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
Originators: Want to add value for your potential current or previous clients who are veterans? Send them a link to Veteran’s Day discounts and free meals. LOs and brokers are good at staying in touch with potential clients and continue to prospect and talk to previous clients. (In fact, the current STRATMOR blog is titled, “Listening to Real Estate Agents Can Pay Off for Originators”.) A good reason to talk to previous clients is about their credit card balances. As noted in the Commentary recently, Americans' credit card debt hit a record $1.08 trillion in Q3, with delinquencies led by Millennials, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. So LOs, this means your previous clients are potentially paying 20-30 percent in non-tax-deductible interest on their outstanding credit card debt… A good reason to touch base. (Today’s podcast can be found here, and this week is sponsored by nCino makers of the nCino Mortgage Suite. With three pr
Talk in the hallways here at the MBA Annual in Philly? How about the cost of insurance of all types. Case in point: “What Happens When the Flood Insurance Market Goes Underwater?” The NAR commission legal issues are a big, big deal, possibly impact real estate agents’ commission structure. The cost of credit will be going up, with the evening up of tiers: ask your CRA about it. Buybacks (repurchases) have been a problem for months. Several sales managers have told me that a new reason to touch base with previous clients, besides asking about outstanding 30 percent credit card debt, is LOs reminding previous borrowers about investing their money in a money market or Treasury Direct account and earning 5 percent. The CFPB’s attention, as well as that of other regulators, is on redlining, and we can expect to see fines and penalties due to that. (Today’s podcast can be found here: Sponsored by nCino, maker of the nCino Mortgage Suite, built for the moder
Competition is the mainstay of many businesses and individuals. How does UPS compete to hire drivers for their trucks? One way might be to offer air conditioning, which has been negotiated for the first time. Lenders and vendors are led by competitive people, and several own interests in major or minor league sports franchises, the latest being Stan Middleman & the Phillies. Competition in the food and beverage industry? SF’s Anchor Steam was scaling back, Tupperware is in rough straits, and now the owner of Pyrex and Insta Pot is filing for bankruptcy! How is the public expected to keep its leftovers!? Builders are out there competing for lots. Residential lenders don’t compete with real estate agents, but NAR is always discussing its lobbying efforts. This week the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is hosting a national, industry-wide campaign to grow its free grassroots advocacy network, the Mortgage Action Alliance (MAA), a non-partisan and effective way