Riskiest homeowners ARMed and dangerous
Written by Nathan Thomas on August 3, 2004
So the refi boom is over, because rates are going to go up, you say? Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on August 3, 2004
So the refi boom is over, because rates are going to go up, you say? Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on August 3, 2004
Did you hear the one about the new FICO score? Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on August 3, 2004
You don't like to answer a lot of very elementary questions. You don't want Joe Homeowner telling you how to do your job (it's bad enough when mortgage brokers and REALTORs® do). You don't want payment headaches from a lot of different, individual clients who aren't going to need your services again and so might be less inclined to pay your invoices. Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 27, 2004
Last week, Washington Mutual, still among the top three mortgage originators even after a precipitous fall from the top spot, said it had cut 2,400 jobs at the end of the second quarter and planned to lay off another 2,500 by year's end, all from its mortgage operations. The nation's largest thrift continues to perform well in all areas but mortgage, which dragged the megabank's earnings down in the second quarter. Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 27, 2004
Occasionally we ask you to write us with your thoughts or experiences on an issue. Every now and then, a lot of you will write us in response to an article we've run even if we don't ask. It's then that we know the subject has hit a particular nerve. Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 27, 2004
Real estate trade groups applauded last week when HUD revised its final rule for lender accountability for fraudulent appraisals. In 2003, HUD had proposed harsher regulatory language about, and stiffer penalties for, lenders who submit fraudulent appraisals with their FHA loan paperwork. (HUD said it was merely codifying what had been its practice all along.) Concern in the mortgage lobby led to a toned-down final rule in which lenders are answerable only for fraud about which they knew or should have known. Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 20, 2004
Last week we talked about Windows XP and how it's an absolute must to move away from the older, slower operating systems, like Windows 98. You can also avoid headaches - literally and figuratively - with a larger monitor, many of you told us. Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 20, 2004
Twenty years ago, a University of Oklahoma engineering student was working for his father, an appraiser, during the summer months and during every break. He and his friends started looking at computer programs for dad's business, finding what was available to be extremely expensive, and really not very good. The naïve college student thought, "give me a couple weeks and I can write a program that does it better." Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 13, 2004
Are you still reading this e-newsletter on a Windows 95 or 98 machine? No need to rummage around for your installation CD, if you've forgotten: How long did it take for your computer to boot up this morning? If it took longer than about 10 seconds, you haven't yet upgraded to Windows XP. And you should. Read more...
Written by Nathan Thomas on July 13, 2004
What size (diagonally, in inches) and resolution (in pixels) monitor do you use? Are you part of the growing trend of "dual monitoring" - using more than one at the same time? Do you wait till your monitor finally fizzles out to replace it, or do you upgrade when you upgrade other hardware and operating systems? Read more...