I recently opened my slang dictionary to the page that defined the origin of, “Different ways to skin a cat” and left it near my cat Myrtle’s water bowl. She didn’t seem interested. Which is fine. Lenders probably interested in that either, instead more intent on programs, pricing, and the general movement of interest rates. The Federal Reserve is interested in global events, and global events have been important to our economy. The war in Ukraine is something that has upset the global commodity picture, while also threatening the global world more broadly. Fed Chair Powell gave us the roadmap last week. “We are raising rates expeditiously to what we have been seeing is a more normal level, which is something that we will reach maybe in the fourth quarter. But it is not a stopping point… Monetary policy works through expectations.” There is a growing belief, however, that despite what happens with the overnight Fed Funds rate, 30-year mortgage rates have stabilized and perhaps leveled off. (Today’s podcast is available here and this week’s is sponsored by Matchbox LLC, igniting ideas for the mortgage industry. Expertise in assisting clients through transition periods with Technology, Capital Markets, and Education.) Lender and Broker Software, Services, and Programs Don’t you hate it when your burrito falls apart as you eat it? Fortunately for us messy eaters, a team of engineering students have created “Tastee Tape,” an edible tape that holds together notoriously messy foods, to solve this culinary struggle. Speaking of simple solutions for long-running problems, Sales Boomerang and Mortgage Coach have teamed up to address lenders’ ongoing borrower conversion struggles by creating the mortgage industry’s first borrower intelligence and conversion platform. Get an inside look at the new partnership this Thursday, May 26 at 1 pm ET as Sales Boomerang’s Alex Kutsishin, Mortgage Coach’s Dave Savage and Assurance Financial’s Katherine Campbell discuss how the two platforms helped Assurance Financial achieve 29 percent higher conversion rates. Register to learn more about this tech pairing that will have borrowers sticking by your business.