Thu, Oct 6 2016, 10:18 AM
With the temporary postponement of the MBAC (Carolinas) conference, and the residents of Florida wondering about all the money spent on sand recently,...
Wed, Oct 5 2016, 9:58 AM
Research by the Appraisal Institute finds the number of appraisers has declined 22% since 2007 and 60% are over 50 years old. Aging? Yes, nature bats ...
Tue, Oct 4 2016, 10:07 AM
Regions, BB&T, Chase, Wells Fargo… the list goes on. They aren’t the first, and won’t be the last, but the Department of Justice tells us that Salt La...
Mon, Oct 3 2016, 10:48 AM
Welcome to the first business day of the 4th quarter! For another first, on this date in 1955 the first episode of Captain Kangaroo aired. Just think ...
Fri, Sep 30 2016, 10:35 AM
Are you sure that you want to keep originating FHA loans? There’s a lot of profit per loan, but it is easy to see why some companies like Chase have r...
Thu, Sep 29 2016, 9:54 AM
How is it that we only have two days left in September, and that it is National Coffee Day already? Maybe you’ll receive a free or discounted cup at K...
Wed, Sep 28 2016, 9:30 AM
What do attorneys and judges think of compliance? Here's a nice write up , but it is important that incentives match your company's compliance goals, ...
Tue, Sep 27 2016, 9:48 AM
The media, both social and unsocial, are filled with thoughts about the presidential debate last night. Housing was not an issue, since, overall, thin...
Mon, Sep 26 2016, 9:33 AM
Tonight we can all watch a big job interview on TV at 9PM ET. And whether it is money or other things, sometimes you if don’t ask for it, you won’t ge...
Fri, Sep 23 2016, 9:50 AM
While the industry is buzzing about how Wells Fargo has unfortunately killed any chance to reform the CFPB (i.e., cutting back its power or structure)...
Thu, Sep 22 2016, 10:05 AM
It’s not that difficult to tell alligators and crocodiles apart. One will see you later; the other will see you in a while. What a difference a word m...
Wed, Sep 21 2016, 9:53 AM
A Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie split? Say it ain’t so! It should be a private matter, but think of all the time they, and the press, invested in their r...
Tue, Sep 20 2016, 9:33 AM
Bill C. writes, “I found a new pitchman for the mortgage industry (at least in Russia). President Vladimir Putin advises people to take out mortgages ...
Fri, Sep 16 2016, 9:47 AM
Free data is available on nearly 95% of mortgage originations nationwide thanks to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). While the raw data is avai...
Thu, Sep 15 2016, 10:14 AM
Being a compliance officer isn’t a barrel of laughs. How many compliance officers it takes to screw in a lightbulb? 3. It takes 1 to change the bulb, ...
Wed, Sep 14 2016, 9:42 AM
With my current travel taking me through Florida, Milwaukee, and now Savannah, geography is on my mind and yesterday I noted that Maine is the only st...
Tue, Sep 13 2016, 9:47 AM
There is only one state that has 1 syllable, but there are 30 days in September. And this month is full of wacky “days” such as international Talk Lik...
Mon, Sep 12 2016, 9:12 AM
Anyone claiming that stocks and bonds always move in opposite directions were again proved wrong Friday when both bonds and stocks sold off. Treasury ...
Fri, Sep 9 2016, 10:14 AM
I own a shovel. Actually I own a couple of them. So do my neighbors. Do we use them all the time? No. Plenty of time elapses between shovel use. The s...
Thu, Sep 8 2016, 9:58 AM
50 years since Star Trek debuted on TV? Holy smokes. Salaries were lower back then. How much do NFL referees earn in a year? The average NFL referee s...
Wed, Sep 7 2016, 9:38 AM
While the industry waits for the ruling on the CFPB versus PHH case to give more clarity on the MSA question for lenders , the Colorado Division of In...
Tue, Sep 6 2016, 9:46 AM
It is hard to believe that Halloween is fewer days away than the 4th of July from a few months ago. It is also hard to believe this story/photo of a t...
Fri, Sep 2 2016, 10:37 AM
Among the lengthy list of state and federal regulators, legislative bodies, and agencies that oversee residential lenders, one can’t forget the FTC (F...
Thu, Sep 1 2016, 9:46 AM
For me last month’s domestic travels included Texas, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, and California. The mood among residential lenders is very good . Yet ...
Wed, Aug 31 2016, 10:23 AM
What does $24 million buy you in Oregon ? Just find 24 people to pony up a million each. Some economists love to look at the FHFA's housing statistics...
