Page 16 - Broker Software News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Sorry the commentary is a little late this morning. I received an email from my IT department that I needed to change my username and password. It took me a few minutes to remember that I didn’t have an IT department. Beware of those phishing expeditions! Technology… if it weren’t for my pets or grandparents, I don’t know what I’d do for passwords. There are obviously pluses from technology, of course, and thank you to Steve Richman who told me about Canva, a marketing website that appears darned easy to use. How about the darker side of tech, even including ...

For anyone attending the California MBA’s Western Secondary starting this weekend, here’s a challenge too good for any tennis players to pass up. Augie Del Rio, CEO of Gallus Insights, and I will play doubles against anyone Sunday afternoon from 2-4PM across the street from the Waldorf. The loser of 2 out of 3 sets pays $500, the winner gets to decide the charity. First two to email Augie snags the opportunity. (I don’t know Augie’s skill level, but I am old… it’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel.) Speaking of the Western Secondary Market Conference,...

A general discussion topic of those here at the MMLA conference in Michigan is the ups and downs we’re all facing. While mortgage applications drift down, and industry headcounts go down, and towns on Maui like Lahaina burn down, here’s something that isn’t going down: credit card debt. Talk to any underwriter or loan officer and they will tell you that loans have become more difficult, in part because of borrower debt loads, and sure enough credit card balances hit $1.03 trillion in the second quarter. And it ain’t going down. The number is up 4.6 percent from $986...

“Once things were so tough for me, I worked at a cheap pizza shop to get by. I kneaded the dough.” Things are indeed tough out there. The other day I caught my cat Myrtle at the keyboard, apparently trying to show my new granddaughter Kozette how to apply for a loan to buy a tuna fishing boat. (I know, there’s a lot going on here.) Anyway, up on the screen was a website that will generate a paystub given whatever information you provide. How’d you like to be an underwriter, trying to assure that the borrower has the ability to repay, with this out there? Hence the n...

Lending continues to be intertwined with legal and compliance issues. Here’s a story from overnight that is catching a lot of attention: “Equifax stock falls after saying it received a CID from the CFPB.” The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) agreed to drop its challenge to Intercontinental Exchange Inc.’s (ICE) proposed deal with Black Knight Inc. in a joint stipulation that allows them to work toward a settlement. Lender ToolKit is suing Celebrity Home Loans and MLD. and Meanwhile, lenders and vendors are doing what they can to increase business and tap into new mark...