While lenders are grappling with steadily increasing Agency repurchase requests, it’s National Donut Day! Someone had better offer those folks at State Farm Insurance a donut… maybe they’ll change their mind about cutting off insuring properties in California. Three thousand miles away, I wonder if Florida home owners should be happy of even having insurance despite it being four times cost of the national average. And good luck insuring anything built near the coast prior to 1992’s Hurricane Andrew. While we’re on the topic of Mother Nature and economics, it’s fine for the Biden Administration, or any politician, to call for more affordable housing, but what about where’s there’s no land or a community limiting development due to running out of water like in Phoenix!? (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Lenders One, one of the largest mortgage co-ops in the country with a diverse mix o
Happy 420 Day. (Tomorrow, by the way, is Happy Surprise Drug Test Day.) Another day, another layoff story from Better.com. The human tragedy in Ukraine continues, but the world financial markets seem to be concentrated on the mounting inflation numbers. Our Federal Reserve is viewed as playing catch up, and we are reminded of its mandate of “maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.” Here in Atlanta, in the MBA and STRATMOR Peer Group Roundtable meetings, much of the conversation revolves around bank and non-bank lending. Banks and credit unions are interested in shifting to HELOCs, construction lending issues, and more portfolio lending due to excess cash and deposits, all the while trying to keep trained staff on board. For independent mortgage bankers, the attention is on reducing costs, adjusting staff levels, and how to work preapprovals and enable cash buyers. Indeed, IMBs need to hunker down to outlast their competitors. The human el