Mon, Jul 26 2021, 11:17 AM
The headline this morning is seven people dying in a car crash caused by a Utah sandstorm. The damage caused by storms, including hurricanes in the Ea...
Fri, Jul 23 2021, 10:58 AM
How do you know when someone has too much money? How about when they pony up $16k for Tarzan’s 1932 loin cloth ? (“Gosh, if that loin cloth could talk...
Thu, Jul 22 2021, 11:26 AM
How would you like to compete against a company whose tagline is, “We Do It All, Guaranteed!”? The program is part of an existing Weichert Realtors’ o...
Wed, Jul 21 2021, 11:42 AM
Experienced mortgage loan originators (MLOs) know that a rate lock is a rate lock. The removal of the adverse market fee of .5 for conventional confor...
Tue, Jul 20 2021, 11:52 AM
t was bound to happen: My cat Myrtle and I came to blows. She wanted to spend her trust fund money, earned on the catwalk in her prime, to pay various...
Mon, Jul 19 2021, 11:25 AM
“My password is weak? Well, so is my memory, so cut me some slack and let me keep it!” What isn’t weak is the bond market, and rates continue to fall....
Fri, Jul 16 2021, 11:22 AM
I am sure that there are people who read this commentary who firmly believe that the earth’s climate is not changing, and believe that historical grap...
Thu, Jul 15 2021, 11:20 AM
Ask any manager. It was much more fun to announce, “We’re hiring!” than it is to mutter, “We’re laying off.” Currently there are plenty of rumors abou...
Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:37 AM
Don’t think technology controls you? How about this news that Apple’s weather app will never show a temperature of 69 degrees ? Good mortgage loan ori...
Tue, Jul 13 2021, 11:19 AM
When one thinks of a Constitutional Amendment, many think of the 2nd amendment (right to bear arms, 1789), 13th (end of slavery, 1865), or the 16th (c...
Mon, Jul 12 2021, 11:38 AM
I head to San Diego today for the CAMP event as the industry continues to change back to in-person events. There is always change. (How’s that for an ...
Fri, Jul 9 2021, 10:42 AM
Someone once said, “A loss is not a failure until you make an excuse.” You can apply that to politics or to sports. Or to business. No company wants t...
Thu, Jul 8 2021, 11:34 AM
I head to Salt Lake City today, and on the way to the airport thought to myself, with all the technological and scientific advances being made, the fo...
Wed, Jul 7 2021, 11:52 AM
Sorry the commentary was a little late today. I was on the phone dealing with my car’s extended warranty. Per the personalized recording, they’ve been...
Tue, Jul 6 2021, 11:08 AM
Dang it is becoming more and more expensive to follow all the rules and regulations to originate residential loans. These costs, of course, are borne ...
Fri, Jul 2 2021, 11:27 AM
I realize that this is a commentary about lending, but it is good for MLOs to be cognizant of what their real estate agent client’s clients want… In a...
Thu, Jul 1 2021, 11:00 AM
Halfway done with 2021?! Yes, time is flying, and summer is here. The weather service just published instructions on how to bake a lasagna in your mai...
Wed, Jun 30 2021, 10:57 AM
“Adam and Eve were the first people not to read the Apple terms and conditions.” Who has actually read their phone’s manual? Technology marches on, wi...
Tue, Jun 29 2021, 10:45 AM
Say what you will about huge companies not having an impact on housing, MLOs can’t ignore the fact that they’re here. The latest example is global rea...
Mon, Jun 28 2021, 11:16 AM
Seattle will hit 110 degrees F today. Change is afoot. Last week changes of personnel within the CFPB and the FHFA (hence Fannie & Freddie) captured o...
Fri, Jun 25 2021, 11:29 AM
As lenders are working on adjusting margins, best-ex, and staffing, while at the same time relieved that rates haven’t gone up and pipelines are motor...
Thu, Jun 24 2021, 10:59 AM
In case you haven’t heard, the Supreme Court ruled that a U.S. president can remove the head of Federal Housing Finance Agency, in this case, Mark Cal...
Wed, Jun 23 2021, 11:04 AM
Folks are talking about how in-person mortgage conferences are coming back strong. For example, here in Florida that MBAF conference is approaching 30...
Tue, Jun 22 2021, 11:03 AM
Is office work returning? Some watch traffic patterns, and, sure ‘nuff, cars on the freeways of Los Angeles are traveling slower indicating that the c...
Mon, Jun 21 2021, 11:03 AM
Today I head to Orlando for the Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida 2021 Secondary and Convention (approaching 250 registrants!) The live and in-p...
