What's New from Curtis

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 --

As those of you reading this already know, rates ticked up at the end of last week. Being in a refi market requires eyes in all corners of your head -- but that’s nothing new for originators. In speaking with several clients last week, it's business as usual; rates go up and they go down, nothing new. That said, the technology investments most originators made in previous years have allowed for greater flexibility in managing volume. Fannie’s recent Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey (published September 11, 2019) posted that lenders are making the most profit per loan since the highest recorded period of Q1 2015. The MBA stated in their August 29th release;

"Productivity increased to 2.3 loans originated per production employee per month in the second quarter, up from 1.8 loans per production employee per month in the first quarter. Production employees include sales, fulfillment and production support functions.”

Knowing that the industry is finally reaping rewards for their tech investments in addition to our country's longest economic expansion in US history, are lenders preparing HR for the normal seasonal downturn beginning in November/ December? Are we in uncharted territory that staffing levels will remain at least until January? Please e-mail me with your thoughts.

At S1, we’re continuing to move forward on solutions for both busy and slowing environments. We’re finalizing new integrations for our VOE solution. We’re also putting finishing touches on our income determination tool. This tool is simple to implement, which is unique to other competitor product offering, and applies to 85+% of all borrowers. We’re very excited to show it off at MBA Annual this year.

I trust you’re enjoying these profitable times and I look forward to seeing you at the next industry event. Please drop me a line – and let’s schedule some time at the MBA Annual in Austin!

Kindest regards,

Curtis Knuth

CEO, Service 1st (800) 582-7066 | cknuth@SRV1st.com