“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

Building regulatory readiness isn’t something you simply hope for, it’s something you shape . That’s exactly what’s happening with the Mortgage Compliance Dataset (MCD) Tech Sprint , a joint initiative from the Conference of State Bank Supervisors ( CSBS ) and MISMO  that kicks off December 3rd. This is not just a demo or proof of concept. It’s a real-time collaboration between regulators, lenders, and technology providers to define what compliance efficiency should look like

“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

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 studied. JPMorgan is embracing block chain. Tired of your cleaning supplies smelling like lemon? How about pumpkin, or birthday cake ? “Rob, are you hearing from other brokers or LOs that their borrowers are demanding lower rates on their ‘lock’ since the Fed changed?” I am, and it is a great opportunity to be a knowledgeable hu

First and foremost, the Federal Reserve lowered the federal funds rate by 25-basis points to a range of 3.75–4.00 percent, while also announcing the end of balance sheet runoff (“Quantitative Tightening”) as of December 1. However, despite the Fed rate cut, mortgage rates did not fully follow suit, as the Freddie Mac 30-year and 15-year averages fell only slightly to 6.17 percent and 5.41 percent, respectively. Many borrowers expressed frustration, expecting lower mortgage ra

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 controlling your iPhone entirely with your eyes . (That would really keep me from riding my bike and talking on the phone!) Food delivery robots have human names and blinking eyes. But they’re not our friends any more than the Russians are our allies. Every lender and title company knows that cybercriminals don’t take breaks, and nei

"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 difficult to tell." Is anyone motivated to end the government shutdown? I mean, really motivated? One side sticking to their guns about healthcare, the other side is fine with slowing down the economy to move rates lower. And now we have the expiration of SNAP benefits . The impact on the overall economy seems to be minimal, al

My cat Myrtle never liked Halloween, apparently believing it was for amateurs. Our nation has plenty of interesting historical sites related to ghosts and unpleasant things... like Salem, Massachusetts. It lives with the history of the Witch Trials of 1692 during which 19 women and men were executed on charges of witchcraft. Today, the most frightening thing about the place  is the traffic in October, but also somewhat frightening is the price of real estate: if you want a de

Spring gets most of the headlines in real estate, but fall often tells a different story. As the market cools, competition eases, listings sit a bit longer, and many sellers become more open to negotiation before year-end. For buyers who have been waiting for the right moment, this season quietly offers one of the best windows to act. This time of year gives buyers space to evaluate options rather than rush to outbid. That change of pace rewards preparation. It lets buyers co

I was recently on a hike with a gal pal, and we were talking about her future. I asked, “You don’t have any kids. Who is going to take care of you when you get older?” She replied, “The sommelier.” The future should be on everyone’s minds. I met up with a friend last week at the MBA Annual, and, knowing that his son had worked summer jobs for a lender in our business, I asked him about his son entering the residential lending. He replied, “He was all set to become a loan offi

There are some creative thinking and collaborations out there; anyone who walked around the exhibition hall this week at the MBA Annual saw that. For another example, a startup working on industrial heat batteries has linked up with an oil company (an unlikely partner) in its quest to commercialize its carbon-free alternative battery. Holmes Wester Oil Corp uses gas-fired boilers in its oil recovery system but has replaced one of them with Rondo Energy’s battery. It is a 100-

As shown in this video clip , don’t ever underestimate your opponent, or competitor. There were plenty of opponents and competitors (most friendly) at this week’s MBA Annual, and today on Last Word at 1PM ET, Brian Vieaux, Kevin Peranio, and Courtney Thompson discuss highlights from the conference, how the ongoing government shutdown could affect borrowers’ ability to pay and broader market stability, and what “shutdown economics” means for lenders, policymakers, and the hou

As much of the industry was in Las Vegas for MBA Annual this week, chatter (outside of AI) revolved cautious optimism amid continued affordability challenges. Rising insurance premiums, HOA fees, and property taxes, along with mortgage rates that continue to hover in the low-6 percent range, are keeping housing affordability strained. However, FHFA Director Bill Pulte announced a review of loan-level price adjustments, which could reduce fees for borrowers and potentially mak

Economies and strategies impact various groups differently. Remember Mervyn’s, Montgomery Ward, or a dozen other large department stores that are no longer? Saks Fifth Avenue is now rumored to be potentially joining them. Residential lending is obviously impacted by the slowing economy: if you want lower rates, a government shutdown is one way to negatively impact the U.S. GDP. Interest rates were a topic at the MBA Annual, and thousands of lenders and vendors have headed ho

“Why did the Tibetan Monks go to Las Vegas? They are very good at games of chants.” One topic among hallway chats with lenders here at the MBA Annual is keeping costs down. After all, everyone is selling, or putting their loans into portfolios, at roughly the same price, so whether a lender is doing $10 million a month or $1 billion a month, cost and efficiency are paramount. The current STRATMOR write up is titled, “Rates Drop, Pipelines Pop: Don’t Let Fulfillment Flop.” On

What do Costco and Las Vegas have in common? You go to buy a gallon of milk, and it costs you $285.” There isn’t a lot of autumn foliage here in Las Vegas, but if you’d like a map of the fall colors, here you go . I’ve received a few comments about how the industry is changing, and in curious ways. There is some creative thinking out there. Along those lines, I received this note. “Rob, have you heard of a title company franchise where LOs and brokers keep title fees, and “ow

In my last piece, I wrote about Sora 2 and its potential to transform video creation for mortgage professionals. What led me there wasn't curiosity about video. It started a few months earlier when I began building a series of custom GPTs for FinLocker. Those projects became my testing ground for understanding how emerging technology can actually make a difference in how loan officers show up for their clients and partners. I built the FinLocker GPT Toolkit to solve a simple

“Why did the Dalai Lama go to Las Vegas? Because he loves Tibet.” Here at the “MBA Annual,” the puns may not be flying, but there is news bouncing off the walls, some of it learned just by chatting in the hallways. (And there is plenty of time spent walking through the convention center… I need a Segway!) The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced that total single-family mortgage origination volume is expected to increase to $2.2 trillion in 2026 from $2.0 trillion ex