While Academy Mortgage is in the headlines again about its data breach and ransomware, from which no company seems immune, remember that, “In a democracy it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism it’s your count that votes.” Setting mortgage rates isn’t a voting matter, but would you like your voice heard on how Freddie and Fannie price loans? Here’s your chance, as the FHFA is asking for input. It’s one thing for the FHFA or a presidential administration to spell out lending and housing goals. Translating those down the food chain into state, county, and local action is a whole ‘nother thing. The same goes with statistics. Every month dozens of housing stats come out; We can talk about existing home sales, new home sales, the FHFA price index, and on and on, but if a loan officer or real estate agent are focused on a certain area, national stats mean little to them. As home prices and bidding wars vary throughout the U.S., real estate experts suggest that the national housing market no longer reflects local and regional markets, but location matters now more than ever. Anyone interested in this concept should read this short article, “There Is No ‘National Housing Market’: Why Location Matters Now More Than Ever.” (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Richey May, a recognized leader in providing specialized advisory, audit, tax, technology and other services to the mortgage industry for almost four decades, helping transform the mortgage business. Today’s has an Interview with Polunsky Beitel Green’s Peter Idziak on FHFA’s rescission of DTI LLPAs and how the pricing framework evolves from here.)