Lock Desk, MLO, Underwriter Jobs; POS, Workflow, Digital Tools; Agency's Trend: Not Our Friend? Apr 16 2021, 8:23AM Suddenly everyone’s ruminating on upcoming mergers and acquisitions (and there will definitely be some), but in the lower management ranks, lenders are already shifting their hiring practices, and taking a careful measure of production and productivity. Will we ever run out things to measure? The median age (half above, half below) of owner-occupied homes across the U.S. is 39 years, according to the latest data from the 2019 American Community Survey. (New York has the oldest owner-occupied homes at a median age of 60 years while Nevada has the newest at a median age of 23 years.) Why should every loan originator care about the age of housing in their area? As a lender, do you have a renovation product, or 2nd? The age of the housing stock is an important remodeling market indicator. Older houses are less energy-efficient than new construction and ultimately will require remodeling and renovation in the future, and cash to do it. Moreover, as people use their homes for more purposes and require additional space, older housing represents an investment opportunity for homeowners. (The audio version of today’s commentary is available here and is sponsored by FBX, an Informa Financial Intelligence business, helping lenders understand their competitive price position and lending performance metrics.)