Lykken on Lending

Hosted by David Lykken

BusinessInterviews guestsExplicit

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Episodes

2009

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Created by mortgage professionals for mortgage professionals, Lykken on Lending is a weekly 60-minute podcast hosted by mortgage veteran, David Lykken, and co-hosted by Marc Helm. Joining the program each week is Adam DeSanctis with his weekly MBA Mortgage Minute, Les Parker with his Macro Market Update, Matt Graham with a weekly Market Update, David Kittle with Originations Update, Alice Alvey providing a Legislative Update, Allen Pollack with his weekly Tech Update. The weekly updates are followed by the Hot Topic segment, which is an in-depth discussion about one of the hottest topics related to the mortgage industry. The program can be heard live each Monday at noon central or downloaded as a podcast. Each week thousands of industry professionals have found this to be an effective way to stay up on all that is happening in the mortgage industry. This broadcast is provided to the mortgage industry as a public service compliment of Transformational Mortgage Solutions . We invite you to join us to listen and learn.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 3, 202642 min

Mortgage Rates Fall, but Lenders Face a Bigger Challenge: Survival, Margins & AI

The Lykken on Lending Weekly Mortgage Update delivers expert commentary and timely insights from across the mortgage industry. Each episode features a curated lineup of respected thought leaders and analysts: Adam DeSanctis with the MBA Mortgage Minute , providing key updates from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Les Parker’s TMSpotlight offers a macroeconomic perspective with his signature musical parodies. Matt Graham of MBS Live, breaking down market activity and interest rate movements. David Kittle , CEO of The Mortgage Collaborative, sharing insights on mortgage originations and industry trends. Alice Alvey of Union Home Mortgage, delivering essential regulatory and legislative updates. Allen Pollack , with the Tech Report , spotlighting emerging technologies impacting mortgage operations. Bill Corbet , presenting Bill's Bullet Commentary with focused insights on loan servicing and capital markets. Marc Helm , offering Marc’s Rant , an unfiltered take on operational and agency-related developments. Together, this expert panel brings clarity, relevance, and a touch of personality to the ever-evolving mortgage landscape.

October 30, 20264 min

Mortgage Rates Hit One-Month Lows as AI Market Jitters Fuel Bond Rally - Market Update by Matt Graham

Matt Graham explains how growing concerns over AI-related technology investments are driving investors toward safer bonds, pushing mortgage rates to their lowest levels in a month as markets anticipate the Federal Reserve's next decision. ----------------------------------------------------- Matt began as an originator in 2002. He fell in love with the idea of following MBS in real-time but felt that existing products were only scratching the surface. Thus was born MBS Live in 2007, the first-of-its-kind platform with real-time market data/analysis, and live chat with analysts, traders, and originators around the country. He is currently the Founder and CEO of MBS Live! He's been covering bond/mortgage markets, writing commentary, alerts, and chatting with the live community every business hour of every business day ever since. Matt also serves as the Chief of Operations for mortgagenewsdaily.com, where he is one of the industry's most respected mortgage rate experts, frequently quoted in the media. Mortgage News Daily's rate index is used as the definitive resource on day-to-day mortgage rate averages. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son, where he enjoys skiing, fishing, coaching youth sports, playing the guitar, and more DIY projects/hobbies than he'd care to admit.

October 30, 20261 min

"Natural" Europeans Pay Higher Energy Costs - Macro Market Update by Les Parker

10-27-2026 "Natural" Europeans Pay Higher Energy Costs --------------------- Will Bulls hold the line? When everyone of them have given up and given in? Tell me. Is it asinine? Who is sillier? Ursula von der Leyen, Friedrich Merz or Emanual Macron? The coalition of the willing is heading Europe’s economic quest to slay the Russian windmills in Don Quixote fashion. As a result, Europeans pay ever-higher energy costs. Reporting from behind enemy lines, their folly supports lower rates in the US. So, it’s easier to see 4.90 rather than 5.35 again this year in the 10-year yield. These views are mine. See how Bonds are cold naturally at TMSpotlight.com. You gotta be so cold You are a natural. --------------------- Natural (2018) Imagine Dragons

October 30, 20261 min

Trump’s New Housing Executive Order: Lower Mortgage Costs and Expanding Affordability - MBA Mortgage Minute by Adam DeSanctis

President Trump's new executive order aims to reduce mortgage refinancing costs, expand mortgage insurance relief, and improve housing affordability through FHFA-directed reforms and manufactured housing initiatives. ------------------------------------------------------------- Adam DeSanctis , VP of Communications at Mortgage Bankers Association As a strategic public affairs and communications executive with nearly two decades of experience, Adam has deep expertise in strategy, management, and media relations. He is widely considered to be an expert in a variety of communications, including advocacy, brand, executive, crisis, grassroots, and social media. In his career, he has been the MBA spokesperson on a wide variety of real estate research and advocacy-related issues, promoted MBA research and advocacy efforts to financial, political, and trade industry media and on MBA's social media channels, and secured media opportunities for MBA leadership on key real estate trends and issues, generated media coverage for MBA's research and data on mortgage applications, credit availability, homebuilder applications, mortgage forbearance/delinquencies, commercial real estate originations, and forecasts, and other industry analysis, developed key strategic initiatives for MBA's organizational public affairs plan, media relations and member communications support for mPower, MBA's Opens Doors Foundation and MBA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program.

