Our industry continues to be battered. Starwood Capital-backed Reverse Mortgage Funding and its parent company Reverse Mortgage Investment Trust have filed for bankruptcy. Inlanta Mortgage told the state of Wisconsin it plans to wind down its business. Switching gears, to celebrate the first day of December, spend 5 minutes taking one of my favorite quizzes, focused on figuring out where you’re from based on the words you use for certain common things. (What do you call the little bug that rolls up into a ball when you touch it? Sneakers versus tennis shoes? Y’all versus you guys?) It’s uncanny! What isn’t uncanny are the number of predictions we’ve heard about a recession, many dating from nearly a year ago. Recessions generally mean lower rates. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says that a "mild recession" is likely next year but that concerns about a more severe downturn appear to be abating, noting households have maintained st
As Florida’s homeowners, insurance companies, and companies that service loans in Hurricane Ian’s path, brace for the storm, lenders nationwide continue to grapple with a very, very difficult environment. Everyone wants a decent HELOC. Servicing sales have dropped. Buydown loans are back in vogue. (Ask your investor if they buy them, but Planet Home, AmeriHome, and Northpointe jump to mind.) Everyone wants a viable ARM product, at a fixed rate program with some points back. There are many asking if the days of paying 125-150 basis points to IMB LOs are numbered. There is a lot going on as we wrap up September. In fact, some would say it’s pumpkin spice season again, which can only mean one thing: it's time for the 2022 MBA Annual Conference. I spotted Garth Graham and David Hrobon from STRATMOR on the attendee list, who told me their schedule is quickly filling up. Any lenders considering their options as a seller in the current market should reach out to l
Nature “always bats last.” Terrible flooding in Pakistan, flooding in Mississippi impacting its drinking water supplies. Severe temperatures in China, a hot summer in the Western U.S. Fortunately, this year’s hurricane season in the U.S has been tepid, so far, and fires in the West have been limited. Certainly, storms can impact borrowers and lenders, as can documentation problems or appraisal delays. What percent of your clients don’t close on time? In retail news, if you're a Chase customer buying a new home or an investment property, you may be eligible for the Chase Closing Guarantee. “We promise an on-time closing in as soon as three weeks or you'll get $5,000.” As summer winds down, in many second home areas like Florida, concerns in places include investment property and 2nd home price adjustments. Of course, it is not in Freddie or Fannie’s charter to help 2nd home or investment property financing as the focus is
How much would you pay for a company responsible for a funny video? How ‘bout $1.7 billion bones? Amazon, catching the eye of the FTC, has made an offer to acquire Roomba maker iRobot for $1.7bn. (Speaking of household goods, I occasionally am asked by LOs or employers about closing or referral gifts that are memorable or unique, unlike a bottle of wine or a doormat. I’ll often suggest Cutco knives (no, this is not a paid ad), as there is free engraving with the LO’s name & phone number, and point them to Luke Sasek for advice or to place an order.) I guess things are good in certain sectors of the economy, unlike residential lending. Plenty of jobs are being lost in residential lending, layoffs continue to occur weekly in big and small lenders and investors as companies grapple with volumes down 50 percent from much of 2020 and 2021. Rumors of impending closure of divisions by major lenders and investors (including wholesalers) continue to swirl, altho
America's national debt topped $30 trillion for the first time, according to figures from the Treasury Department on Tuesday. Why might it matter for mortgage rates? When one combines a record amount of red ink, an aging population, elevated healthcare costs, and a tax system that doesn’t bring in enough revenue to cover spending, and a government that has become known for kicking fiscal cans down the road, well, you can see why there are worries about the long-term economic health of the country. Ignore at your own peril. Something else plenty of people ignore is climate change, natural or manmade, until it impacts their business model and profits. Mortgage analytics firm RiskSpan has collaborated with Verisk to create a first-of-its-kind solution for measuring and mitigating the risks of climate change to the housing finance industry. Dismiss the impact of climate if you like, but when leading insurance, re-insurance, corporate and government entities, and investors i