Fri, Aug 7 2026, 11:52 AM
As many of us prepare to head to So Cal for the California MBA’s Western Secondary (800 or so registered), artificial intelligence continues to be the...
Thu, Aug 6 2026, 10:53 AM
Lender and Broker Software, Products, and Services What if the most important capital markets decision you're making today is based on incomplete da...
Tue, Aug 4 2026, 11:44 AM
After a general summer lull, and with talk of JPMorgan Chase’s $750 billion housing investment rifling through our biz, mortgage conference season shi...
Mon, Aug 3 2026, 11:24 AM
Non-QM investors are “licking their chops” by using the information that the FHFA, through Freddie and Fannie, is requiring a more thorough lender ass...
Fri, Jul 31 2026, 11:49 AM
I am no numerologist, but Freddie Mac’s announcement yesterday, that 30-year mortgage rates are averaging 6.66, caught my attention. Unlike rumors, li...
Thu, Jul 30 2026, 11:56 AM
I was recently doing some bike riding in the Napa Valley and spent some time speaking with a wine maker. She told me that because of the increase in t...
Wed, Jul 29 2026, 11:23 AM
“Technology is dominated by two types of people: Those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand.” Even...
Tue, Jul 28 2026, 11:32 AM
Does innovation in lending always means building something new? MISMO’s President Brian Vieaux challenges that familiar assumption, instead, he argues...
Mon, Jul 27 2026, 11:45 AM
In 2025, the IMF reported that, across the globe, companies, households, and countries had amassed $251 trillion in debt. Looking toward the end of 20...
Fri, Jul 24 2026, 11:40 AM
Odds are, anything you buy was transported using diesel fuel, the price of which has shot up after Russia banned exports of it, impacting farmers, tra...
Thu, Jul 23 2026, 11:28 AM
There are only twelve (12) legislative days left until the November election, and today on The Big Picture attorney Mitch Kider and I will discuss wha...
Wed, Jul 22 2026, 11:43 AM
There’s always something in the news, whether it is Jimothy the raccoon in the Northwest, or the Canadian wildfire smoke in the Northeast which coinci...
Tue, Jul 21 2026, 11:49 AM
People who say that residential lending and the state or federal governments aren’t intertwined have to look no further than the CFPB. Their new offi...
Mon, Jul 20 2026, 11:50 AM
Dang. I don’t know why I put my entire retirement plan into SpaceX stock… it has lost $1 trillion in book value since its post-IPO high. In 2026 Fanni...
Fri, Jul 17 2026, 11:44 AM
I was speaking with a friend recently, and I asked her what she does for lunch. She replied, “Zentangle.” Yup, it’s a thing, something that wasn’t aro...
Thu, Jul 16 2026, 11:54 AM
Nearly every lender is at least learning about AI, but on the flip side there are things like New York’s ban on data centers. Lenders and vendors are ...
Wed, Jul 15 2026, 11:44 AM
Certainly the cost gap between renting and owning is widening, and the press is filled with stories that our borrowers see, and MLOs should read, like...
Tue, Jul 14 2026, 11:22 AM
Ever heard someone say something that was blatantly misleading? On July 16, at 2PM ET, you can race to buy one of Olive Garden’s 10,000 “Never Ending ...
Mon, Jul 13 2026, 11:55 AM
Recently, MISMO released its new white paper, “From Paper to Performance: How eNotes and eClosing Streamline Liquidity,” providing guidance for origin...
Fri, Jul 10 2026, 11:06 AM
Did you know that 53 percent of statistics are made up on the spot? “Rob, you recently mentioned that 30 percent of repeat buyers paid cash and did no...
Thu, Jul 9 2026, 11:41 AM
This morning, we head to Los Angeles, the site of the fires in the Pacific Palisades area in January 2025. Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced th...
Wed, Jul 8 2026, 12:01 PM
STRATMOR Group has opened participation for its 2026 Compensation Connection® Study, providing mortgage-specific insights into compensation components...
Tue, Jul 7 2026, 10:54 AM
During a recent trip overseas, I spoke to a banker who stated, “Technology doesn’t stop at the border.” True. The days of writing out this Commentary ...
Mon, Jul 6 2026, 11:58 AM
One of the key selling points for an LO talking to a potential client about becoming a homeowner is the landlord/client relationship, which can go awr...
Thu, Jul 2 2026, 11:43 AM
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) reported on the performance of first-lien mortgages in the federal banking system during the first...
