Broker Magazine articles from April 2007

Broker Magazine archives from April 2007

Fraud, Fraud Everywhere.
April 1, 2007... What is mortgage fraud? Trying to come up with a definitive definition is quite difficult. But in the end, anything that isn't the absolute truth during any part of the mortgage process must be considered to be a fraudulent act, no matter how...

Press Release Writing Mistakes to Avoid.
April 1, 2007... Alan Caruba, chief executive of The Caruba Organization and author, has a list of 10 "classic" mistakes people make in writing press releases. Press releases are one of the easiest ways businesses can get coverage in their local media. ...

Survey Measures Junk Mail Tolerance.
April 1, 2007... StopTheJunkMail.com's fourth-quarter 2006 survey found that most consumers immediately throw away unwanted direct mail or catalogues. But, it also found that most wouldn't mind receiving the occasional direct mail piece if they could...

Networking for Fun and Profit.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Jill Lublin, president of the consulting firm Promising Promotion, Novato, Calif., says people should look at all circumstances as their opportunity to make a beneficial connection. She gives an action plan: 1) Ask for help. Call the...

Bouncing Back From "Google Slap Three".(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Bryan Todd, co-author of the "Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords," said Google recently released "Google Slap Three," an upcoming change in its "quality score" algorithm used to evaluate keywords, ads and landing pages. His tips on how to...

Grand Slam Customer Service.
April 1, 2007... Sales and customer service expert Drew Stevens said a business's clients believe they deserve to obtain good customer service and they are right. "What is it that sets the good from the bad? How do good companies provide grand slam...

Spotlight on Fraud: Around the nation, prosecutors, legislators and regulators are trying to stem the tide.
April 1, 2007... CALIFORNIA INTERAGENCY CO-OPERATION PROPOSAL The California Legislature introduced a bill that, if passed, would require interagency communication between the Department of Real Estate and the Department of Corporations regarding...

Calling All Brokers: Time to participate in the 2006 top producers survey.
April 1, 2007... Spring is here, which means that once again it is time for those two annual rites of passage, baseball and the SourceMedia Mortgage Group annual survey of mortgage brokers. Already, our data gathering unit has received a number of responses...

Risking Identity Theft: As the instances of identity theft rise, more and more technology options are coming to market to help quell this trend.
April 1, 2007... Unfortunately there isn't an easy cure that will curb all identity theft, even if tools are used diligently at the point-of-origination. This ever-changing market where new loan products are launched daily and nontraditional borrowers are...

The Servicers Speak: Our roundtable at the MBA National Servicing Conference discussed the impact of actions taken by loan originators, especially fraud.(Discussion)(Company overview)
April 1, 2007... MARK: Fraud is on my mind and people have been talking about it at this conference, including there being a session tomorrow. The FBI Suspicious Activities Reports have tripled in the last couple of years from 10,000 to 35,000. That is an...

The Facts On Fraud: Mortgage lenders are dealing with forced repurchases which could have been avoided if the experts' advice had been followed.
April 1, 2007... Mortgage fraud might be the No. 1 issue facing mortgage lenders of any kind. But some are not yet getting the message. Grant Thornton's 14th annual survey of commercial bank executives, taken in October 2006, had an interesting finding. ...

Crystal Ball Time The www.mortgagegrapevine.com posters debate where they see the future of subprime.
April 1, 2007... 20yearseasoned: Subprime lenders are having a hard time selling their portfolio of mortgages on Wall Street. Every lender will tighten up their guidelines to conform. What do you think is an acceptable risk for 100% FTHB, stated and credit...

A Base of Ethics Is Good Business: Ethics are what set apart real top performers from fly-by-nighters.(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Toss notions of cosmetic controls and seminars aside. Ethics provide a solid foundation to a mortgage industry buffeted in recent times by mind-boggling profits and fraud, fierce independence and competition, accusations of predatory lending...

"If You Really Think So".(Organizational change)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... From time to time, you will run into a truly well-intentioned employee who is doing things wrong - sometimes seriously wrong - simply because they have been trained to do things in that way. In fact, it is equally possible that their boss, and...

Dear Brian: Industry expert Brian Sacks will be happy to answer your most pressing marketing questions each month in the Dear Brian column.(Column)
April 1, 2007... Dear Brian, I have been buying lists from list brokers of renters in my area and have not seen much success. I know I hear about loan officers who do make money with renters so what am I doing wrong? John Thompson Pennsylvania ...

The Broker Loan Guide.
April 1, 2007... Residential AgriCap Financial Corp. Program Name Bridge Loan Ag/ Farm Business Financing Min Credit Score 600 660 620 Max LTV/CLTV 65/65 65/65...

Conference Calendar.(Conference news)
April 1, 2007... Upcoming Sales and Marketing Conferences BROKER: April to June 2007 April 6 Mega Loan Origination Strategies for Today's Market Mortgage Leaders Edge Seattle, WA Tel: 800-313-6639 Ron Quintero provides simple,...

Advertisers' Index.(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... 1st Metropolitan 37 Aegis Home Equity 12 AGRICAP 20 American Brokers Conduit Cover 2 Amertime Mortgage 71 Argent Mortgage 35...

"About Us" as a Marketing Tool: Use the Internet to provide information to make personal connections.
April 1, 2007... Have you ever visited a website page, wanting to find out more information about the company or the person you are trying to reach, only to view their picture, phone number and e-mail address? Or "company info," that says, "We were founded in...