Are you aware of the latest issues and trends affecting your business today?

Written By: Karen Deis

Random Notes is a compilation of ideas, websites and trends that you should know about! Read about the following topics with website links to learn more. We have no financial interest or personal interest in these websites other than as a recommended resource to help you increase your business.

• Innovative headlines to generate ARM refinance leads.


• Visit the website link and take a free call reluctance test online!


• How you can get involved in hip-hop financial summits.


• Learn about why the National Association of Realtors® fears the credit bureaus’ trigger lists.


• Why you need to be aware of the women-and-money trend sweeping the nation (and the world).

Innovative Headlines to Generate ARM Refinance Leads - Headlines for marketing to adjustable rate mortgage clients!

Here are two headlines I saw on a recent visit to Florida. It applies to people who have adjustable rate mortgages and the interest rates are either increasing or have the negative amortization-type loan.

Take Your Prospecting Pulse Test – Do you have trouble converting leads into closed loans? Call reluctance may be limiting your ability to earn more money than you ever thought possible. Check out this website link and take this Call Reluctance Test.

Hip-Hop Summit On Financial Empowerment – Founded in 2001 by Russell Simmons and Dr. Ben Chavis, www.HSAN.org was founded to teach the hip-hop generation how to achieve financial security and wealth. Chrysler Financial is one of its major sponsors. “Get Your Money Right” seminars are held throughout the U.S. and Canada, drawing crowds of 17,000 with speakers such as Trina, Lil X, Remy Ma, Killer Mike, Chingo Bling, Spinderella, Gipp, and Lil’ Mo.

After testing high school students on their knowledge of basic financial concepts, the average score was only 52.4%. Russell Simmons and company has recognized the importance of making this generation aware of the power of money and it’s a trend that’s not going away.

National Association of Realtors® Now Fear Trigger Lists – What the mortgage industry has been talking about for some time now (past article - Keep Mortgage Companies From Contacting Your Past Clients with Credit Bureau Opt-Out Forms), has the NAR up in arms at their annual convention. They are up in arms about the credit bureaus selling mortgage inquiries to lead generation companies.

Trigger Lists are mortgage applicants who have paid lenders to pull a credit report for a mortgage application. The minute that credit report is created, the contact information is put into a list and immediately sold to another mortgage company or lead generation firm (knowing that they are in the market for a mortgage). The trigger lists are used to attempt to contact the potential client, to lure them away from the mortgage company they are currently seeking to do business with, with offers of a better or different mortgage program.

The NAR concerns are that clients often accuse them of selling their information to other mortgage companies (in reality it’s the credit bureau) or that the closing is delayed because the buyer decided to go with another mortgage company.

Women and Money Trend – Do a Google search with key words “women and money” and you will find 152 million pages on the subject. All the major stock and bond brokerage firms have established women’s departments. USA Today publishes weekly articles on the subject. How can you jump on the bandwagon?

Sheilah Cox, a loan officer with Intercoastal Funding Corporation, sent a recent USA Today article called 10 Ways Women Sabotage Their Own Retirement to all of her female real estate agents. Identify the single women in your database and send them regular information on women and finances.

I held Mortgage Seminars for Women Only. Speakers included a female real estate agent (talking about neighborhoods, crime statistics, low-maintenance homes, etc.); a real estate attorney (discussing different options on how to take title; how real estate changes hands both with and without a will, etc.) and the mistakes women make shopping for a mortgage. The conversion from seminar attendee to closed loans was almost 50 percent.

Copyright - 2006 - LoanOfficerMagazine.com

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