Wed, Jul 1 2026, 11:04 AM
We find ourselves in the 3rd quarter of 2026. The stock market has made the headlines, but between a) the reduction in the number of publicly held com...
Tue, Jun 30 2026, 11:57 AM
Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Experian. From lenders and landlords to employers and consumers, Experian he...
Mon, Jun 29 2026, 11:29 AM
Lenders often ask about improving their execution, and STRATMOR’s current blog is “Pricing That Can Help Borrowers.” MLOs occasionally ask about an on...
Fri, Jun 26 2026, 11:10 AM
We know that a) Congress passed a housing bill which, if not signed within 10 days, becomes law anyway, and b) U.S. presidents are known to be candid....
Thu, Jun 25 2026, 11:18 AM
Around the country, originators seem less focused on the housing bill signing ceremony postponement than on “opportunity.” There are opportunities, bu...
Wed, Jun 24 2026, 11:46 AM
“Why did the Dalai Lama go to Las Vegas? Because he loves Tibet.” It’s 107 F here in Las Vegas. Some would say, “It’s summer, what do you expect?” (No...
Tue, Jun 23 2026, 11:44 AM
Yesterday I published a link to Pennymac Policy Pulse, a newsletter tracking key federal policy developments shaping the housing market and broader U....
Mon, Jun 22 2026, 11:49 AM
Pennymac has released the latest edition of its Pennymac Policy Pulse, a newsletter tracking key federal policy developments shaping the housing marke...
Thu, Jun 18 2026, 11:35 AM
Lots of people who bought cars during the pandemic are deeply underwater on those vehicles, meaning the amount they owe is considerably higher than th...
Wed, Jun 17 2026, 11:44 AM
Here in Honolulu, as it is in places like Florida and New York, the condo market and HOA fees are of paramount importance, as are the affordability im...
Tue, Jun 16 2026, 10:55 AM
Sure, we have a Fed meeting, but the Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates. Will they all head off on vacation after this week? Perhaps. Given the increase i...
Mon, Jun 15 2026, 11:26 AM
This morning, I head to Honolulu for the MBA Hawai’i annual conference. The “Pineapple State” is known for banks and credit unions dominating resident...
Fri, Jun 12 2026, 11:48 AM
Every time I use my credit card at the supermarket it can impact my credit score which were invented in 1958. What might be the credit score of the Un...
Thu, Jun 11 2026, 10:51 AM
Broker and Lender Products, Software, and Services On the PGA Tour, the player who enters Sunday’s final round in first place only goes on to win ab...
Wed, Jun 10 2026, 11:51 AM
“Rob, everyone knows that the GSEs (Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae) don’t use credit scores for loan approval. They use it for pricing. The GSEs have crea...
Tue, Jun 9 2026, 11:48 AM
“Rob, have you heard that retail and DTC lenders have stepped up their training and monitoring of loan officers?” Absolutely. The same granular examin...
Mon, Jun 8 2026, 11:29 AM
Remember when talk of a “re-IPO” of Freddie and Fannie dominated residential lending news? That has certainly quieted, Pulte’s attentions are diverted...
Fri, Jun 5 2026, 10:53 AM
Today we’re going to learn about the facts of life. Trivia-loving basketball facts’ fans know that this is the first time the NY Knicks have led in th...
Thu, Jun 4 2026, 11:52 AM
Lender and Broker Products, Software, and Services There’s been plenty of chatter lately about lenders trying to rebuild realtor referral pipelines....
Wed, Jun 3 2026, 12:00 PM
The latest and greatest with FHFA Director Bill Pulte (happy 38th birthday last week!) is that President Trump tapped him (more below), to be the acti...
Tue, Jun 2 2026, 12:08 PM
Those in the Northern Hemisphere are moving toward summertime already, it being June. The calendar is always changing, as is the corporate landscape. ...
Mon, Jun 1 2026, 10:48 AM
While M&A continues (the latest example being Berkshire Hathaway buying homebuilder Taylor Morrison for $8.5 billion!), I find myself in San Juan Capi...
Fri, May 29 2026, 12:07 PM
U.S. home foreclosures are accelerating: filings rose 26 percent year-over-year in Q1 2026, to roughly 119k, the highest in six years. It’s expensive ...
Thu, May 28 2026, 11:55 AM
What is something that small and mid-sized lenders can’t offer? Chase rolled out a program for borrowers to earn 100,000 Chase Points. (Bilt and UWM r...
Wed, May 27 2026, 11:06 AM
How ‘bout this one: A firefighter went to the college graduation ceremony for a baby he helped deliver many years ago. Loan originators can be involve...
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