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Daily Mortgage News & Commentary
Oct. 3: LO, U/W jobs; hedging, homeowner intelligence, AI agent tools; Agency shutdown developments; California MBA CEO interview
Here in Telluride, CO , after learning of my capital markets background, yesterday someone bluntly asked me, “Can one person slow or stop...
Rob Chrisman
12 min read
Today's Commentary
October 2025
Oct. 2: LO jobs; Commercial, borrower mining, LOS tools; FICO's Direct License Program; Lisa Cook on hold til January
We’re two days into the 4 th quarter of the 2025, two days into another government shutdown, and… companies are relishing their...
Rob Chrisman
13 min read
Oct. 1: LO, AE jobs; MBS, non-QM, HELOC, processing tools; Pennymac's CEO Spector, unfiltered; LO shutdown considerations
Come on… you don’t believe politics and mortgages are separate? Look at politicized government housing agencies: whoever is running HUD,...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
September 2025
Sep. 30: TPO, LO, U/W jobs; reverse, commercial, NMLS education products; STRATMOR on borrower experience; LOs & reverse mtgs.
“Why do millennials think the government saved their lives? Because they are indebted to it forever.” Here in Colorado, the United States...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Sep. 29: U/W, LO jobs; automation, subservicing, DSCR, CRM tools; this week's webinars & events; CFPB mortgage stats
Here in Colorado, banking, credit unions, and independent mortgage banks are a solid part of the economic fabric. LOs here and everywhere...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Sep. 27: Home buying strategy may be changing; AI and boardrooms; Third-party provider news runs the gamut
Who can focus on mortgages when it’s… Fat Bear Week ?! They’re all trying to consume as many calories as possible ahead of hibernation....
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Sep. 26: Underwriting, LO jobs; reverse, non-QM, borrower-mining tools; F&F withdraw from NGFS; tariffs & inflation dominate the news
Call them wretched or call them splendid, in Japan, robots and service bots run some restaurants and are indeed taking the place of...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
August 2025
Aug. 30: Fraud is fraud is fraud... the WSH weighs in; third-party provider updates; a fine made-up Ghandi tale
If you think originating a mortgage is complicated, try combining water rights, politics, and extinction. The nation of Azerbaijan is...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Aug. 29: Sales manager job; Loan calculator and verification tools; Event calendar; Insurance costs; Mortgage Banking Bound interview
“The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.” Proportionality is important, whether in a restaurant or in a...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Aug. 28: New jobs; Tools for lenders and brokers; Homebuyer survey interview; Government programs; CFPB rule making
“Remember how when you were little you could just rip off your diaper and run around naked and everyone thought it was so cute and funny?...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Aug. 27: Cost to originate; Automatic lender, custom software; Disaster news; Mr. Cooper acquisition; Fed independence
I was today years old when I realized that the shovel was literally a groundbreaking invention. The best ads and marketing focus on rates...
Rob Chrisman
13 min read
July 2025
July 31: Growth officer, LO, IT hedging jobs; processing, HELOC tools; FEMA & detention center funding? Freddie's net worth hits $65 billion
As hundreds of attendees add Bob Seger, Madonna, Eminem, and Stevie Wonder to their playlists in preparation for the MMLA conference...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
July 30: TPO exec., LO, AE jobs; jumbo, non-QM products; STRATMOR on servicing strategy; Fannie & Redwood earnings; LO Comp rule thoughts
Is it just a matter of time until insurance companies tell us where to live, what to make out houses out of, and what, exactly, we’re...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
July 29: AE, LO jobs; hedging, borrower experience, executive hedging course; LOs controlling their funnel; housing numbers... meh
Yesterday, Tampa set a record for its all-time high temperature (at least since man began keeping track, for you sticklers) while rain...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
July 28: MI rep, LO jobs; warehouse, MSR financing, productivity tools; training & webinars this week; ABA interview
“Since it started raining, all my husband has done is look sadly through the window. If it gets any worse, I'll have to let him in.” (My...
