Clear to Close

Going into the second half of the year, there's plenty to pay attention to in market news: From talk of rate cuts to the new FCC rule on mortgage leads, changes on the horizon could drive new opportunities (and new challenges) for lenders. Here to weigh in is the Clear to Close crew. In this episode, Alan, Anthony, and Bryan discuss the foremost topics lenders should understand in the latter part of 2024, along with actions lenders can take to get ahead of market changes.

Ever wonder how AI and mortgage technology will evolve over the next five years? How about what it would take for housing inventory to improve in the foreseeable future? In this special episode of the Clear to Close podcast, hosts Alan and Anthony dive into the burning questions asked by you—our audience. To hear the Clear to Close team's thoughts on a range of subjects, from market speculation to long-term views of the mortgage industry, don't miss this interactive episode.

The groundbreaking NAR settlement has real estate agents, lending professionals, and home buyers scrambling to understand its ramifications. Here to weigh in is the Clear to Close crew: In this conversation, Alan, Bryan, and Anthony channel their experience in the industry to walk through possible outcomes of the ruling. Specifically, this episode explores how new policy changes are likely to impact lead generation, methods to earn borrower business, and more—and how lenders can best get ahead of the major ways the home-buying process is about to change.

No one knows exactly what lies ahead this year, but one thing is clear: 2024's market will remain competitive, with make-or-break economic factors influencing recovery and lenders scrambling for profitability amid evolving challenges. One headline set to impact the market is ongoing trouble brewing in the commercial real estate sector: As assets continue to underperform and major debt comes due, impacts will trickle into the housing market and economy in general. Here to talk through this major event is Michael Malone, owner of Malone Bunting Real Estate Group and a long-time real estate agent and industry expert. Along with giving his thoughts on the commercial real estate space—and its possible impact on residential markets—Michael speaks with host Bryan Traeger on what it will take for loan officers to win valuable referral business from real estate agents this year.

Recent Fed announcements, declining interest rates, and increased loan activity spell an optimistic end to the year. But is the mortgage industry's renewed sense of hope warranted—and is the worst truly behind us? In this episode of Clear to Close, hosts Alan, Bryan, and Anthony dig into their thoughts on 2024's market, including how they believe rates will trend, economic and global factors that could impact housing, and more.

This week on the Clear to Close podcast, we have a special guest: Melissa Langdale, TMC President and COO and a career-long mortgage veteran. In this conversation, Melissa leverages her unique perspective gleaned from interactions with lenders across the industry to provide actionable tips on how to drive revenue and capture market share in 2024.

With Alan Parris freshly back from sabbatical, the Clear to Close team dives into the topic on everyone's minds: housing market challenges. While it's easy to point fingers and ascribe blame at times like these, the truth is that the forces driving today's conditions are varied and complex. In this conversation, we dig into a few of the factors keeping rates high, inventory stifled, and volume low—and talk through what it will take to turn the corner.

As Alan Parris takes a sabbatical from Maxwell, two-thirds of your favorite trio—Bryan Traeger and Anthony Ianni—are back to catch up on the status of inflation, interest rates, and today's market outlook. From the latest CPI numbers to the recent job openings report, Bryan and Anthony talk through economic factors that impact lenders and what they mean for the state of the market as we head into the last month of Q3. Plus, Bryan delves into outside-the-box methods lenders are using to drive leads as tough conditions continue.

Artificial intelligence: Is it the efficiency-driving copilot you've been waiting for or an increasingly intelligent force vying for your job? To move past polarizing headlines and unpack the truth, we spoke with someone who lives and breathes technology: Maxwell Co-founder & CTO Rutul Davé. In this episode, Rutul breaks down the implications of AI in the mortgage industry in an approachable, easy-to-understand way to help lending professionals understand the best uses cases, opportunities, and limitations of this rapidly-growing technology.

Between fallout from Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, the latest Fed announcement, and more news of stubborn inflation, there's plenty of economic drama continuing to unfold. The question on every lender's mind is: Has the market finally bottomed out? In our new Clear to Close episode, the Maxwell team is back to discuss the industry's biggest happenings and forecasts for the remainder of 2023, including how hosts Alan, Bryan, and AI think loan volume may trend if rates stay near 7%.

Hispanic and Latino populations are an integral, growing part of American communities and a rising force in U.S. homeownership. Still, many Spanish-speaking borrowers struggle with the financial, logistical, and readiness challenges related to home buying. In our latest conversation on Clear to Close, we sit down with an expert on the topic: Laura Arce. With tenure in public policy and housing policy at Wells Fargo and the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA), Laura now serves as SVP of UnidosUS, a nonprofit dedicated to building a positive economic trajectory for Latinos through homeownership.

