National MI turned heads yesterday by announcing its temporary increase to AUS conforming loan amounts, despite the official FHFA word not coming until the end of November. (More below on the amounts.) Our biz is filled with “numbers people,” good or bad. According to Curinos, September 2023 funded mortgage volume decreased 30 percent YoY and 14 percent MoM. The average 30-year conforming retail funded rate in September was 7.01 percent, 18bps higher than August and 146bps higher than the same month last year. (Curinos sources a statistically significant data set directly from lenders to produce these benchmark figures.) Inventory and sales aren’t helping. Economist Dr. Elliot Eisenberg summed things up. “August data showed MoM housing starts down 11.3 percent to their lowest level since 6/20, the NAHB housing index down sharply M-o-M for the second month in a row, and new home sales weakening 8.7 percent MoM, the biggest decline since 9/22. Existing housing
It was a rough weekend. My cat Myrtle, resting comfortably at the top of the food chain, was visibly miffed at me not nominating her (again) for the vaulted “40 under 40” award. I reminded her that she is way over that in cat years, but my explanation fell on her one deaf ear and her one good ear despite me telling her how much line-caught salmon we could buy with the nomination fee. (Hey, don’t get me wrong. I know some of those folks who were nominated or selected, and the industry is better off because of them!) If lenders would like a little good news, they should know that, despite the low interest rates we saw a few years ago, people are still moving, and that’s a source of business. Around 8.6 percent of Americans moved last year, slightly more than the previous year, but still below pre-pandemic levels. Accordingly, WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Best States to Live in. Chalk it up to complete East Coast bias, but Massachusetts, New J
Planet Home’s Michael B. reminds me, “I miss every shot I don’t take.” The topics here in Orlando at the FAMP convention include not only prospecting, prospecting, and… prospecting, but also not missing a shot by offering clients more than a couple products. Freddie, Fannie, FHA, and VA are fine, but every client and referral source is precious, and what happens if someone walks through the door and needs a loan for a renovation (remodel), or a condotel, or a non-warrantable condo, or qualifies for a bond program, or… the list goes on. In the category of leads, have you looked into any local real estate investment clubs as a source of business? What about going after leads from divorce attorneys or local hard money lenders? Persistence! Another big topic at the FAMP conference is saving money, and STRATMOR’s current blog is titled, “Improving Revenue Might Be Right Under Your Nose.” (Today’s podcast can be found here
Robert K. writes, “My Mom always said, ‘Work until your bank account looks like a phone number. Well, I did it! ‘Available balance: $911.’” Speaking of numbers, thank you to those who wrote to me correcting the GDP of Mexico here as being $1.4 trillion and not $1.4 billion. Numbers certainly tell the story with vendors and lenders. Owners of vendors and third-party providers are looking at middle layers of management, cutting back, certainly cutting salaries, or ridding themselves of unproductive salespeople. Lenders continue to cut staff (Wells Fargo being the latest example) or furlough employees for a portion of their workweeks and implementing salary cuts. Meanwhile, managers report that end-of-year reviews are resulting in employees asking for raises due to inflation. On a lager scale, uh, larger scale, mergers and acquisitions continue. The latest to cross the tape is that "Guild Mortgage is excited to announce the acquisition of Inlant
When was the last time that you did something for the first time? (Warning: tissues may be needed.) The best use of technology is to improve quality of life. Watch people’s beautiful first expressions of hearing sounds for the first time. (This came from an email from Steve Wozniak – yes, that one, who wrote, “Why do you think we started Apple. Steve Jobs and myself wanted to make life the same for the disabled and normal people. We wanted blind people to be like sighted people. To see how much we succeeded just look at any sidewalk and see all the people walking blindly while looking at their smart phones.”) Here’s another first time. Yesterday we learned that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published the Acceptance of Private Flood Insurance for FHA-Insured Mortgages final rule (Docket No. FR-6084-F-02) in the Federal Register. With today’s publication, FHA will now accept private flood insurance policies where the borrower chooses t