Verification, MGIC Survey, Rocket Contest, Credit Reporting Tools; Agency Program Changes

This morning, I head to Honolulu for the MBA Hawai’i annual conference. The “Pineapple State” is known for banks and credit unions dominating residential lending. Robber Willie Sutton is famously quoted as saying, "I rob banks because that's where the money is." Large, unexpected moves in money make the headlines, and Saturday’s Commentary highlighted the collapse of a condominium property management company. Another headline is making the rounds where $17 million in escrow funds disappeared overnight: a Palm Beach law firm sued a bank over a cyber-attack. Ginnie Mae has gained a recent reputation for ratcheting up its cyber security. While companies are focused on security, MLOs have their eye on trends and demographics, and National MI’s Spring 2026 Economic Market Snapshot has its 2026 rate outlook coming in at 6 percent and higher on average, is seeing nearly half of buyers ages 45–59 put less than 20 percent down (leveraging cash or betting on market appreciation?) and first-time buyer activity that rose during February’s rate dip. Yup, don’t bet your career on 30-year mortgage rates in the 5’s. See the full Economic Market Snapshot. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Truework, the one verification solution to replace in-house waterfalls. Verify any borrower with a VOIE solution that automates the entire process to quickly deliver the most accurate and complete reports with broad GSE coverage. After a period largely out of the public spotlight, Ally Carty returns to the industry conversation to discuss her transition from Guild Mortgage to SoFi and what she learned from stepping back. She reflects on burnout, the pressures of building a personal brand, and why authenticity - not algorithms - remains the foundation of effective content and leadership.)