Attendees of next week’s MBA Secondary conference can look forward to… A giant hot dog in Times Square that spits out confetti at high noon. (Keep your risqué comments to yourself please.) They can obviously look forward to much more at the actual conference, including information about the economy, regulators, and seeing what the Agencies and aggregators are up to in terms of products. Every client is important, and originators want a full product suite from their companies and vendors. (The current STRATMOR blog is titled, “Down Payment Assistance Programs Helpful But Not a Universal Remedy.”) For good news, homeowner equity has hit almost $17 trillion, as values in March hit a historic all-time high according to a report from Intercontinental Exchange. But looking at units this year (a better measure than the estimated $1.5-2 trillion) the MBA expects the lowest production in decades. If recent conferences are any indication, look forward to atte
It was a sad day earlier this week for anyone who likes food out of a toaster as the inventor of Pop-Tarts passed away at age 96. (Yes, Pop-Tarts were invented… they don’t grow naturally in the wild.) Something else that isn’t found naturally is airline seat pricing. We’re in mid-February, and conference activity will increase, and families will start thinking about summer vacations. That often means flights. Prices do go up significantly 21, 14, and seven days before a flight, so keep that in mind. (For anyone who is genuinely interested, here’s an easy to read scholarly article on the awkward way in which airlines set seat prices.) And while we’re talking about dollars, recent Commentaries have mentioned the shift in regional manager’s pay to more profit-based rather than strictly volume, as well as how it is illegal to pay LOs on profits under TILA’s LO Comp Rule. Addressing management pay, attorney Steve Lovejoy with Shumaker
Although he is correct less than half the time, groundhog Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow this morning, meaning an early spring is likely. At the other end of the “cute spectrum,” Elon Musk is increasing his control of the roads with Tesla, in internet communications with his Starlink satellites, access to outer space via SpaceX, and now… people’s brains through neural implants. It appears that we’re living in a science fiction novel… and we know how those typically end. Yes, his compensation made headlines this week, but he’s obviously in it for “the long game.” Mr. Musk can work from anywhere, but what about you? Are you back in the office after the pandemic from years ago? Plenty of LOs, AEs, and commentary writers have always worked remotely, but others, not so much. Here’s something to add some fuel to the debate: more proof from the University of Pittsburgh that RTO (return to office) mandates ar
If you’re in Chicago, the newest attraction is “the rat hole.” Here in Denver, besides the cat I saw in the airport yesterday being walked on a leash, one attraction is the National Ice Core Lab, where, you guessed it, ice sample cores from all over the world are kept for research purposes at temperatures even colder than those outside. It is around this time of year when plenty of people think about vacations or moving to warmer places… Like Phuket in Thailand. In 2023 it saw 6.24 million airport arrivals, up 88 percent from 2022, and the real estate market is booming. The island has 26 beaches and a population of 420,000. Phuket is trying to move away from over-reliance on tourism by simply selling to wealthy outsiders, often Russians: 27,000 Russians have moved to Phuket in the past 12 to 18 months, fueling a development boom. Follow the money, right? Today’s podcast can be found here, and this week’s is brought to you by nCino, makers of th
California is home to approximately 39 million residents, which is about one-eighth of the U.S. population, more than the entire population of Canada, and accounts for 20-25 percent of residential loan production. Most California's residents belong to ethnic minority groups; in fact, one out of every four Californians was not born in the U.S. Here in Northern California a fair number of people are in real estate and lending, so predictions about the Federal Reserve are of great interest. Primary dealer banks have pushed back their predictions on when the Federal Reserve will end its quantitative tightening process to the fourth quarter, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. On that timeline, the Fed's balance sheet would shrink from the current $7.764 trillion to $6.75 trillion… through securities maturing, mortgage loans paying off early, or the Fed selling those securities. The market expects this, which is a good thing. (Today’s