January 2026 - Chrisman Commentary

Capital Markets Recap: January 30, 2026

Posted on January 30June 4 by Robbie Chrisman

Politics, policy, and a market trying to recalibrate after a burst of volatility were the names of the game this week. President Trump’s announcement that he intends to nominate former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Chair was the largest headline. While Warsh is a known quantity with prior Fed experience and deep ties to Wall Street, the nomination introduced renewed debate about Fed independence, especially as the Supreme Court considers a case that…

The Invisible Work That Makes the Mortgage Industry Work

Posted on January 30June 4 by Brian Vieaux

There’s a reason conversations about the Innovation Investment Fee (IIF) often start with confusion rather than conviction. One of the most common, and most honest, things I hear from executives is this: “I don’t really understand what MISMO does, let alone why I should care enough to pay.” That observation sits at the root of the challenge. When standards work well, they’re invisible. They don’t show up in sales meetings or earnings calls. They don’t have a logo on the borrower experience….

Designing Systems That Unlock Homeownership

Posted on January 30June 4 by Vishal Garg

I grew up in Queens after immigrating to the United States from India at the age of eight. Queens is a place where hundreds of languages are spoken, where people arrive from all over the world, learn a new language, adopt a new culture, and work relentlessly to build a better life. Watching that happen up close shaped how I think about opportunity, capitalism, and the responsibility that comes with building systems that either unlock progress or quietly prevent it. You see very early that…

Why Markets, Not Politics, Still Set Mortgage Rates

Posted on January 30June 4 by Kevin Peranio

Every so often, the mortgage industry finds itself in a moment where politics, policy, and markets collide loudly and all at once. This past week was one of those moments. Headlines swirled around the nomination of potential new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, debates about Fed independence resurfaced, and Washington once again provided no shortage of theater. It made for compelling commentary, but beneath the noise, the actual drivers of interest rates and housing finance have barely…

Jan. 30: SVP Wholesale, Ops, AE & LO jobs coast to coast; verification, licensing tools; Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh primer

Posted on January 30June 4 by Rob Chrisman

“Rules? In a knife fight? No rules! ” Sounds sensible, at least to Butch Cassidy and his opponent. Donald Trump’s Fed nominee sounds sensible (lots below), but he and his family suing the IRS and others for $10 billion not so much. There’s a lot of sensible thinking going on out there in our biz. Yesterday in the Thought Leadership section, attorney Mitch Kider addressed the “Rule of Law” and what he believes is important to the industry. In a new article featured in Chrisman Commentary’s…

Jan. 29: Non-QM AE, LO jobs; property database, construction, Cannabis programs; Attorney Mitch Kider Thought Leadership; STRATMOR & AI

Posted on January 29June 4 by Rob Chrisman

Fans of MASH know that Alan Alda turned 90 yesterday, and the remaining actors from the show joined him on the beach . When you reach a certain age you don’t care about the employment picture. Amazon laying off another 16,000, as announced this week, won’t help anyone’s “the economy is doing great” argument. As economist Elliot Eisenberg points out, “The most disturbing piece of information from last week’s income data is the confirmation of a complete lack of income growth over the past 12…

Voice of the Industry: David Spector (Part 4)

Posted on January 29June 4 by David Spector

As we kick off the New Year, affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing the mortgage industry and the broader housing market. It continues to shape conversations among lenders, policymakers, and consumers alike. Affordability Is Not a Rate Problem Ask most people what’s wrong with housing affordability, and the answer comes quickly: rates are too high. It’s an easy diagnosis, clean and intuitive, and it fits neatly into headlines and political talking points. But it’s also…

Housing Finance, the Rule of Law, and the Responsibility of Change

Posted on January 29June 4 by Mitch Kider

For more than four decades, I have worked at the intersection of housing finance, regulation, and the rule of law, and if there is one constant in mortgage banking, it is change. Yet the forces reshaping the industry today feel as consequential as any I have witnessed. Understanding what comes next requires an honest look at how the system was built, why its legal and regulatory foundations matter, and what is at risk if we forget those lessons. My belief in the importance of housing finance…

Jan. 28: Ops chief, AE, LO jobs; title strategy, non-Agency, construction capital, workflow tools; housing policy, rates, and $200 billion

Posted on January 28June 4 by Rob Chrisman

“Did you hear what NASA’s new slogan will be once its budget is cut? ‘NASA: The Sky’s The Limit’” If you’re a conference organizer, do you have a catchy slogan for the event? That certainly seems to be expected. Fannie Mae has a slogan (“Powering America’s Housing” or “Supporting America’s Housing,” depending on who you ask) as does Freddie Mac (“We Make Home Possible”). The two have been in the news lately after President Trump proposed his “representatives” will buy $200 billion of…

Jan. 27: Bus. dev., AE, LO jobs; HELOC, non-QM processing, jumbo tools; STRATMOR & housing ecosystem; Rocket lawsuit

Posted on January 27June 4 by Rob Chrisman

Here in Northern Nevada, as well as places like Alaska and California, mining for precious metals occupies a good chunk of history. Early miners, and Yukon Cornelius , would be stunned at how investors and speculators have flocked to silver and gold, and how the U.S. dollar has declined in value. Put another way, it takes many more dollars now to equal the value of an ounce of gold. When other countries have seen their currency devalued for various reasons, it typically does not bode well for…