Hey, there is plenty of competition among lenders and among vendors. But, to the best of my knowledge, vendors and lenders aren’t doing this to one another. “There oughta be a law against it!” At the MBA Secondary Conference last week, MBA CEO Bob Broeksmit railed about the regulatory knots that bind the mortgage industry. Attorney Brian Levy agrees that’s a big problem, but disagrees with Bob’s solution in his Mortgage Musings. (Levy also gives some more thoughts on the CFPB funding case.) Regulations, and complying with them, certainly add to the cost of home loans, which in turn are passed onto borrowers of course. For lenders, cutting costs is a full-time gig. The biggest cost, of course, is personnel and LO comp, usually for several thousand dollars per loan. Of course, business models factor into it… How do you produce a loan? What about orginators who aren’t productive? Paying producers who do one loan a quarter… The money has to come from somewhere. (Found here, this week’s podcasts are sponsored by American Financial Resources, the mortgage lender that’s shaking things up by streamlining processes, bringing on the best humans in the business, and putting the customer experience front and center. Hear an interview with Angel Oak’s Tom Hutchens on how loan originators can navigate a competitive market with the increasing demand for niche products like non-QM loans and bank statement HELOCs.) Training, Products, and Software “In the movie ‘The Matrix,’ Trinity reminded Keanu Reeves’ character, ‘The answer is out there, Neo, and it’s looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.’ Chances are she was not talking about MSR valuations, but we are. This is your sign to unlock the “MSR Matrix,” and join Optimal Blue on June 5 at 1 p.m. CT for our MSR 101: How to Value the MSR Asset webinar. MSR experts Vimi Vasudeva, Brad Eskridge, and Tony Paciente will discuss the different assumptions that factor into MSR valuations and how MSR assets can help you optimize profitability. Attendees will gain a thorough understanding of the asset from a valuation perspective, along with the differences between various valuation approaches. It’s time to optimize your MSR assets and retain the most profitable loans in your pipeline. Don’t be a glitch: register for the webinar today!”