Don’t forget that today, 7-11, is Free Slurpee Day, but that this Sunday the price of a first-class mail stamp is going up from 63 cents to 66 cents, the second price hike of the year since the stamps cost just 60 cents as of January. Stamps are a case study in inflation and economics, especially as the ability to send things like payments or marketing materially electronically has increased and becomes more cost effective, further driving up the cost of stamps. (Fewer stamps are being sold but they still must help cover the costs of the post office.) Inflation, the economy, and the labor picture have certainly destroyed the predictions some had earlier this year about where interest rates would be now, and STRATMOR’s current blog is titled, “Interest Rates are Like the Weather. Or Like Signs of the Zodiac?” What has also gone up, besides rates, is the number of institutions reporting HMDA data: 4,460 institutions reported data for 2022, up 2.3 percent from 2021. That’s a lot of competitors, huh? (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by SimpleNexus, the homeownership platform that unites the people, systems, and stages of the mortgage process into one seamless, end-to-end solution that spans engagement, origination, closing, incentive compensation, and business intelligence. Hear an interview with Flagstar Bank’s Jeff Neufeld on the warehouse lending space.) Lender and Broker Software, Services, and Products As interest rates and home prices rise, savvy lenders are attracting coveted purchase business by supporting homebuyer assistance programs that are in high demand. (Did you hear about the CalHFA program that ran out of funding after 2,300 borrowers nabbed DPA over 11 days?) Luckily, lenders can do well while supporting DPA, and the MBA’s Profit & Succeed with DPA webinar reveals how. Tune in to let Mark Hasson of Lennar Mortgage, Kate McDougall of Lake Michigan Credit Union and experts from Down Payment Resource inspire you with how their organizations have profitably operationalized DPA and established themselves as valuable community resources in the process. Catch it on demand here. Ready to jump on the DPA bandwagon? Keep your referral network happy and your pipelines full by partnering with Down Payment Resource.