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The GSE Guaranty, Credit Boxes, and Market Power
Understanding the Tradeoffs Liquidity and credit boxes My Uncle Jerry passed away 5 years ago , but he was a great storyteller. Among his...
Brian S. Levy
Jun 6
Reimagining the U.S. Mortgage System: Lessons from Global Housing Finance Models
The U.S. mortgage industry has long centered around the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, a product deeply entrenched in American financial...
James Hedvall
May 28
Common Securitization Solutions (CSS), the forgotten and most important GSE for Housing Finance Reform
An Open Letter to Policy Makers and Advocates Summary Should conservatorship of Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FHLMC) occur without...
Jeremey Shiers
May 28
Fannie and Freddie: Potential Privatization and Market Impact
President Donald Trump recently announced on social media that he is seriously considering taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public once...
Rob Chrisman
May 23


Disparate Impact's Demise?
DI (and DEI) get a reckoning in Trump 2.0 LIRC’ing for over 30 years After working almost 5 years at large law firm in Chicago, and right...
Brian S. Levy
May 14


Interesting Times: CFPB and GSEs vs. DOGE and the Trump 2.0 Administration
Why we need the CFPB? The above photo for fast-food financing was not AI generated. It is a real pop-up store that actually appeared in...
Brian S. Levy
Apr 21
Housing Policy is Moving Fast – Builders, Get Ready
Agency heads are in place. Scott Turner's publicly teased Opportunity Zones 2.0 & selling federal land for housing. The administration is...
Rich Swerbinsky
Apr 7
An Open Letter to CFPB Leadership
Dear Messrs. McKernan, Vought, Calabria, Musk, et. al., I am the author of a cynical, snarky and heavily footnoted free mortgage industry...
Brian S. Levy
Mar 24
Chainsawing the CFPB
Last May, on the heels of the CFPB’s appropriation case being upheld by the Supreme Court,[1] I agreed with the Mortgage Banking...
Brian S. Levy
Mar 3
The Shrinking Bureaucracy and Constitutional Challenges in Modern Governance
The growth of the federal government and its increasing centralization under the executive branch raise fundamental questions about the...
Robbie Chrisman
Feb 28
The Trump Administration’s Regulatory Overhaul: The Impact on CFPB, FHA, and the Housing Industry
The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to downsizing government operations, leading to significant disruptions across...
Rob Chrisman
Feb 28
Move Fast and Break Things
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg popularized the ‘tech bro-ish’ saying, “ Move fast and break things ”, but it has clearly been adopted by Elon...
Brian S. Levy
Feb 10
Understanding the Calculation of Tangible Net Worth and Adjustable Tangible Net Worth for Mortgage Companies
In the mortgage industry, accurately assessing a company’s financial strength is crucial for both regulatory compliance and effective...
Rob Chrisman
Jan 21
The Spirit of DOGE
Let’s go DOGE! Now that the Inauguration is over ( and Vivek Ramaswamy has apparently resigned ), I owe Elon Musk and the Department of...
Brian S. Levy
Jan 21
Tariffs: A Primer
There is obviously no tariff on lenders (lord knows we have enough financial hurdles), but tariffs do impact the supply and demand of...
Rob Chrisman
Dec 27, 2024
CFPB Sues Rocket on RESPA
Happy holidays from CFPB? With the holidays falling mid-week, I had expected a quiet year end where I could put these Musings away for a...
Brian S. Levy
Dec 27, 2024
What Homebuyers Need from the 2025 Tax Bill
By Morgan Wise, Chief Financial Officer at Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group The expiration of key provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act...
Morgan Wise
Dec 9, 2024
How to Get Ahead of Compliance in Q1 2025
By: John Haring, Head of Compliance at Wilqo As the lending landscape evolves, so do compliance challenges. To help lenders navigate...
John Haring
Dec 3, 2024
D.O.G.E.- A Serious Idea?
The Department of Government Efficiency More often than not, I write this cynical and often sarcastic blog to complain about inefficient...
Brian S. Levy
Dec 3, 2024
The President of the United States Doesn’t Set Rates
But policies impact them. Although the general population may not grasp that fact, those in our industry know better, or should. While...
Rob Chrisman
Nov 20, 2024
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