As the central states brace for a cold snap, I received a note from a mortgage broker in Florida. “Rob, don’t politicians understand that housing ‘affordability’ problems aren’t only the result of rates and prices that are set by the markets? Owners are hit by taxes and insurance increases. What about condo fees and special assessments? What about city and county fees? Loan level price adjustments are determined by historical performance. Extending the maturity of a mortgage

“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 is November 10 th and on this day in 1975, the freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a massive storm, killing all 29 of the crew. (Gordon Lightfoot memorialized the tragedy in a hit song the following year.) What’s in a number? Today, let’s look at “50” or “100.” Through some social media software, the p

“ What did they say? Can you rewind it?” Let’s start with something totally non-mortgage-related but applies to nearly each and every one of us. A new survey found that 34 percent of U.S. adults (including, somewhat counterintuitively, 40 percent of those aged 18 to 44) always or often use closed captions when watching television shows or movies. The accessibility setting has gone thoroughly mainstream, and young people adopting subtitles as the norm is an interesting wrink

How was the Louvre in Paris robbed? The password for the cameras was… ready? Louvre. (I’m sure that the Smithsonian, MOMA, Vatican IT, and lender IT staffs are busy changing theirs. (I have my passwords in a notebook… no one can read my scrawl.) Lenders and vendors on the conference circuit are hoping that the Federal Aviation Administration has better security, and its website says, “The FAA manages the world’s safest and most complex aviation system. On an average day, we

Frequent conference goers or traveling salespeople are obviously concerned about the Trump Administration cutting 10 percent of flights for a variety of reasons. 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents are working without pay. For anyone looking for a job through the Job Board , here’s a pro tip for a question in your next interview: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Answer: “Celebrating the 5 th anniversary in your l

“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 lender interaction is beneficial, sometimes not. The ongoing federal government shutdown not only has impacted citizen’s psychology, but has hit FHA and VA loan processing via reduced staff, creating endorsement delays of days to weeks. USDA loans remain completely halted for new guarantees, although it appears that IRS transcript p

“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 Bankers’ Fall Social with Faith Schwartz and Alanna McCargo last night or the TMBA’s Housing Summit speakers today, no one is ignoring anything. No lender can ignore the shutdown, and anyone who believes that residential lending and politics, at all levels, don’t overlap is mistaken: look at what is going on with FHA, VA, GNMA, IRS

“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 Austin, TX, Texas Women Mortgage Bankers’ Fall Social and TMBA’s Housing Summit agenda are full of speakers (not from , but…) discussing the U.S. Government’s role in housing and finance, as well as our Fed. “Rob, what do hear about Lisa Cook? Is she still on the Federal Reserve’s Board?” Yes, she is still with the Fed, and the S

In “the old days,” mortgage staff would look forward to the bowl of leftover candy on the underwriter’s desk or lunchroom after Halloween. But now, with many working remotely, who knows? Today is November 1 st , and the Day of the Dead is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2 in Hispanic cultures, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay r