In the press, here’s some information on the hit the Fed’s balance sheet has taken give the bond market selloff. And here at the MBA’s annual, some of the talk is about new products and about cost cutting. Yes, lenders are looking for new products, or help in exploring the viability of rolling something new out. For example, at the Capital Markets Committee meeting Sunday, I spent some time with Susan Brown, CMB, Founder & CEO of CoreSGB which helps lenders roll out construction loan products. In terms of cost cutting, I’ve spoken to a few owners who challenged their department heads to cut their costs 15 percent instead of the usual 10 percent, and brainstorm with others in doing it. We all know that net basis point goals (like aiming for 75 to 105 bps) have pretty much gone away. But if you’re “only” hitting breakeven, then unintended events can bring you to large losses quickly. If a company is seeing operational excessive
Denver’s airport has the longest runway in the U.S. at 16,000 feet (3 miles). As thousands of vendors, with some lenders thrown in for good measure, and me, head to Nashville for the MBA’s conference this weekend through next Wednesday, I am reminded of a bit of air travel trivia. Namely, if a commercial pilot seems to land quickly and taxi off the runway as soon as possible, generally that pilot’s background is Navy. If the pilot lands gently and taxis for a bit, that pilot was trained in the Air Force. The reasoning? Many Navy pilots were trained to land abruptly on carriers. The economic backdrop for this year’s event is not pretty. And in our biz, concerns about a potential recession and other issues are prompting some investors to sell mortgage securities known as credit-risk transfers that are packaged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The trend has sent the securities' prices lower and widened the yield spread when compared with Treasury bonds. T
My cat Myrtle has a certain amount of “girth,” as they say. But I tell her that she carries it well as the calories from line-caught halibut have far outweighed her time working out to burn them off. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to remember her ever pumping iron. Turning to humans, it’s a proven fact that during the pandemic 87 percent of gym members didn’t even know that their gym was closed. Okay, maybe not proven, but it makes sense. Something else that makes sense is the non-QM product channel, there to help LOs help borrowers, but that segment continues to face an uphill battle. What are borrowers supposed to think when even Yahoo comes out with a sensationalist headline like, “U.S. mortgage lenders are starting to go bankrupt: how non-QM loans could be triggering the worst surge of failures since 2008.” Really? Other product development continues. One wonders about reverse discrimination, but if you’re Black or Latino in Dal
Loan officers who’d like to learn a thing or two about the current prospecting environment are invited to listen in today at 2PM CT/noon PT as Steve Richman discusses how LO’s activities are much more important than near-term results, database management is critical, new LOs shouldn’t mind going after traditional lower-level referral partners, and the importance of making calls and working on a Friday afternoon. And while we’re on sales, and marketing, the STRATMOR Group has an upcoming virtual workshop for senior retail sales, marketing executives, and CEOs. The workshop is focused on action items and best practices for sales and marketing leaders, focusing entirely on “what is most important and relevant in today’s changing and challenging market, and along with a panel of STRATMOR experts, you’ll hear from your peers about what is working right now… Three short and interactive power packed sessions are spread over three days (A