“I’ve been experimenting with breeding racing deer. People have accused me of just trying to make a fast buck.” There are no fast bucks to be made in residential lending, and the correct compensation is a continuing topic. (A recent STRATMOR blog was titled, “Compensation is Still Lender’s Largest Expense.”) A veteran LO wrote, “My belief is that most LOs can make the same amount of money with lower rates and lower comp: grow their business and have less drama. LOs state they lose 3 out of 10 loans due to rate. If you make 100bps on 7 loans at $350k per loan, that’s $24,500. If you make 70 bps on 10 loans at $350k per loan, that’s $24,500. Most business, however, is done in communities, and as you do more loans your community grows, and you get more opportunities. It also eliminates a lot of stress of quoting when you win the deal on the quote.” Today two great webinars: The MBA is producing, “Can You Pay That? Navigating LO Compensation, Competition, and Compliance in 2025” at 2PM ET, and “The Big Picture” at 3PM ET featuring Meredith Whitney, “The Oracle of Wall Street.” (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week is sponsored by Optimal Blue. OB bridges the primary and secondary mortgage markets to deliver the industry’s only end-to-end capital markets platform, helping lenders maximize profitability and operate efficiently so they can help American borrowers achieve the dream of homeownership. Today’s has an interview with Optimal Blue’s Sara Holtz on how Optimal Blue approaches marketing as a market leader, keeping pace with product innovation, evolving with industry needs, and charting the future of strategic brand engagement.)