Rob Chrisman
12 min read
June 2025
June 30: SVP TPO job; automation, HELOC products; the current state of regulation & compliance; interest rates sagging
“The seminar ‘How to avoid frauds’ is canceled. Tickets are non-refundable.” Mortgage fraud is alive and well in the United States. In...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
June 28: CHLA & LO comp; Redlining differences defined; Vendor news; What $295k buys in college towns; Saturday Spotlight: Restb.ai
Under the “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade” category… Like any asset in a free market economy, home and real estate prices are...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
June 27: Sales mgt, TPO team wanted; HELOC, ops tools; STRATMOR & servicing; the importance of Marketing; Freddie Fannie news
Does anyone pay with cash anymore, or actually have the money in their bank account? Credit card debt is now $1.1 trillion . There is...
Rob Chrisman
12 min read
June 26: LO jobs; hedging, processing, community lending, servicing, mortgage intelligence tools; probably change in capital rule turning heads
“I've been experimenting with breeding racing deer. People have accused me of just trying to make a fast buck.” There are no fast bucks...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
May 2025
May 31: The financial role of credit unions; Household well-being survey; vendor news; Saturday Spotlight: TRAiNED, Inc.
Hey, I like food as much as the next guy. Or gal. Maybe more than some. Especially Original Chips Ahoy, but that is a tale for a...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
May 30: LO jobs; Correspondent DPA, equity, home equity products; Training & webinars to start June; STRATMOR on navigating DC
“Rob, what are the odds that the MBA will set up a ‘Man Park’ at the big conference in Las Vegas in October?” Slim to none. The United...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
May 29: Compliance, Ops jobs; AI hedging, application, processing tools; Builder & lender M&A continues; Freddie & Fannie saga continues
How about those junk emails that start off with, “I’m not going to waste your time.” It already wasted my time. Is it a waste of time...
Rob Chrisman
13 min read
May 28: AE, LO jobs; MBS pooling, CRM, processing tools; Second, HELOC, ITIN, jumbo product news; builder CEO survey
Overheard in the hallways at last week’s MBA conference: “At my age, instead of a condom I carry a moist towelette in my wallet. At my...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
April 2025
Apr. 30: AE jobs, people moving; buy before you sell, jumbo, CRM tools; climate & catastrophes: who's watching? Fannie earnings
I don’t know where April went, but we’re at the end of it, and 2025 is 1/3 over. The future sure quickly becomes the past. In the book...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Apr. 29: Non-QM AE, LO jobs; books for LOs; tech change, borrower communication tools; webinars & training this week; Audrey Boissoneau interview
My cat Myrtle was always interested in both the primary and secondary markets… for line-caught halibut. In residential lending, the...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Apr. 28: Pres. of Production, LO jobs; non-QM, reverse, productivity, AVM, AI tools; investor & lender results: it's still tough out there
“Rob, the local chapter of my state’s mortgage organization is having an axe throwing night. Can you put it in your Commentary in...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Apr. 26: New book on cap markets; Goldman Sachs on tariffs and a recession; Trump & disparate impact; SWBC Mortgage
Marriage may be about love, but for many newlyweds, it’s also a tug-of-war between paying for a wedding and affording a home . Among...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
March 2025
Mar. 31: Corresp., sales jobs; Private label, non-QM products; Rocket/Mr. Cooper deal = $2.1 trillion in servicing; disaster & climate news
It’s been three years since Credit Plus re-branded as Xactus, and now another name brand in the mortgage world has a new name. Corelogic...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Mar. 29: What is important to a rating agency? Saturday Spotlight: SWBC Mortgage; Print out your SS earnings history
First, a public service announcement. DOGE has plans to rewrite the entire code for the Social Security Administration. What could go...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Mar. 28: LO jobs; correspondent, non-QM training, HELOC programs; education, webinars, and events through next week; PCE vs. CPI primer
“What is the difference between the government and organized crime? Only one of them is organized.” (Suitable for any administration.)...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Mar. 27: LO, non-QM AE jobs; POS, pricing, video compliance tools; FHA shift on residency requirements; CFPB shift on TownstoneExternalInbox
Here in San Diego at the MCT Exchange 2025 , with nearly 500 registrants, the agenda’s keynote speaker and one of the panels was composed...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
February 2025
Feb. 28: LO jobs; home price change, customer behavior tools; CFPB drops several cases; gov't cutbacks & unemployment
Here in Miami, and everywhere, lenders and real estate professionals are acutely aware of supply and demand impacting prices, as does...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Feb. 27: LO jobs; CA insurance, AI hedging, PPE, fee collection products; Figure/Sixth Street joint venture; Agency news
AI is definitely a discussion topic among lenders: what is it, will it help the borrower, will it help the lender… How would you like...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Feb. 26: LO jobs; TBA, processing, 2nd lien, subservicer, solar lending tools; STRATMOR on AI for lenders; conforming conventional news
While the House passed President Trump’s budget resolution, the industry is abuzz about the TV at HUD’s headquarters showing an AI video...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Feb. 25: AE, LO jobs; fast approaching training & events run the gamut; builder news; economic fears push rates down
In Connecticut, a portion of the formal and informal talk here is about how builder news touches on lenders. (As an aside, Home Depot’s...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
January 2025
Jan. 31: AE jobs, companies wanted; FHA underwriting, POS, Community Lending products; Maryland's lending quagmire; Feb in-person events
Here in Las Vegas, I asked a German girl if Germans are afraid of numbers. She said 9. Numbers are interesting, as we will find out with...