Fri, Jun 18 2021, 10:21 AM
When my Dad retired from the navy in 1962 after 20 years, he found a job through the Want Ads in the newspaper. I post jobs here, through the wonders ...
Thu, Jun 17 2021, 11:05 AM
Fortunately for much of the rest of the United States, lumber prices have been falling since May, hopefully cutting the money required for new constru...
Wed, Jun 16 2021, 10:31 AM
Broker and Lender Services and Products Faster applications = happier borrowers = loyal customers. VOE+VOIs are an unnecessary pain in the you know wh...
Tue, Jun 15 2021, 11:40 AM
I was spending a little time yesterday evening at the local cannabis club with my favorite bud-tender (an ombudsman!), and she was telling me about ho...
Mon, Jun 14 2021, 10:44 AM
Elaine F. reminded me of a quote from Hemingway: “Never mistake motion for action.” And basketball coach John Wooden said, “Never mistake action for a...
Fri, Jun 11 2021, 11:14 AM
Friday: time for some random non-mortgage stuff. Everyone knows that if you lose one sense, your other senses become enhanced. Which is why people wit...
Thu, Jun 10 2021, 10:02 AM
With plenty of in-person mortgage events slated for the remainder of 2021, it is good that human brains are specialized for facial recognition and tha...
Wed, Jun 9 2021, 11:34 AM
I hope that Google never shuts down. I know six, maybe seven, things. I know that the President’s plane was delayed seven hours this morning due to ci...
Tue, Jun 8 2021, 11:47 AM
After years of opening mail I’ve come to the conclusion that, when stamped on an envelope in the U.S. mail, “personal and confidential” usually isn’t,...
Mon, Jun 7 2021, 10:54 AM
Time is flying, and the months click by. We’re approaching the Summer Solstice. (Here in Sitka, AK, the official sunrise is around 4AM and it sets aro...
Fri, Jun 4 2021, 10:22 AM
A while back I made an appointment at a new doctor and under, “What do you wish to be called?” I wrote, “The Chosen One.” Wednesday, I heard the recep...
Thu, Jun 3 2021, 10:52 AM
Here’s your pro tip of the day: occasionally blow on the wine in your coffee mug to convince the rest of the Zoom meeting that it is tea. Speaking of ...
Wed, Jun 2 2021, 10:47 AM
Real estate agents will tell you that offering above asking price is only the first step, with many buyers also waiving contingencies, skipping inspec...
Tue, Jun 1 2021, 10:56 AM
June, already. Plans to return to the office? The Mortgage Bankers Association, for example, is gearing up for a July 12 return. And you can bet it’s ...
Fri, May 28 2021, 10:31 AM
Traffic is already bad out there! Here’s a sign on a beekeeper’s truck: “If you see me running, things have gone poorly, and you should run too.” Life...
Thu, May 27 2021, 10:52 AM
I was telling my cat Myrtle about the labor shortage in the United States, but she didn’t seem fascinated, to say the least. In fact, she gave me a lo...
Wed, May 26 2021, 11:08 AM
Do you think that creativity is waning? Hardly. Some great products and ideas come out of the mundane. Wonder what happens to your unused hotel soap a...
Tue, May 25 2021, 10:24 AM
Are you ready for a real-live holiday on Monday? With millions more Americans vaccinated since the last holiday, and the end-of-May weather, it’s a sa...
Mon, May 24 2021, 10:48 AM
What is your, and your company’s, value proposition? Lenders must be vigilant, which means paying attention to trends, big and small. For example, on ...
Fri, May 21 2021, 10:34 AM
Should we start the finish of the normal workweek with some non-mortgage stuff? There are green monkeys living near a Florida airport who are connecte...
Thu, May 20 2021, 10:50 AM
There are some who firmly believe that the Hubble Telescope was sent into space to spy on us. These people are better advised to wonder what Google is...
Wed, May 19 2021, 10:58 AM
Face facts: There are many differences between men and women. One of which is that when returning home from the grocery store, women typically are mor...
Tue, May 18 2021, 9:26 AM
The guy I was talking to yesterday asked about my background. I gave him a detailed history of my upbringing, my education, work experience, and why I...
Mon, May 17 2021, 11:00 AM
Here is a dab of trivia to start the week. There are only about 2,000 heart transplants every year in the United States. So, on average, that’s only a...
Fri, May 14 2021, 10:20 AM
Let me start Friday with an apology… to Alaska. (I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.) Jul...
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