Power House

This week, MBS Highway Founder and CEO Barry Habib joins the Housing News Podcast to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the nation’s housing ecosystem.

In the second half of this two-show episode, Habib explains why U.S. markets now face an uphill battle as the unemployment rate falls to Great Recession levels, and why first-payment defaults on forbearance are problematic for the housing finance sector.

Additionally, Habib discusses a conversation he had with Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria regarding the state of U.S. mortgage servicing. According to Habib, Calabria anticipates there's a good chance the nation’s forbearance window might close at the end of May.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines, sponsored by our partners at Arch MI and Quicken Loans Mortgage Services.

Here are links to the topics discussed:

In this custom episode presented by Ellie Mae, HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath talks to Ellie Mae Senior Vice President of Product Strategy and Management Eric Connors on how the mortgage industry is going to move forward in this new normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Now that it’s the beginning of May and more states are starting to provide updates around the stay-at-home orders, Connors shares how the industry has been learning to adjust to the changes in the market, such as the reduction in rates and the increase in volume, all while figuring out the new normal of working from home. 

Given how COVID-19 has changed how people in this industry view technology both internally and externally, Connors states, “Imagine if this event had happened 10 years ago on the state of things like the internet, the bandwidth, videos, zoom, all of these things 10 years ago, was a very, very different environment?” 

He adds that the industry has made significant strides in how they accept this whole process, saying it is going to be very ground-shaking in what it means to the digital part of people’s lives and how they engage with and leverage tools. 

The other area that Connors emphasizes is the impact that the pandemic is having on the eClosing side of the equation. 

"This is obviously going to become a higher priority for many of the lenders out there. In particular, the remote online notary and a lot of the legislative constraints that we've had around that I think are likely to start seeing some movement,” he states.  “I think those are going to be two things to sort of watch out for as we go through how this new norm of adopting and leveraging technology, maintaining that engagement, even though we are remote, and then sort of the legislative side of this where we have had legislation in the way of making that more realistic for the experience.” 

Lastly, as the industry continues to collaborate at the Ellie Mae Virtual Experience conference, Connors shares some of the biggest trends he’s hearing from lenders and what tips and tools people should bring into the rest of 2020. 

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines.

For the latest updates on Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference, go here. 

This week, Voice of Appraisal's President, Phil Crawford joins the Housing News Podcast for episode eight to discuss how COVID-19 has transformed the appraisal process for the nation's homebuyers.

In this episode, the host of the Voice of Appraisal Radio podcast also touches on whether or not the business is an essential service. Crawford also shares his perspective on why appraisers need a bigger voice in policymaking and touches on the potential impact of some recent announcements from federal banking regulators that allow appraisal postponements up to 120 days after a mortgage.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines, sponsored by our partners at Arch MI and Quicken Loans Mortgage Services.

Here are links to the topics discussed:

In this custom episode presented by Ellie Mae, HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath talks to Ellie Mae Senior Vice President of Marketing Jonas Moe. 

Moe shares some advice on how to  pivot marketing strategies right now given the new social distancing world we’re in. Using their own Ellie Mae Experience conference as an example, Moe explains what it means to think of things virtually first, since the idea of having face-to-face meetings is so ingrained. 

When it comes to this new way of engaging with peers, Moe adds, “I think one of the things that a lot of us are adjusting to is what success looks like, and how do I measure success in that virtual world?”

He also touches on how Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference kicked off this week, opening the door to a new type of networking experience and collaboration. 

“We’ve adapted a lot of content to be relevant to the time we're in now. Even thinking about where we were 60 days ago to where we are now, we've adapted a lot of the sessions and rejiggered them in many ways to talk about how businesses go forward in this COVID-19 world,” says Moe. “I want people to walk away understanding what Ellie Mae can do for them from a business perspective, and I want them to collaborate with each other so that they understand what tips and tricks are making them successful in this world where they've had to adapt their whole workforce.” 

With Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference in full swing, they also announced that they will be donating  $10 for every person who registers for Virtual Experience to GetUsPPE.org, an organization that is providing personal protective equipment to the doctors, nurses and first responders on the front lines. They will be donating up to $50,000 based on registrations.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines.

For the latest updates on Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference, go here. 

This week, AMC Lending Group's Senior Loan Manager, Logan Mohtashami joins the Housing News Podcast for episode eight to talk about the housing market's rebound.

In this episode, the HousingWire columnist and housing data analyst dives deeper into his recent article, "The Housing Industry isn’t as doomed as it may seem…” which discusses the housing market’s potential rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mohtashami also shares his perspective on what he thinks will be the biggest issues facing the housing industry in the virus’ wake.

According to Mohtashami, the housing industry needs to prepare for an uptick in home foreclosures and rapid home price growth due to a lack of housing inventory.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines sponsored by our partners at Arch MI and Quicken Loans Mortgage Services.

