“Rob, my capital markets gal eliminated our ability to lock overnight at yesterday’s rates. I think that she’s being unreasonable. Your thoughts?” No, she’s not. Overnight lock protection is one of the first things to go in a volatile rate environment, especially when developments in Ukraine, seven hours ahead of New York, contribute to our rate movement. Besides, who needs to lock loans at 3AM? It is tough enough to preserve pricing margins as it is. As packages of mortgage servicing rights continue to be sold by companies looking to raise cash, do you think it’s hard to make money doing mortgages these days? Try music. I was recently chatting with a musician in Nashville who told me that they earn .003 per stream on YouTube. There are varying deal structures, of course, but for someone just starting out this equates to $30 for 10,000 streams. Yikes. I hope that Bruce Willis, and his family, made some money as they’ve been selling off $
I think that we can all agree that in 2017 not a single interviewee got the answer correct to, “Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?” Heck, projections and forecasts in the first few months of 2020 didn’t foresee the drop in interest rates and rise in home values. But there some ways to influence residential lending, and have the inside track on changes coming our way, and that is through the MBA’s membership. (And no, this is not a paid ad.) The MBA is currently offering a deal: 2022 dues rate to enjoy member benefits through the close of the 2023 membership year. That is 19 months for the cost of 12 months. “Your MBA membership grants you access to education, research, committees, informational webinars, and so much more.” If you’re interested reach out to Laura Hopkins. Meanwhile, regardless of lending policies and pricing, the available inventory of homes for sale continues to be a topic of conversation. Land, lumber, and perm
This isn’t a commentary. It’s a “next level experience!” How are we in the week ending the first quarter already? Here’s some news that will be greeted with glee by every independent mortgage banker in the nation, whether they do business in California or not. The California MBA and national MBA, and constituents across the state, have defeated the CRA requirement for non-depository institutions in that CA. Given that 20-25 percent of residential production comes from the Golden State, it has wide ramifications. CEO Susan Milazzo tells me that the author of SB 1176 is removing all current CRA language. (Proponents of CRA requirements for IMBs relied, in part on a Greenlining Institute report.) What else are independents watching? A recent STRATMOR workshop indicated that the technology dollars spent is down for some large banks, but appears to have increased for some large IMBs as they are more likely to have transaction-based pricing than large bank
Let’s face it, women spend more time worrying about what men are actually thinking than men actually spend thinking. While capital markets staffs are checking out graphs of the Fed Funds Rate, and a steepening yield curve, MLOs of both sexes are thinking about bolstering their referral base: Realtors are for rookies. In the last several weeks, my travels around the country (currently in Tennessee for the TNBA educational luncheon… Did someone mention “Walking in Memphis?”) have resulted in mentions of tax advisors, wedding planners, dog sitters, vets, local gym owners, developers, plumbers, house cleaners, dentists & orthodontists, car dealers, and estate planners. Lenders and originators of every shape and size are aware of the demographics of their area, rents heading higher, so figured this might be of use: 61% of renters can’t afford to buy a home in their city. Put another way, the study showed that renters are now priced out of hom
At the Ides of March, inflation is pervasive. Today rumors are swirling that Tom Brady ended his retirement because of not being able to afford to retire given the price of gasoline (more in Capital Markets section below), and I head to the home of Holiday Inn: Memphis, Tennessee. (Yes, the title of the song is a little misleading; it spot-on focuses on Tennessee.) Millions in China have re-entered COVID lockdown, once again impacting the supply chain. Russia continues to batter Ukraine, with its terrible loss of human life, impacting the worldwide price of oil and other commodities. We’re watching it all happen in real time, through the use of technology. In this country, Census Bureau construction surveys (brought to you since 1959) are being upgraded with satellite images to provide instant updates on projects at every stage of construction from start to finish down to the county and metro level for the first time. The changes will modernize nearly every aspect of the con