Hello 2025, goodbye 2024. It’s been 50 years since Jaws or Godfather Part 2 were on the screens. A half a century since Kung Fu Fighting first graced our airwaves. Despite the turn of the calendar page, the issues bond markets, lenders, and vendors face are the same. “Rob, what’s the word on the street about companies (lenders and/or servicers) making money out there?” Well, to be blunt, there are lenders out there who are earning 25 basis points or more on production without any servicing. Then again, there are lenders eking out a gain with their servicing but losing money without it. Ask your management if your company would be profitable without servicing. If there is one thing that lenders have learned about being profitable without servicing, it is a willingness to hold sales and branches accountable… actually accountable through actions rather than merely talk. Do you want to engage in unprofitable activities just to try to outlive your competition? (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by The BIG Point of Sale, which offers a highly configurable, easy to install point of sale solution. Its simplified consumer workflows and web-based portals allow for consumers and loan originators to collaborate with the back-office team to keep everyone informed throughout the loan process. Hear an interview with The Big POS’ Matthew VanFossen on the ins and outs of mortgage technology, from creating valuable products to implementation and training that will help companies maximize success.)