It is being reported by the OC Register's Matthew Padilla that Ameriquest has agreed to a buyout by Citigroup to fund operations and loans.  More later. … [Read more...] about Ameriquest Acquired by Citigroup

Doc Searls talks about how Starbucks can recapture its soul as a great coffee house in his post The Sole of Starbucks.  It got me to thinking what can the industry do to get back its soul (if there even is one left?)?  Soul=helping people protect their families through smart stewardship of their home (aka their single largest asset). 1) Turn the lights on … [Read more...] about Reclaiming the Soul of the Mortgage Industry

I'm glad to see TheXBroker taking on the realty agent position that somehow the comoditization of the real estate industry shouldn't apply to them.  In his post Buyer Agents Beware he says: Look deeply- protecting the Listing is all about keeping the Buyers Agent alive and over funded. What other purpose does â??proprietizingâ?? a Listing serve? Really, how difficult is … [Read more...] about They’re all Blown Purchases

Sorry to all of my friends who make their living in the stock market.  Xeni Jardin from Boing Boing reports what everyone else should know: Dow drops 500 points (it leveled off at +/-375). On the other hand, for everyone looking to refinance this is great news. Why you ask?  It starts with a little thing called "flight to quality" and ends with another … [Read more...] about Ouch, Very Ouch.

Well, as reported yesterday the biggest of the big have made public their plans to tighten credit guidelines.  Freddie Mac, one of the two government-backed private-sector mortgage backed securities purchasers (the other being Fannie Mae) has announced significant changes to its purchasing guidelines regarding subprime mortgages.  The Mortgage Market Guide … [Read more...] about More on my previous post – credit tightening