Here are links to the topics discussed:

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines.

In this custom episode presented by Ellie Mae, HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath talks with Ellie Mae Chief Operating Officer Joe Tyrrell to discuss the surge in  interest around technology for internal and external purposes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the technology trends that are starting to emerge. 

Ellie Mae is uniquely positioned to see the juxtaposition between consumer demand in the market and the current state of the secondary market, as they help lenders pull loans all the way through their pipeline and get them into the secondary market.

When asked what lessons lenders will learn from this time, Tyrrell said, “I think we’ll never be the same. Even when we all return back to our workplaces, employees are going to have new concerns that they didn't have before, and employers, and lenders specifically, are going to have to really think hard about how they prepare themselves for whatever the next situation might be that disrupts their business.”

Tyrrell also shares why Ellie Mae decided to make Ellie Mae Insights, its analytics solution that provides peer benchmarking comparison analysis, generally available, adding that lenders now have access to new data to help them make decisions. 

And with Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference starting next week, Ellie Mae is set to have a much bigger audience than they've ever had, as they prepare to strategize and plan for the future together. For the latest updates on Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference, go here. 

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins.

Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines sponsored by our partners at Arch MI and Quicken Loans Mortgage Services.

This week, Movement Mortgage CEO and Co-founder Casey Crawford joins the Housing News Podcast for episode seven.

In this episode, the former NFL player touches on the biggest issue facing the housing finance sector – the ongoing uptick in forbearance requests from the nation’s financially strained borrowers, and the impact it is having on independent mortgage servicers nationwide.

Crawford also shares his perspective on how the U.S. mortgage industry can best adapt and overcome challenges during this period of uncertainty.

According to Crawford, the mortgage market is one of dramatic highs and dramatic lows. If mortgage companies want to overcome volatility, industry leaders must position their organizations to proactively address problems quickly and decisively.

Here are links to the topics discussed:

Advertiser Disclaimer: Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS) – Call for cost information and conditions. Equal housing lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins.

Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines sponsored by our partners at Arch MI and Quicken Loans Mortgage Services.

This week, Mountain Lake Consulting’s CEO David Stevens, who is the former president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, joins the Housing News Podcast for episode six.

In this episode, Stevens who formerly served as the US Assistant Secretary of Housing for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011, discusses his perspectives on the current state of the U.S. housing finance industry, particularly on independent mortgage banks and their role in lending.

As the industry knows, market uncertainty continues to increase as more and more borrowers request forbearance on their mortgages due to financial difficulty born out of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Stevens, every person in the mortgage finance sector needs to be prepared for an extended duration of credit constraints being applied to the loans they’re attempting to originate.

Here are links to the topics discussed:

Advertiser Disclaimer: Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS) – Call for cost information and conditions. Equal housing lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins.

Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines sponsored by our partners at Arch MI and Quicken Loans Mortgage Services.

This week, MBS Highway Founder and CEO Barry Habib, who was recently named the 2020 winner of the Crystal Ball Award, presented by Zillow and Pulsenomics, joins the Housing News Podcast for its fifth episode of season three.

In the first half of this two-show episode, Habib discusses the Coronavirus’ impact on the U.S. housing market and explains how a global pandemic hurled the housing finance industry in an economic storm that has yet to pass.

Habib, who says “not even Stephen King could have scripted this”, also explains why the Federal Reserve’s desire to lower mortgage rates isn’t just damaging for mortgage servicers, but lenders who now fear losing the ability to hedge their risk.

According to Habib, not only does the Federal Reserve need to temporarily slow MBS purchases to allow pipelines to clear, but they must more clearly communicate that mortgage rates and the Fed Funds Rate are not one and the same.

Advertiser Disclaimer: Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS) – Call for cost information and conditions. Equal housing lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030.

The Housing News Podcast is a weekly wrap of the top news stories by HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins.

Each week, HousingWire interviews financial services experts who can help make sense of the latest headlines.

In this custom episode presented by Ellie Mae, HousingWire Community Editor Brena Nath talks with Ellie Mae President and CEO Jonathan Corr to discuss the state of the mortgage industry and gives some advice on how lenders and companies can navigate everything going on in the industry. 

Corr also gives an inside look at Ellie Mae’s new Virtual Experience 2020 Conference and the unique opportunities it offers attendees to interact with leading experts and their peers on the top issues in the industry right now. 

“This is a stressful time for everybody, but how do you put yourself in a position to come out stronger and smarter and faster on the other side?” Corr said. “It really is in times of challenge and crisis where the folks who take it as an opportunity to invest in themselves always end up being more successful when the clouds clear and the sun comes back up.”

For the latest updates on Ellie Mae’s Virtual Experience 2020 Conference, go here.