First-Time Homebuyers: 2004 vs 2025 – A Tale of Two Decades
The American Dream of homeownership has become dramatically more challenging for first-time buyers, with striking differences between the housing boom of 2004 and today’s constrained market. The Bottom Line: A Generation Delayed The most startling transformation in the American housing market over the past two decades isn’t just about prices—it’s about who can afford to […]
Why Is Goldman Sachs Getting Out of Consumer Lending?
My second job out of school was working for Deluxe Check Printers calling on banks in Alabama. One of my favorite banks was an independent bank in Guntersville Alabama. This particular bank was your typical bank, friendly hometown bank with conservative financials. However, this bank recognized the opportunity to service more customers who may not […]
The $16 Billion Dollar Checkmark
For all of you Apple users out there, have you ever wondered when you pull up your Safari browser what search engine is delivering you the magical responses to all of your questions? If you haven’t gone into your settings, then the default search engine on your Apple iPhone is Google. Yes, the maker of […]
Credit Card Debt at $1 trillion!!
“If I owe you a pound, I have a problem; but if I owe you a million, the problem is yours.”- John Keynes That’s right, America. We have now surpassed $1 trillion in collective credit card debt. In the words of the 1970’s band Kool & the Gang, “Celebrate good times, come on!” So, unemployment […]
When Will Mortgage Rates Go Down?
Will the 2024 Presidential Election Move Interest Rates Lower? With mortgage rates hovering around 7%, housing prices at an all-time high in many places, the question many are asking, “When will mortgage rates go down?” And by go down, most Americans would love to get back to the glory days of sub-4% mortgage rates. Of […]
Loan Origination Forecast 2024
“Changes are coming” — Daughtry Since 2019, we’ve seen an end to a war, a global pandemic, a massive increase in government spending, increased interest rates, home inventory shortages and inflation. The effects of these events have shifted the lending markets dramatically. Mortgages quickly went from an all-time high, record-breaking refinance boom, to layoffs and […]