Lykken on Lending

This podcast segment explores the growing tension between AI’s ability to dramatically boost productivity and the potential risks of overreliance, including privacy concerns, data profiling, and people increasingly trusting AI for advice and decision-making. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Marc Helm , CEO, and Author Marc Helm...

This podcast segment explores how emerging AI tools, automation platforms, and even AI-to-human marketplaces are reshaping mortgage technology while raising important questions about keeping the borrower experience at the center of innovation. ----------------------------------------------------- Allen Pollack , Tech Consultant Allen Pollack, a Mortgage & Financial Services Technology Advisor,...

This podcast segment examines whether Loan-Level Price Adjustments (LLPAs) still serve their intended purpose of pricing mortgage risk or if they are unnecessarily increasing costs and complexity for borrowers and lenders. ----------------------------------------- David G. Kittle, CMB is a highly respected leader in the mortgage industry, with over 45 years of experience. He is the Co-Founder...

This podcast segment discusses the growing debate over whether the federal government should restrict institutional investors from buying single-family homes or if housing policy decisions should remain at the local and state level.------------------------------------------------------------------ Alice Alvey , Master CMB Vice President Partner Education and Training at  Union Home Mortgage S...

This podcast segment explains how a strong bond market rally pushed mortgage rates to their lowest levels in more than three years with record-breaking stability, while upcoming economic data and month-end trading dynamics may influence where rates move next. ----------------------------------------------------- Matt  began as an originator in 2002. He fell in love with the idea of following...

"I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine"  ---------------------- The Bulls Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine. They get joy in the boring time, with hope in the maybe. With the 10-year yield slipping below 4.00, mortgage rate sheets can see sub-6%. Why are so many people confused? They miss that geopolitical events matter. US-Iran negotiations have allowed the world to stock up on Oil.&...

This podcast segment explains the administration’s push to restrict large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and highlights the Mortgage Bankers Association’s concerns about potential unintended consequences for rental housing supply, mortgage servicing, and overall housing affordability. ------------------------------------------------------------- Adam DeSanctis , VP of...

The Lykken on Lending Weekly Mortgage Update  delivers expert commentary and timely insights from across the mortgage industry. Each episode features a curated lineup of respected thought leaders and analysts: Adam DeSanctis  with the  MBA Mortgage Minute , providing key updates from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Les Parker’s  TMSpotlight  offers a macroeconomic perspe...

Market headlines are loud — from geopolitical tensions and oil price swings to shifting rate expectations and nonstop media narratives — but seasoned mortgage professionals know that volatility alone doesn’t determine success. In this segment, the conversation moves beyond soundbites and into substance, exploring guarded optimism in the rate environment, the psychological impact of sub-6% mortgage...

This podcast segment explores how AI is a powerful tool that can amplify productivity and innovation in mortgage lending—but warns that failing to think critically, fact-check outputs, and use proper prompting could allow convenience and complacency to undermine performance. ----------------------------------------------------- Allen Pollack , Tech Consultant Allen Pollack, a Mortgage & Financ...

This podcast segment explores the complex debate around loan level price adjustments (LLPAs), examining how risk-based pricing, capital return expectations, and potential reforms could impact housing affordability—especially for first-time homebuyers. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alice Alvey , Master CMB Vice President Partner Education and Training at  U...

This podcast segment breaks down the 10-year Treasury’s technical resistance at 4.0%, muted bond market reactions to mixed economic data, tariff-driven volatility, and the return of top-tier 30-year mortgage rates to 5.99%. ----------------------------------------------------- Matt  began as an originator in 2002. He fell in love with the idea of following MBS in real-time but felt that exist...

Divorce is one of the most overlooked opportunity channels in the mortgage industry — yet nearly every divorce involves real estate, refinancing, assumptions, equity buyouts, or forced sales. In this powerful and personal episode of Lykken on Lending, I sit down with board-certified family law attorney Jimmy Evans to unpack the real challenges divorcing homeowners face: assumable low-rate mortgage...

