As Fall descends upon us, we might think of “back to school” even if that is just in our memories. Maybe we have kids returning to a place of education or continuing to be homeschooled. Or possibly you or your children are traveling back to a college campus or conducting remote learning right at home.
If none of those apply to you, let’s change that right now. Let’s dedicate today’s blog to a sort of personal mortgage industry education!
That’s right, reading my informative blogs may not be enough to ensure your full understanding of all things mortgage. Horrors! But via this particular blog, we’ll all take genuine concrete steps towards resolving that!
Let’s start with some “big,” career or life changing, educational opportunities. Check out the Mortgage Training Center’s site. It’s chock full of perhaps all of the classes you will need if you want to become a Mortgage Loan Officer, Processor, Underwriter, etc. Understand that prior to getting licensed either nationally or for each state in which you want to originate, you must get a required NMLS number. There are tons of other sites that offer the same or even additional related information, such as Mortgage Educators and Compliance, Loan Officer School, or My Mortgage Trainer.
But, come on, will anyone really ever know if you are licensed or not? Well, yes they will. Besides fulfilling the requirement to add your NMLS number to every marketing piece, loan application etc. the public might see, every consumer can access this NMLS website, enter a name, click the Consumer Access button, and fill in whatever information they have. Voila! The applicable data appears almost like magic!
Why is all of this NMLS information necessary, available, and online? It all has to do with the S.A.F.E Act and the 2007/08 financial debacle, and you can read about that right here.
While that covers the basic, rudimentary training required in the mortgage industry, there is MORE, so much more! But, first, I must digress.
Every time I hear or write the word rudimentary, I am reminded of a very bad experience involving my grandmother and holiday meals and rutabagas. These are also known as swedish turnips and, frankly, they stink. I admit to having one of the world’s most sensitive noses (possibly too much zinc in my body). For some bizarre reason, my grandmother loved these smelly things and as soon as I got near her house, I immediately smelled them. Every holiday we spent with my grandparents found me seeking a way to convince their dog Sparky to relieve me of the burden of “tasting” these foul root vegetables, all to no avail. Now, every time I smell rutabagas or turnips or even sauerkraut or cabbage, I am reminded of possibly my only less-than-positive memory of Mame, my beloved grandmother. Seriously, though, you cannot smother these things with enough spices, butter, or protein to disguise the evil flavor. Rapidly back on topic …
Let’s dive into other forms of education available to all of us mortgage industry mavens! While some of these may expire by the time you click, the sites usually offer other similar classes, so consider getting on their alert list. Also, many will send you a copy of the webinar if you didn’t make the original showing.
- Mortgage Loan Originator Continuing Education
- U.S. Residential Mortgage Business
- Remote Worker Preparedness Solution
- American Bankers Association Training
- Global Financial Markets and Instruments
- How COVID accelerates merging of mortgage originations & servicing tech
- Personal Productivity
- Mortgage Innovators: Using Technology to Build Better Relationships
- Become a Mortgage Loan Processor
- Prescriptive Selling
- 1 Hour SAFE Elective: Acceptable Sources of Funds Video CE (OSP)
- Pat Sherlock’s Solutions Webinars
- Ellie Mae Digital Mortgage Webinars
- MGIC Connects | Mortgage Webinars
- Mortgage Banking Associations Webinars
- National Mortgage Professional Webinars
- Housing Wire Webinars
- Arch Mortgage Insurance Webinars
- CFPB Webinars
What’s the point?
Point #1: We should all do everything we can to stay young and, as it happens, learning is one way to ensure that. “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” ~ Henry Ford
Point #2: Don’t be pathetic! “There are few things more pathetic than those who have lost their curiosity and sense of adventure, and who no longer care to learn.” ~ Gordon B. Hinckley, Way to Be!: 9 Ways To Be Happy And Make Something Of Your Life
Point #3: Yes, I am a former teacher. 😊
Final Point:
- If you are a mortgage Loan Officer, Processor, or Underwriter, I know. You are probably too busy right now to take an online class. But print this blog and keep it handy because that will not always be the case. Further, if you want to advance, get promoted, or change your role, take online classes to investigate the possibilities, to be better prepared, etc.
- If you are in mortgage management, here are at least 3 opportunities for you, via this blog. If you have a MLO who needs some skill improvement, find an online class for him/her. If you want to personally improve in one area or another, then find an online class for yourself. If you have someone on your team who has indicated s/he wants to be promoted, give them some onlines classes about their new prospective role to see if the fit is there.
- If you fall into neither of those groups and are just looking for some fun, let’s get to that right now!
- Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.
- What do you call it when a homeschool parent talks to themselves? A parent-teacher conference.
- Q: Why did the music teacher need a ladder? A: To reach the high notes.
- Q: Why was school easier for cave people? A: Because there was no history to study!
- Q: What do you get when you throw a lot of books in the ocean? A: A title wave
And just for entertainment, here is someone’s idea of the top five teacher/school related songs from the past. Of course most of them are no longer applicable during the Covid Pandemic. But, one day soon, they may be classics again!
