Do you use make up? Charles Revson of Revlon observed, back in the days when you could observe these things, "In the factory, we make cosmetics; in the store, we sell hope.” Informed mortgage people know that hope is not a strategy, and companies can’t hope that they’re never the victim of a hack. Here in the Dallas, Texas, area, headquarters of Mr. Cooper, the company was hit with a cyberattack forcing it to lock down its systems and impacting thousands and thousands of clients of hundreds of lenders whose clients rely on them. I don’t know if live-time cyber-attack maps are for real, but they are mesmerizing. Be careful out there! As of 2023, the average cost of a data breach in the United States amounted to $9.48 million dollars, up from 9.44 million U.S. dollars in the previous year. The global average cost per data breach was 4.45 million U.S. dollars in 2023. (Today’s podcast can be found here, and this week is sponsored by nCino makers