Good Morning! Today is Monday, March 18. Vladimir Putin won another six-year term in the Russian elections. Elon Musk released the computer code behind his version of an A.I. chatbot, Grok. American sailors and pilots are fighting the Houthis in the Red Sea.
The Mortgage Note Reports
Don’t Be Disappointed: The Feds are not expected to drop rates this week, and that may be the case for some time. Writer Patrick Lavery has the story.
Look Back: Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2023 and the year total are out. Here’s a snapshot of how some of the nation’s top lenders handled last winter.
Leadership Moves: Mortgage industry marketing veteran Sara Holtz has joined Optimal Blue as its Chief Marketing Officer.
Landmark Deal: The National Association of Realtors has agreed to pay $418 million to settle broker commission claims brought on behalf of home sellers.
In other mortgage and housing news…
Impact On LOs: LOs may now have a bigger role in the homebuying process, while getting dual-licensing may become more prominent.
Pre-Built Homes: Modular homes were hailed as a solution to housing crises, but the nascent sector is now struggling to scale.
Single Day: Better released another fast turnaround product, the One Day HELOC.
Company News: Embrace Home Loans opened two new offices in Rhode Island; Xactus announced a new flood zone determination integration using ICE’s Encompass Partner Connect.
Above It All: Check out this $2.5 million treehouse in Southern California.