Two and a half months into 2023, the question on every lender's mind is: Are we seeing real signs of market recovery? Headline after headline announces the moderation of rates and the beginnings of volume returning. Still, challenges remain, and in many ways, the trajectory of the market continues to be uncertain. So, what lies ahead for lenders, and how can they plan for likely outcomes?

New Story, a nonprofit tackling homelessness through proven, sustainable, and scalable models, has built an impressive 3,380 homes, impacting 15,200+ people across 4 countries. In this episode, we sit down with Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer Matthew Marshall to talk through how New Story got started, the outside-the-box ways it's tackling homeownership accessibility at scale, and the important lessons we can learn from its innovative approaches.

As the dust settles from the MBA Annual conference in Nashville, the industry is still abuzz with market predictions, industry announcements, and new concepts that came out of the event. In this episode of Clear to Close, hosts Alan, Bryan, and Anthony unpack the most important takeaways from MBA Annual, including current lender sentiment, breaking news that will impact lenders in 2023, and more.

As interest rates rise to levels not seen since the early 2000s, now is the perfect time to take a pulse on the market: How are lenders viewing the current conditions, what challenges will Q4 bring, and does opportunity still exist today?

While lenders nationwide struggle with market challenges, Chris Ledwidge of theLender is thriving. A fast-growing wholesale mortgage lender headquartered in California, theLender just landed an impressive spot at #11 overall on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list. Its secret to success? Leaning into non-traditional loan offerings that cater to underserved borrowers, especially in today's climate, where traditional volume is tapering off and the competition for vanilla loans is rapidly tightening. Tune into this episode to learn how Chris and his team differentiate themselves with a wide array of loan offerings, ways he connects with potential customers, and the lessons he's learned about the industry that have helped create a meteoric growth rate for theLender.

Boasting 200 million monthly users, real estate tech giant Zillow is only becoming a stronger competitive force as it expands its presence in the mortgage lending space. In the face of this trend, local lenders have a choice: they can ignore the growing threat or they can bolster their competitive advantages and learn from Zillow's actions. In this episode, we sit down with Bryan Mecsey, Maxwell's VP of Sales and former Zillow employee, to chat about how tech giants have succeeded, where they've fallen short, and how local lenders can leverage that insight to create a competitive borrower experience (no massive tech or marketing budget required). Tune in for forward-thinking insights that will help you build a moat around your lending business despite rising competition.

With interest rates continuing to rise and the MBA's revised forecast predicting lower origination volume than expected, the question on every lender's mind is: How can I find opportunity in 2022's market to bolster profitability? To dig into the creative strategies today's lenders are using to fill lost volume, we chatted with Jeff Shearer, Team Manager at Optimal Blue, an industry-leading product and pricing engine. Channeling boots-on-the-ground insight, Jeff speaks to the new loan product offerings he sees lenders launching in today's environment and how he's advising those lenders to mitigate risk and ensure success. For actionable advice on launching products to meet market demand, don't miss this timely episode.

Global unrest, Fed rate hikes, and economic volatility: There's no shortage of topics to discuss in the latest Clear to Close episode, where we're joined again by Maxwell Solutions Director Anthony Ianni. As a 33-year mortgage veteran, Anthony knows that now is the time for lenders to revamp their strategies, go back to basics, and gear up for a rising rate environment. In fact, by scrutinizing their operations, reimagining their product mix, and thinking like their investors, lenders can find unexpected opportunities in today's market. Tune in for a discussion on current events, macroeconomic forces affecting margin compression, and what lenders should do now to get ahead.

On today's episode, we're joined by Anthony Ianni, a capital markets industry veteran and team member at Maxwell who works in our Maxwell Capital business. We talk through current market conditions, challenges and opportunities lenders have this year, and three recommended focus areas to drive profitability in 2022.

In today's episode, we sit down with Alex McEvans, Sr. Product Manager at Maxwell, to discuss how technology can enhance back-office efficiency and create better margins for lenders. A fintech veteran, Alex understands the importance of building thoughtful solutions that truly benefit the people in the process. Using this mindset, Alex recently led the development of Maxwell's newest solution, Processor Edge, a first-of-its-kind processing workflow technology that increases processor capacity and reduces costs by accelerating document review, streamlining communication, and detecting data discrepancies. To ensure the value of this solution, Alex spent hundreds of hours with some of the country's best processors, learning their workflow, processes, and needs. He's boiled those insights down into actionable takeaways that can help lenders hone their loan processing and unearth profitability. Enjoy!