Tue, Aug 30 2016, 9:57 AM
I asked my cat Myrtle for her comments on the proposed TRID changes. (Blank stare.“Myrtle, make up your mind – in or out!”) I did, however, receive th...
Mon, Aug 29 2016, 9:54 AM
It is hard to argue with nationwide demographic trends , especially when it comes to Hispanic borrowers & first time home buyers in some parts of the ...
Fri, Aug 26 2016, 9:05 AM
“Rob, have you seen any place where I can see individual lender stats for VA loans?” Sure. Here it is . Knock yourself out. For you CFPB watchers, it ...
Thu, Aug 25 2016, 9:08 AM
How’d you like to work for a company that was in the press nearly every day – rarely in a good way? How’d you like to work for a company whose future ...
Wed, Aug 24 2016, 10:41 AM
It is hard to find a mortgage banker that isn’t hell-bent on expanding – sometimes just for the sake of expanding. But many companies soon find out ho...
Tue, Aug 23 2016, 9:58 AM
The whole residential lending industry is abuzz about the article on housing in the Economist . "A decade on, the presumption is that the mortgage-deb...
Mon, Aug 22 2016, 9:29 AM
Plenty of celebrities lose all their money, and then some, in various schemes. But here’s one Brady Bunch member that did pretty well in California re...
Fri, Aug 19 2016, 11:08 AM
In case it comes up at Happy Hour tonight, how are things working out in Japan? “The Bank of Japan, already a top-five owner of 81 companies in Japan’...
Thu, Aug 18 2016, 9:26 AM
There are two and a half weeks before Labor Day, the traditional end of summer. For those out and about, and who like ice cream, MM sent along a list ...
Wed, Aug 17 2016, 11:38 AM
Want to comment on TRID & Reg. Z? Click on the " How to Comment " button. Better to do it now, good or bad, than to complain about it after the commen...
Tue, Aug 16 2016, 9:35 AM
Only two weeks until Labor Day? How did that happen? Will AIG and Arch MI figure out which reps have which territories after the purchase of UG goes t...
Mon, Aug 15 2016, 10:31 AM
“Rob, are we heading back to loans with LTVs greater than 100%?” I doubt it, but certainly there are some high LTV programs out there, over and above ...
Fri, Aug 12 2016, 9:56 AM
Loan officers are very interested in guidance on things like Disparate Treatment and Disparate Impact. What would happen if an originator offered a di...
Thu, Aug 11 2016, 9:49 AM
As the productivity of the male part of our industry grinds to a screeching halt due to looking up “Beach volleyball cheerleaders” on Google Images, I...
Wed, Aug 10 2016, 9:41 AM
It would be interesting to find out the last time some political candidate wasn't on the front page of all the major newspapers. What did we talk abou...
Tue, Aug 9 2016, 9:16 AM
Let’s hope this is not a “here we go again” situation. RealtyTrac reports home flipping (defined as a
property that is bought and resold within 1-y...
Mon, Aug 8 2016, 10:08 AM
There’s no question that rent levels in many urban areas are helping lenders. Research by ApartmentList.com finds the most expensive cities, in order ...
Fri, Aug 5 2016, 10:49 AM
“Q: How do you transfer funds even faster than electronic banking? A: By getting married!” That’s my attempt to ease into the news that the IRS increa...
Thu, Aug 4 2016, 9:17 AM
Here’s an interesting number: $765,000. The Transportation Security Administration announced in May that it had collected that amount in loose change ...
Wed, Aug 3 2016, 9:27 AM
Huh? There is now a
robot that can build a house in two days ?
Sounds pretty good to me... It is certainly a step toward lessening the labor
const...
Tue, Aug 2 2016, 9:54 AM
Gotta hand it to Vancouver.
The city has gained a reputation as a place for foreign buyers - primarily
Chinese - to buy housing and park their money...
Mon, Aug 1 2016, 9:14 AM
Have you ever heard of the AARMR? I know – as if this industry needs yet another acronym. Pronounced by those “in the know” as “armor,” it is the Amer...
Fri, Jul 29 2016, 10:28 AM
"Buy land - they're not
making any more of it." And the reverse is happening in Louisiana. Say what you
want about global warming, or inappropriate ...
Thu, Jul 28 2016, 9:44 AM
I don’t know how it is that we only have two business days left in July – time flies. For me this month has included Honolulu, Denver, Sacramento, San...
Wed, Jul 27 2016, 8:51 AM
One of the biggest challenges faced by business owners today is attracting and retaining great people. Millennials and those with diverse ethnic backg...