October 28, 202625 min

Becoming a 10x Lender: Transforming Your Business in the Agentic Era with Joe Welu of Total Expert

The mortgage industry is entering a transformative era where artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool for efficiency—it's becoming the foundation of an entirely new business model. In this compelling Hot Topics episode, David Lykken welcomes back Joe Welu, Founder and CEO of Total Expert, to explore what it truly means to become a 10x lender in the agentic era. Drawing on insights from Joe's presentation at the HousingWire AI Summit, they discuss how AI-powered agents are revolutionizing customer engagement, automating follow-up, identifying untapped opportunities within servicing portfolios, and freeing loan officers to focus on what matters most: building relationships and providing trusted financial guidance. Joe shares real-world examples of lenders achieving remarkable results, including one organization that generated more than 2,000 originations in approximately 60 days through AI-powered engagement. From overcoming resistance to organizational change to building customers for life, this conversation challenges mortgage leaders to think bigger, move faster, and fundamentally reimagine how their businesses operate. The message is clear: the future of mortgage lending isn't about replacing people with AI—it's about empowering people to accomplish what was previously unimaginable.

October 27, 202624 min

Mortgage Rates Retreat as AI Jitters Grow: Fed Uncertainty, Housing Affordability & the Future of Lending

October 23, 202613 min

Mortgage Rates Above 7%: Finding Opportunities in an Unpredictable Market - 10/20/2026 Weekly Mortgage Update Commentary

With mortgage rates hovering around 7%, persistent inflation, and unpredictable bond market movements, mortgage professionals face a challenging environment that demands both perspective and adaptability. In this week's Lykken on Lending commentary, David Lykken is joined by Bill Corbett, David Kittle, Alice Alvey, and Marc Helm to discuss the forces driving mortgage rates, the Mortgage Bankers Association's outlook for continued rate pressure and lower origination volumes, and what these developments mean for lenders and loan originators. While uncertainty surrounding inflation, geopolitical tensions, and government debt continues to influence the market, the conversation shifts toward an important message: opportunities still exist for those willing to recognize them. From strengthening borrower relationships and exploring FHA lending opportunities to better understanding the factors behind rate movements, the panel emphasizes the importance of education, experience, and a positive mindset. As one memorable analogy reminds us, when skiing through the trees, focus on the open path rather than the obstacles. For mortgage professionals navigating today's market, success may depend less on waiting for rates to fall and more on recognizing the opportunities already in front of them.

October 23, 202618 min

AI Is Transforming Mortgage Lending: Innovation, Compliance Risks, and the Human Connection - Tech Update by Allen Pollack

Allen Pollack explores the rapid adoption of AI in mortgage lending, from autonomous borrower agents and homegrown technology to regulatory compliance challenges, rising origination costs, and the continued importance of human relationships. ----------------------------------------------------- Allen Pollack , Tech Consultant Allen Pollack, a Mortgage & Financial Services Technology Advisor, is a subject matter expert in the mortgage origination process along with software product management and software development. In today’s financial services push to all things Digital, Allen has been helping lenders and financial services solution providers align their digital transformation and technology strategies by removing the human element of risk, and automating processes that drive efficiencies and margins into profits. Over the course of his career, Allen has co-created and developed technology business models that have birthed highly successful, innovative solutions and companies. Allen co-founded and served as CTO of New York Loan Exchange (NYLX), a loan product eligibility and pricing engine (PPE) that made an immediate impact on the industry, scaling the company quickly and forming partnerships with multiple mortgage and financial lending companies. In 2012, Allen was a co-founder of a merger between NYLX and Aklero Risk Analytics that created LoanLogics, A Mortgage Loan Quality and Performance Analytics company. Allen served as CTO where he continued to bring new and innovative product solutions to the market that made a significant impact to mortgage lenders that reduced risk, scaled business channels, and grew profits in a very competitive and highly regulated market. Allen is also is mortgage and finance technology contributor on a weekly live industry podcast, Lykken on Lending, and is launching a new podcast soon to be released, TechStack Radio, dedicated to technology and innovation in Financial Services.

October 23, 20266 min

FHA's VantageScore 4.0 Rollout: New Lending Rules and the Risks of Multiple Mortgage Applications - Legislative Update by Alive Alvey

Alice Alvey discusses FHA's upcoming VantageScore 4.0 implementation, important Fannie Mae, VA, and USDA updates, and how increased online mortgage shopping and multiple applications could create new challenges for lenders. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Alice Alvey , Master CMB Vice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home Mortgage She handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness. Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance. She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations. Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

October 23, 20265 min

Mortgage Rates Fall Despite Hot Inflation: How AI Market Jitters Fueled a Bond Rally - Market Update by Allen Pollack

Matt Graham explains why mortgage rates continue climbing despite weaker jobs data and temporary relief from European financial concerns, highlighting shifting labor market dynamics, Treasury yields, inflation pressures, and persistent bond market selling. ----------------------------------------------------- Matt began as an originator in 2002. He fell in love with the idea of following MBS in real-time but felt that existing products were only scratching the surface. Thus was born MBS Live in 2007, the first-of-its-kind platform with real-time market data/analysis, and live chat with analysts, traders, and originators around the country. He is currently the Founder and CEO of MBS Live! He's been covering bond/mortgage markets, writing commentary, alerts, and chatting with the live community every business hour of every business day ever since. Matt also serves as the Chief of Operations for mortgagenewsdaily.com, where he is one of the industry's most respected mortgage rate experts, frequently quoted in the media. Mortgage News Daily's rate index is used as the definitive resource on day-to-day mortgage rate averages. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son, where he enjoys skiing, fishing, coaching youth sports, playing the guitar, and more DIY projects/hobbies than he'd care to admit.