Fulfillment, Home Price Performance, Borrower Assistance Tools; Webinars; Non-Agency Products

Let’s see what’s in my electronic mailbag. “Rob, is it true that LOs can now join the MBA directly?” Yup. There’s MBA Homebase that provides loan officers with education, coaching, professional development, and a stronger voice in the mortgage industry. It is open to loan officers at every lender and across every origination channel, regardless of whether their company is an MBA member. “Rob, I watched President Trump talk about Montana being helped, financially, by Fannie and Freddie. Is that legal?” Hah, define “legal.” Montana has about 10,000 sales a year, $3 billion divided by 10,000 is $300,000. He is just saying that Fannie and Freddie are going to keep doing what they always have done: facilitate home loans? Or will Bill Pulte have state-based loan level price adjustments, which some may view as politically based? Stay tuned. “Rob, since Clinton and Congress last balanced the budget, we’ve had a deficit. Why do we care now?” First off, it’s a huge, unimaginable number, and no politician even wants to talk about it. Let’s face it: we’re spending money that we don’t have. The U.S. government, with its $40 trillion in debt, isn't the only one with a debt problem. 1 in 5 Americans fell behind on a loan or mortgage payment in 2025, according to new data from the Federal Reserve. That figure is up from 1 in 8 Americans in 2022 and marks the highest level since 2007. Why is it happening, and what will it mean for the economy? (Today’s podcast can be found here. This week’s ‘casts are presented by Experian. Experian Verify’s integration with Workday gives mortgage lenders broader access to reliable, up-to-date income and employment data, streamlining verification, enhancing efficiency, and delivering a smoother borrower experience from application to closing. Today’s has an interview with Knock’s Sean Black on the company’s buy-before-you-sell program, which allows homeowners to access their existing home equity to purchase a new home before selling their current one.)