I was recently on a hike with a gal pal, and we were talking about her future. I asked, “You don’t have any kids. Who is going to take care of you when you get older?” She replied, “The sommelier.” The future should be on everyone’s minds. I met up with a friend last week at the MBA Annual, and, knowing that his son had worked summer jobs for a lender in our business, I asked him about his son entering the residential lending. He replied, “He was all set to become a loan officer assistant but then went to work for ICE due to its $50,000 signing bonus program.” Paying off a student loan should matter to recent college grads, and certainly impacts buying a home down the road. I hear plenty of rumors about student debt. It turns out that, among those who ever incurred debt for their education, 8 percent were behind on their payments at the time of the 2024 survey, and 33 percent had outstanding debt and were current on their payments. Fifty-nine percent had completely paid off their loans. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s are sponsored by Optimal Blue, the only end-to-end capital markets platform built to power performance, precision, and profitability, helping lenders of all sizes operate more efficiently, manage risk more effectively, and maximize results. Today’s has an interview with Rob Chrisman on takeaways from MBA Annual, the mood of the industry, and what to look forward to as conference season winds down.) Services, Products, Software, and Tools for Lenders and Brokers