02-23-2026 "You Want Battle? (Here's a War)" Oil War Drums Are Beating ------------------- Who will not take this anymore? News, Iran, EU, what’s ignored? You Want a Battle? Is it a war? April Crude Oil pushed above $66 a barrel, its highest level since July 2025. War drums continue to bother Oil and sustain the Dollar, while Bonds ignore it. The US growth and inflation send mixed signals. So, the...

This podcast segment highlights the MBA’s recent meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to advance housing affordability initiatives, capital reform efforts, GSE policy updates, and proposed changes to credit reporting, FHA premiums, and LLPAs. ------------------------------------------------------------- Adam DeSanctis , VP of Communications at Mortgage Bankers Association As a strategic p...

The Lykken on Lending Weekly Mortgage Update  delivers expert commentary and timely insights from across the mortgage industry. Each episode features a curated lineup of respected thought leaders and analysts: Adam DeSanctis  with the  MBA Mortgage Minute , providing key updates from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Les Parker’s  TMSpotlight  offers a macroeconomic perspe...

Mortgage rates are edging tantalizingly close to the 6% threshold, fueled by a benign CPI report, bond-friendly employment revisions, and shifting job market dynamics. But while the headlines suggest momentum building for lower rates—and perhaps a pickup in refinance activity—this moment calls for strategic discipline, not complacency. In this segment, we unpack what the latest economic data is re...

This podcast segment examines the rising burden of 50-state mortgage regulation, the escalating costs of state audits, and why recent housing reform efforts may not provide the operational relief lenders are hoping for. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alice Alvey , Master CMB Vice President Partner Education and Training at  Union Home Mortgage She handles d...

02-16-2026 "It's Over" For Some Regulatory Costs -------------------- Golden scams with US end. Regulation cuts are wins. Regulations have consequences. Forget hook ‘em horns, go with fart*, Bevo, fart. We can exhale* more easily now that Trump revoked the 2009 Obama-era "Endangerment Finding." It drove climate rules by defining greenhouse gases, including methane emitted by cows and CO₂...

This podcast segment covers MBA President Bob Broeksmit’s testimony before Congress, outlining the importance of the secondary mortgage market, GSE reform, and protecting the 30-year fixed mortgage to support housing affordability and liquidity. ------------------------------------------------------------- Adam DeSanctis , VP of Communications at Mortgage Bankers Association As a strategic public...

While most mortgage lenders are experimenting with AI tools and chatbots, only a small percentage truly understand what it takes to build and deploy decision-grade artificial intelligence. In this episode, David Lykken sits down with Pavan Agarwal and Jennifer to unpack the difference between surface-level AI and industrial-strength decision intelligence. From disciplined engineering practices to...

In this episode, we sit down with Dan Catanella to unpack what the next evolution of Total Expert—“2.0”—really means for lenders and loan originators heading into 2026. This isn’t just an upgrade to a traditional CRM; it’s the transformation from a static database into a true Customer Operating System powered by real-time data intelligence and agentic AI. We explore how tools like CustomerIQ and A...

The Lykken on Lending Weekly Mortgage Update  delivers expert commentary and timely insights from across the mortgage industry. Each episode features a curated lineup of respected thought leaders and analysts: Adam DeSanctis  with the  MBA Mortgage Minute , providing key updates from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Les Parker’s  TMSpotlight  offers a macroeconomic perspe...

This podcast segment discussed that before investing in new technology, lenders must eliminate vendor overlap, define measurable ROI, and fix internal operational gaps—because no software can compensate for broken processes. ----------------------------------------------------- Allen Pollack , Tech Consultant Allen Pollack, a Mortgage & Financial Services Technology Advisor, is a subject matte...

This podcast segment discussed that mortgage production remains flat amid tight inventory and uneven regional activity, highlighting the need for data-driven targeting and stronger relationships with realtors as the spring market approaches. ----------------------------------------- David G. Kittle, CMB is a highly respected leader in the mortgage industry, with over 45 years of experience. H...