In this edition of In The Winner’s Circle, Editor-in-Chief Jacob Gaffney sits down with Bob Brandt, VP of marketing and strategic alliances at Optimal Blue. Brandt discusses the three layers of analytics needed for mortgage firms to be successful, both in mortgage lending and mortgage investing.
Student loan debt has racked up a collective $1.5 trillion bill for 44 million Americans, and its crushing people’s homeownership dreams. According to a recent survey by NeighborWorks America, people with student loans are delaying purchasing a home, with many worried about their debt most or all of the time.
US News & World Report just released its rankings of the 100 Best Jobs in 2018, and thanks to employment growth and flexibility, loan officer made the cut at No. 57. According to the rankings, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 11% jump in employment for LOs between 2016 and 2026, with 36,500 jobs to become available in the coming decade. Other professions found in the lending world also made the list.
LendingTree announced it will sponsor an award for the LEND360 Startup Innovators Program, which will highlight startup organizations with the most cutting-edge solution. The best performing startup will receive a $10,000 prize.
National residential and commercial mortgage services company LRES promoted Ann Song, also a winner of the HousingWire 2018 Women of Influence award, to senior vice president of operations.
Cloudvirga launched a new mobile mortgage point-of-sales solution for loan originators and homebuyers in the purchase mortgage market. The Mobile POS is backed by the same tech that runs the Enterprise POS, which won Cloudvirga a HousingWire Tech100 award.
Many older Americans haven’t put enough cash aside to support themselves in retirement, and that’s why homeownership investment companies are popping up around the country, offering homeowners ways to access their home equity to make ends meet. New York-based NestEgg seeks to do just that with its “sell to stay” program, which hooks homeowners up with an investor, who will buy the house but let them stay there.
After taking an absolute beating this year, the refinance market just got its first ray of sunshine in 2018. According to Ellie Mae’s Origination Insight Report, the percentage of refinances closed went up for the first time in 2018 in August.
The amount of tappable equity available to American homeowners recently smashed records by surpassing $6 trillion. And while recent data shows many Americans are holding back on accessing what may be their greatest source of wealth, some are using it, and you might be surprised to hear what they’re spending it on.
Housing starts increased 9.2% in August, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. First American Chief Economist Mark Fleming said the continued year-over-year growth in completions means more homes.
Karin Comeaux
Compass Realty & Management
8880 W Sunset Rd, Ste 290
Las Vegas, NV 89148
(702) 328-4114
(702) 586-1616
