Some things in life are fleeting, like a frosty glass of rose, enemy troops singing Christmas carols in the trenches during WWI, or the time when lenders couldn’t hire people fast enough because rates were at 3 percent. I mention this because Krispy Kreme’s Strawberry Glazed Donuts, a flavor not seen in two years, is back today but only through Monday, in participating Krispy Kreme shops nationwide. Fleeting for donut aficionados. (Who says this commentary never has anything newsworthy?) Also fleeting are some astronomical events. Some will tell you that NASA doesn’t have much else going on besides coming up with the names of moons every month or two. Along those lines, thank you to Eric D. who pointed out that the common definition of a “blue moon” (the second full moon in any month) is wrong. It is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons per NASA. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Black
If you’re really happy when a scheduled conference or Zoom call is cancelled, does that mean you’re in the wrong line of work? (Asking for a friend.) The demand for Team or Zoom calls certainly skyrocketed during the pandemic, although as companies have moved back into the office to some extent, the demand for them has dropped. Supply and demand determine mortgage pricing, so there is little use in a lender originating loans if there is no demand by investors or portfolios for those loans. Most jumbo loans are originated in states near the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Many originators in those states are wondering where their jumbo pricing will come from, as not only is Wells Fargo Correspondent gone but now First Republic, the 4th largest jumbo mortgage lender, has just exited the market. On the investor call, Jamie Dimon noted that First Republic’s core business of “making very large cheap mortgages will not happen going forward.” Other banks have a
“My landlord told me that she would like to have a chat with me about the house's sky-high heating bills this winter. I told her, ‘Sure thing, whenever you want. My door is always open.’” A key selling point for originators, in talking to potential clients on the fence about buying a home, is rent. Rents have been increasing, and there’s no sense of permanency, but if you can’t pay your rent, qualifying for a home loan is going to tough. LendingTree found that more than 8 million U.S. adults live in a household not caught up on rent payments. About 3.6 million adults are also living in households that are not being charged rent, primarily in Mississippi, West Virginia, Alaska, Arkansas, and Alabama. There are plenty of rent disputes in the courts, just as there are disputes and cases involving mortgage bankers. I bring this up because convicted former MBA Chairman Ron McCord and his Oklahoma-based company settled CapLoc's allega
Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, “I've lost my electron.” The other asks, “Are you sure?” The first replies, “Yes, I'm positive.” (Yes, its cutting-edge humor like this that keeps you coming back.) Do positive thoughts matter? Houston’s Norina and Ramon Navarro think so. Thinking positive thoughts about the housing inventory in the United States probably won’t help, and I am hearing renewed stories about a lack of inventory and multiple offers at certain price points around the nation. There are only 578,000 active listings nationwide. (This is out of 142 million housing units.) Where’s the supply? Well, what do American Homes 4 Rent, Home Partners of America/Blackstone, Tricon Residential, Main Street Renewal, Progress Residential, Invitation Homes, and a smattering of others have in common? They have accumulated more than 65,000 homes in the Atlanta area alone. Thank you to DepthPR’s Kerri M. for
Do you know what “splooting” is? Here’s a hint: 4-legged animals do it. (Hey, I don’t make these things up.) Quite the word. Words are very interesting, and can incite a riot, help someone get through a loss, make up this Commentary, entertain. Every morning I share my Wordle results with a few friends, comparing who was able to find the 5-letter word of the day in the fewest tries. For the most part Wordle is quick, fun, and mildly entertaining, which is the exact opposite of financing a home as any borrower or loan originator will tell you. Originate? “Origin”: source, inception, root means the point at which something begins its course or existence. Origin applies to the things or persons from which something is ultimately derived and often to the causes operating before the thing itself comes into being. “ate” is a suffix meaning “state of quality of” and when added makes an adjective a verb. Originate, tolerate,