, Oct 31 2025, 11:48 AM
Change is constant. Soon I head to Austin, in the Great State of Texas, for the TMBA’s star-studded Housing Summit where “change” will certainly be st...
Thu, Oct 30 2025, 11:45 AM
Are you ready to change the time on your car’s clock, or leave it and let it be right again on March 8, 2026? Some technology is cool. Imagine control...
Wed, Oct 29 2025, 11:46 AM
"The U.S. Senate is considering a bill that would tax Botox. When Botox users heard this, they were horrified. Well, I think they were horrified. It's...
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