Rob Chrisman
12 min read
Jan. 30: Cap. mkts., u/w, AE jobs; POS, servicing tools; fraud, home equity, IMB studies; new companies doing new things
Any capital markets person will tell you, “What’s a surefire way to double your money in a casino? Fold it in half and put it back in...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Jan. 29: Reverse jobs; servicing, operating system, prospecting tools; STRATMOR & profitability; the anatomy of how presidential policy can hit lenders
“Did you ever notice that when you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells "Theirs"? The impact of taxes and tax cuts...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Jan. 28: LO, AE jobs; POS, servicing, Fair Lending products; program changes around the biz; opinion on mortgage bond prices
“Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet.” Lenders and vendors are certainly meeting here in Austin....
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
December 2024
NY Eve '24: Demographics of wealth; Thought leadership on pipeline pricing; a primer on lock extensions for those who ask for them
Besides being enthralled with Tiger King and My Octopus Teacher four years ago, what do AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NM, NC,...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Dec. 30: LO jobs, lender wanted; pricing, commercial loan products; a primer for lenders on Treasury auctions; weather damage mounts
“What do they call the 4th of July in nursing homes? In Depends Day.” (Another joke at the bottom.) There are plenty of elderly people,...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Dec. 28: State-level regs to track; vendor news; Secondary marketing deals; Saturday Spotlight: Prudent AI
Can you imagine doing a mortgage in reverse? I know, farfetched. It popped into my mind watching this video of “evil” firefighters , in...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Dec. 27: LO jobs; processor efficiency, commercial lending tools; Agency news; tariff primer for lenders; joke for Realtor clients
“I've just checked my home insurance policy and apparently if my blanket is stolen in the middle of the night, I’m not covered.” For many...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
November 2024
Nov. 30: Christmas idea - Books for your staff or friends by/about authors in our biz; vendor updates; inflation from unusual sources
I doubt if prices are going to drop like the trusting folks in this video . Despite what was said during the campaign, no president, or...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Nov. 29: Lender wanted; LO jobs; PR, dashboard, automation, cap. markets school products; FHA, HECM, HUD updates
“I was late to my cannibal family's Thanksgiving dinner. I got the cold shoulder.” LOs are experts on family life and demographics. The...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Nov. 27: LO, AE, Ops jobs; automatic workflow, POS, IRS verification tools; 2025 conforming loan limit changes begin 1/1
“Rob, my borrowers would be really happy with rates well below 7 percent. When will we get there?” A wise economist with the MBA once...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Nov. 26: SVP of Credit job; exec available; pre-approval letters, IRS verification, DPA tools; Impending changes in regulators; MBA drops forecast
“If there's anyone out there who has no family and is planning to stay home alone this Thanksgiving, please let me know. I need to borrow...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
October 2024
Halloween: Portfolio mgr., production leader jobs; hedging, HMDA compliance, non-QM search, QC tools; FHA & Ginnie news
I recently went to my favorite local Mexican restaurant, and there was a sign in the window, “Sorry, we are closed due to short staff.”...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Oct. 30: Retail leader, LO jobs; foreign national, servicing products; events & webinars through Turkey Day; apps drop again
As I head from Denver to the Bay Area early this morning, I thought to myself, “Why are corn farmers great at eavesdropping? Because they...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Oct. 29: Collections job, brokers and branches wanted; VOIE, POS, servicing tools; Disaster updates; F&F news of note
Heard in the hallways here at the MBA’s annual convention in December. “I wonder if the MBA’s volume estimate of $2.3 trillion for 2025...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
Oct. 28: Cap mkts, LO jobs; servicers wanted; lead recapture, non-QM, servicing, commercial tools; MBA's Future Leaders Program opens
Thousands of lenders and vendors braved the gate lice to fly to Denver (the term for people who crowd around the gate at an airport,...