Now more than ever, capital markets represent a vital area for local lenders to pursue better accuracy, improved economics, and more competitive rates. In this special episode, we sit down with Sadie Gurley, VP & GM of Maxwell Diligence and the newly launched Maxwell Capital solution, offering expanded access to the secondary market for lenders serving America's communities. Sadie uses her extensive experience in the mortgage industry to lay out exactly what local lenders need to compete in today's market, including streamlined processes, decreased trading time, and a better secondary market experience for lending teams and borrowers.

On this episode of Clear to Close, we sit down with Sarah Gonzalez, COO of First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation (FGMC) and recent HW Vanguard winner, to discuss how leadership practices can dramatically impact mortgage companies. Sarah shares what makes her so passionate about great leadership and how FGMC uses innovative practices to build a culture of excellence and ownership. Tune into this episode for actionable tips from a progressive industry leader on how to boost employee retention, team creativity, and ultimately business results.

On this episode of Clear to Close, we put down our Margaritas and end our summer break early to have a discussion around job potential and career pathing in the industry. We cover everything from how leaders should be approaching moving talent in their organizations and the leadership style required to Brian's foray into SciFi and Alan's calculations on calories needed to ski across Antarctica. Enjoy!

Today’s purchase-heavy market is here to stay for the foreseeable future. For lenders, that means real estate agents hold the keys to prospective borrowers. In our latest episode, we sit down with long-time real estate agent and author Mindy Jensen to learn how lenders can grow their referral networks and keep the volume flowing. Mindy dives deep into real-world best practices and gives honest advice that both new and experienced lending professionals can use to earn the coveted title of “go-to lender.”

On today's episode, we sit down with NEXT Mortgage Events Co-founders Jeri Yoshida and Molly Dowdy to discuss the changing role of women in the industry. Learn why Jeri and Molly launched NEXT and its growing impact, from increasing visibility for underrepresented groups to flipping the industry conference format on its head. For entertaining stories and thought-provoking takeaways, don’t miss this one!

Capital markets are a critical part of the mortgage industry. You’re probably generally familiar with the term and likely know it’s a department in your company. At the same time, you may not realize the important role it plays in a lender’s profitability and a borrower’s ability to get into their new home. In our latest episode, we sit down with industry veteran and self-proclaimed “capital markets guy” Rob Chrisman to give our audience an easy-to-understand introduction to capital markets. Plus, enjoy some great analogies where hosts Bryan and Alan are cast as gas station business owners at 10,152 feet on your way to understanding this vital mortgage industry topic.

In this episode, we sit down with NexLevel Advisors Founder and industry vet Michael Hammond to discuss the surprising returns that sharing and being open in the mortgage industry can bring to your brand and your business. The marketing game is changing, and consumers have new expectations for the people and companies they work with. Learn how a sharing mindset can help you create a stand-out brand relevant to today's customers in this insightful conversation.

On today's episode we sit down with Kevin Peranio, Chief Lending Officer at PRMG, and pick his brain on how he approaches business problems, his focus on building for the long term, what giving looks like in the industry, and even a little caffeine advice. Enjoy!

On episode 14, we sit down for a roundtable discussion, joined by Maxwell Director of Content Allison Leung. Today's topic? 2021 mortgage lending resolutions. Right now, you might finally have time to take a breath as this crazy year comes to a close. That makes it the perfect opportunity to start preparing for how you'll grow (and thrive) in 2021. Join us as we discuss the top 5 things every lender needs to be considering as we head into the new year. Listen now!

On this episode, we sit down with Kristin Messerli, Founder of Cultural Outreach and next gen homebuyer guru. She recently released her insightful Next Gen Homebuyer Report, and today, we chat about its results and implications for lenders across the country. It’s long been theorized that millennials either aren’t interested in homeownership or lack the finances to make the purchase. In reality, this generation now represents the biggest cohort of home buyers—a trend only predicted to grow. Join us as we dispel the myths and dig into the truth about how millennials are approaching homebuying. From their buyer behaviors to their financial decisions during this year’s pandemic, there’s a lot to learn about this generation’s unique needs as first-time home buyers. By investing in this generation’s financial literacy and gaining their trust, lenders can hope to gain the business of the largest home-buying group in history. This is a timely conversation you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know times are crazy right now—from a global pandemic and unprecedented economic environment to a contentious election season and interest rates spurring more loan volume than many lenders have seen in decades. In times like this, it’s tempting to go into execution mode and focus purely on the day-to-day. Still, despite chaos and unpredictability, the best lenders are refocusing their businesses, aligning their resources and skills, and doubling down on their strengths. How do they manage this? We sit down with Maxwell’s CEO and Co-Founder John Paasonen to discover why finding and committing to your core competencies is critical to your long-term success, perhaps now more than ever.

