Loan officer education doesn’t end after training has been completed, let alone in the conference rooms where LOs regularly meet with colleagues and industry vendors. There is always more news to digest, along with updates about legislation that could impact the digital mortgage industry and innovations in mortgage technology. Not only that, there are best practices to follow along with modifications to them that banking professionals will want to learn about as they become available.
How do you think fellow loan originators stay up to date on industry happenings? You’d be correct if you guessed that for many, reading new blog posts is a vital source of information that comes from knowledgeable and experienced fintech specialists.
We’re glad that you’re here reading the BeSmartee blog now, since that’s a sign that you will be interested in reading other blogs too, which can contain relevant details of interest to loan officers such as yourself.
Here are the best blogs for loan officers to check out:
1. Bank Info Security
The Bank Info Security blog is focused on covering risk management, fraud, information security and compliance, and will be of high interest to loan offices seeking to expand their knowledge and to stay on top of trends and developing news.
Examples of recent topics covered by Bank Info Security include “How Deception Technologies Enable Proactive Cyber Defense,” which gave insight into how “deception technologies offer a way to shift away from a purely defensive ‘detect and response’ posture toward a more proactive offensive approach that draws stealth cyberattackers into the open before a breach.’” You’ll also see blog posts on ideas including “Why Penetration Tests Are So Essential” and “Data Breach Reports Fall 45% in UK.”
2. Experian
Experian Information Solutions is a major player on the scene. As they describe themselves, “We gather, analyze and process data in ways others can’t. We help individuals take financial control and access financial services, businesses make smarter decisions and thrive, lenders lend more responsibly, and organizations prevent identity fraud and crime.”
With that in mind, it’s easy to see that Experian runs a blog that will be of great interest to loan officers, as evidenced by such topics as “Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Risks of Mortgage Fraud,” “Consumer Delinquencies Slow During Pandemic” and “Are Foreclosures Still Happening During COVID-19?”
3. Keeping Current Matters
Chances are you need as much of professional real estate news that you can get. Sifting through all of it can be tricky, but The Keep Current Matters Real Estate blog is a valuable resource for loan originators to stay on top of homebuyer concerns and issues. If you are looking for updates on the state of foreclosures and other related topics of interest to loan originators, this would be a good place to start. Their mission is “to change the way real estate advisors educate and serve their clients…We hope you’ll join the thousands of real estate professionals across the country who utilize the information and knowledge available through KCM to help grow their businesses.”
The Keeping Current Matters blog has recently posted on such topics as “Forbearance Numbers Are Lower than Expected,” “Why Foreclosures Won’t Crush the Housing Market Next Year” and “Just How Strong Is the Housing Recovery?”
4. Lending Expert Blog
The Lending Expert blog posts useful articles on a regular basis that loan officers will be glad to have access to. Behind the scenes is best-selling author Shashank Shekhar, CEO of Arcus Lending and takes pride in often being tapped by the media seeking his expertise on mortgages. Mortgage rates and loan programs are major areas of interest, in addition to standard reports on home buying and refinancing.
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Recent headlines appearing in Lending Expert include “Inventory Shortage Nullifies Benefits of Low Mortgage Rates,” “Demand-Supply Rift Causes Bay Area Home Prices to Soar,” and “Mortgage Application Volumes Rise Again.”
5. Loan Officer Hub
Billing itself as your “one-stop shop for leading mortgage insights,” the Loan Officer Hub mortgage blog exists to offer the latest in mortgage insights to loan officers who are working to improve their knowledge of topics including real estate issues and mortgage trends. The insights you obtain should help you boost the amount of mortgages your organization processes. The Loan Officer Hub blog has run recent posts on subjects ranging from “How to Close More Loans as the #1 Financial Expert in Your Market,” “4 Down Payment Assistance Marketing Strategies for Loan Officers” and “How Loan Officers Succeed in a Cooling Housing Market.”
6. Mortgage Fraud Blog
The title of this blog speaks for itself. If you’re like most loan originators, the problem of mortgage fraud is top of mind as you go about your daily tasks. You might spit out your morning coffee as you read such hair-raising reports as “Man Pleads Guilty To Nearly $32 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme,” “Mother & Son Arrested For Mortgage Modification Fraud Scheme” and “Former Bank President Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud.” The blog also includes a handy page with links and useful information on reporting mortgage fraud incidents.
7. OutboundEngine
OutboundEngine’s blog for mortgage professionals will give you ideas to get more out of your efforts, with ideas for self-improvement and tips that will keep you coming back for more. Loan originators can always benefit from new ways to harness digital marketing and how to understand the behavior of individuals seeking loans.
Recent blog posts here include “Mortgage Refinance Applications are Booming: How Loan Officers Can Make the Most of It,” “Customer Follow-Up Templates You Can Cut and Paste,” and “Daily Practices to Become a Better, More Successful Mortgage Loan Officer.”
8. Rob Chrisman’s Daily Mortgage News & Commentary
For daily briefings on news and topics of the utmost importance to loan originators and other digital mortgage professionals, you’ll want to check out Rob Chrisman’s Daily Mortgage News & Commentary. Chrisman has been in mortgage banking since 1985.
His blog carries posts with headlines including “Vendors are busy beavers; LIBOR phase out and transition: why should MLOs care?,” “LO, CD jobs; database, HELOC, digital tools; vendor & lender products continue to shift,” and “CFO, processor, Ops, LO jobs; non-QM, servicer, sales, training tools; time required to hack a password.” As you can see, his posts typically cover multiple topics, offering plenty of useful details.
9. Security Magazine
Banking security issues can emerge unexpectedly, which means it’s in your best interest to find a wide range of sources of information useful for loan officers. Blogs are an excellent way to stay on top of news and commentary. This is where Security Magazine can help. Topics of interest to you as you work in loan origination include “FBI: Increased Use of Mobile Banking Apps Could Lead to Exploitation,” “Financial Services in the Ransomware Crosshairs: Why and What to Do,” and “How Risk-Based Cybersecurity Programs Differ Between Community & Global Banks”
Following Blogs for Fast Access to News of Interest to Loan Originators
Blogs certainly are a great way for loan originators to bolster their continuing education efforts. It may take you a little time to determine which of the blogs mentioned here are the ones most suited to your particular job and interests. Whether you follow a blog every day or catch up with its articles on a weekly basis or whenever you have a free moment, you’re bound to pick up some interesting pieces of information to help improve the job you do.
Along the way, you may have questions about the latest best practices for digital mortgage technology or need some context for mortgage systems and how they are affected by software industry innovations. We’re ready to chat when you are. Our experts are just a quick phone call away at (888) 276-1579. You can also reach out by sending a query to our mortgage technology expert at sales@besmartee.com today.