Rob Chrisman
12 min read
September 2024
Sep. 30: LO jobs, partners wanted; trading app, warehouse, soft pull, reverse products; Helene & other disaster news; Fairway steps up
Well, this is the week that many have been waiting for: Fat Bear Week ! The nearly 600 mortgage folks here in Las Vegas at the ACUMA event...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Sep. 28: Disasters... the new norm? Fairway reacts to Helene; Opinion about signing bonuses; Saturday Spotlight: Wilqo
“Why did the Dalai Lama go to Las Vegas? Because he loves Tibet.” Tomorrow I head to Las Vegas for the ACUMA event , and I highly doubt...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
Sep. 27: LO jobs; Credit scoring, AI closing, POS tools; STRATMOR & customer experience; today's live shows; Misc. investor news of note
“Who was the first person that used technology? Moses. He had two tablets that were connected to the cloud.” Technology is a two-edged...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
Sep. 26: Hedging, correspondent, accounting, pre-qual, auditing tools; lots of VA, USDA, FHA news; dour predictions
We’re all following Hurricane Helene and its impact on lives and housing stock in the news. Will Rogers famously said, “All I know is...
Rob Chrisman
12 min read
August 2024
Aug. 30: Verification, marketing, broker products; NAR settlement opinion; inflation easing helping keep rates stable
(In honor of labor, there is no Commentary tomorrow; Tuesday will be the next one. But in honor of August 31 being National Bacon Day, we...
Rob Chrisman
8 min read
Aug. 29: LO jobs; hedging, compliance, dashboard tools; STRATMOR & the importance of relaxing; Patelco cyberattack; Primer on the yield curve shift
“Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?” The future is always murky, at best, even to those who tell us that they can predict...
Rob Chrisman
8 min read
Aug. 28: Title insurance co. for sale; AVM, compliance, fee collection, Non-QM products; Conventional conforming program updates
How dedicated are you to mortgages? This dedicated? I hope not. Owners and CEOs of smaller companies are certainly dedicated to our...
Rob Chrisman
7 min read
Aug. 27: Broker programs, processing & workflow automation, business strategy, webinars & conferences to mid-September
Why can’t lending be simple… like “The Revolutionary Haircutting System You've Come to Love!” They even have the forethought to take the...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
July 2024
July 15: IT, LO jobs; AI u/w, DPA, POS, insurance tools, CFPB Townstone case; inflation takeaways
Yes, I know that this is a mortgage commentary, but some things are way above that . (Warning: tissues may be required; what’s happened...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
July 6: A letter about the Atlanta market; a debt primer; Saturday Spotlight: First American Data & Analytics
Key talking points for loan originators while speaking to potential homeowners are rent levels and increases, the cons of apartment...
Rob Chrisman
8 min read
July 5: AE jobs, companies wanted; CU Patelco ransomware attack; Fed primer; jobs data nudges rates lower
Before the internet, everything worked fine without it, right? Just ask the members, whether they be depositors or borrowers, of credit...
Rob Chrisman
8 min read
June 2024
June 29: AI primer; fire retardant system to help insurance woes? Saturday Spotlight: MoneyThumb fraud prevention
I know that this is a Commentary on mortgages, but plenty of lenders eat out, stay in hotels, and have office space. There was once a...
Rob Chrisman
10 min read
June 28: LO jobs; website compliance, warehouse, fee collection tools; investor & lender news incl. UWM’s 0 per down program
“They” say that as you age, life is like a toilet paper roll: the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. Dang. But… 2024 almost...
Rob Chrisman
9 min read
June 27: AE, LO jobs; Mission score execution, pet-centric marketing, website compliance tools; STRATMOR on tough refi biz; upcoming webinars & events
“What did people from the Midwest call a small can of pop? A Minnesota.” (Say it out loud to your 3rd grader.) While we’re on a “pop,”...
Rob Chrisman
11 min read
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