We encourage all of our listeners to read Mr. Rothstein's book. Purchase The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America  here.

Today on the pod, Alan and Bryan sit down with Spruce CEO Patrick Burns to talk about technology adoption in the mortgage industry and how COVID-19 is impacting mortgage tech adoption.

On today's episode, we throw it back to TMC's Winter Conference in New Orleans back in February when we sat down with American Pacific Mortgage's Kurt Reisig to talk about the evolving role of the loan officer and how mortgage professionals can learn to think like an executive to extend their career potential.

On today's bonus episode and first LIVE recording of Clear to Close, we're joined by Tyler Johnson (Business Development Manager, Prosperity Home Mortgage) and Mike Brouwer (Chief Customer Officer, Maxwell) to talk all about how to lead a remote sales team. This was a happy hour episode, so get your drinks ready

On today's pod, we sit down with The Mortgage Collaborative COO Rich Swerbinsky to look at what lenders are doing to make the most out of these tumultuous times and set themselves up to thrive in the future.

DON'T MISS CLEAR TO CLOSE LIVE! Join us for a virtual industry happy hour on April 23rd at 5pm EST. Get more info & register here: https://maxwell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DFeU0q02TbGuhBcMxW0smw [eBook Download] Lend from Home: Practical Tips for Remote Mortgage Teams 

You've seen him keynoting conferences and in your inbox around 6AM with his industry newsletter each morning, and now you can hear him on Clear to Close. That's right; the man, the myth, the legend Rob Chrisman sat down with us recently to discuss everything from remote work, the future of the industry, cyber-security, the story behind the Chrisman Report, and beyond. In our opinion, this guy has a guaranteed seat in the Mortgage Hall of Fame.

On today's pod, Alan, Bryan, and Chelsea sit down with Patty Arvielo (President & Co-founder, New American Funding) to talk about diversity and inclusion in the mortgage industry. Patty is well-known across the industry for her commitment to promoting diversity & inclusion in mortgage, leading by example at NAF with an employee base that is 58% female and 43% minority. It was an absolute pleasure talking with Patty; this is an episode you don't want to miss.

We sit down with Homebot CEO Ernie Graham to discuss the changing role of the loan officer in today's digital landscape.

0:00- Intro & Marketing Background 3:30Mortgage & Digital Marketing- the customer journey is multi-faceted and typically involves digital touchpoints 6:20- figuring out where to focus your marketing efforts with minimal budget 8:30- understand your target customer and figure out where the best place to reach them is. social? Ad spending? Direct mail? 10:00- understand your marketing goals- ensure marketing goals align to larger operational goals 10:30- A/B testing for max efficiency and efficacy- don’t reinvent the wheel: change one variable at a time and experiment incrementally 12:30- small lenders vs big lenders: how to figure out your target audience 14:00- market the way you’d want to be marketed to- thinking about the customer journey from start to finish 17:15- the changing customer journey in a digital age- build trust and credibility long before the borrower even comes through the door 20:00- digital ads: how you can stand out 23:00- mortgage lenders and relationship-building 24:12- dual marketing strategies? Marketing to borrowers + marketing to realtors 25:00- mortgage websites and branding- borrower’s jump from realtor website to mortgage lender’s website can be jarring 28:30- in house marketing vs outsourced marketing 32:00- where to get brand inspo 36:00- common website mistakes- articulating your unique value prop as a lender 43:00- attracting referrals with your website 45:00- less is more with websites. Elegance is simple 47:00- branding psychology 48:15- improving your marketing when your resources are limited- making the most of freelancers and contract work 51:30- importance of consistency in branding and marketing 53:00- tapping into your inner ‘marketer’ 56:44- marketing as an individual loan officer; personal branding 1:03:00- closing remarks & takeaways 

In our premiere episode, our hosts Alan Parris and Bryan Traeger sit down with HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins to dig into the challenges and opportunities of running a media publication in today’s digital age.