Camping: “where you spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person.” Lenders have done a remarkable job in the last few years trying to reduce homelessness in an indirect way, namely putting credit-worthy borrowers in well-collateralized properties in a compliant manner despite COVID. But let me get right to the point. It’s not good out there now for residential lenders, or their counterparties. After a remarkable, record-setting 2020 and 2021, the industry is now suffering, and companies are adjusting. (The current STRATMOR blog is, “Mergers and Acquisitions Continue On.”) We all knew the good times wouldn’t last forever, but the degree to which things have plummeted has been surprising. First the corporations were hit, then branches, and now mortgage loan officers (MLOs) are feeling the pain of a) very little business, and b) higher rates. Do IMB originators think that their 100 or 150 basis point commissions are untouchable, especially
One can always focus on lending activity hitting a 25-year low, or the once mighty loanDepot reducing its own liquidity or handing raises out to executives, or Better.com’s CEO back in the headlines. So let’s veer off the mortgage track for a bit. Not everyone in residential lending is a baseball fan, but everyone in our biz knows a thing or two about money. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hit his 62nd home run of the season, a new record. The ball was caught by a fan, and the question has been raised that has not been answered: “What happens when you take possession of a baseball that is worth $1 million to $2 million? The closest that the IRS has come to answering this is a memo sent in the late 1990s titled the “treasure trove regulation.” When one finds a buried treasure, or in this case catches a million-dollar baseball, it would technically lead to a $332,955 tax bill. If the fan gave the ball back to the player, it could technically trigger