For this week’s episode of LodeStar Lending Leaders, we were beyond excited to sit down with Rob Chrisman of the Chrisman Commentary. In our industry, he’s a legend who needs no introduction. He was kind enough to give some of his time to our podcast while attending IMB23 in sunny Coronado, California.

The Larger Conversation

In our industry, there’s lots of noise, most of it gossip. After decades in the industry, Rob has developed an acute sense of what’s important to listen to. In Rob’s estimation, mortgages themselves haven’t changed that much over the years. The goal has stayed the same: produce a quality mortgage at a good price, with low overhead, in a compliant manner. Then, service that loan. The news, technology, and people involved in that process change, but the fundamentals remain. The goal, then, is to contribute to an ongoing conversation.

Conferences: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A while ago, Jim reached out to Rob with some less-than-flattering comments on industry conferences:

“At this point, I have adopted a ‘nothing good happens after 9PM’ approach to conferences and bow out after I have gone to my meetings. As a vendor, there are only a few conferences I feel are worthwhile to be an exhibitor. I find myself nervous to send younger female employees alone to conferences due to the personal experiences they have come back with regarding inappropriate behavior. Headlines like conference fist fights between mortgage professionals… definitely do not reflect well on the industry.”

Last November, Rob was kind enough to include Jim’s words in his Commentary.

While both Jim and Rob stress the importance of conference, coming together as an industry, and making in-person connections, Rob also acknowledges that some people go to conferences to learn, others to party. From a management perspective, you want your people to be sharp for conferences. Being drunk or hungover doesn’t help you make contacts or network with partners, so employers and the industry as a whole ought to have a vested interest in making sure that conferences don’t go off the rails.

Optimism and Insight

That’s all the more reason to focus on the the larger conversation. We as an industry need to stay focused on fulfilling our prime initiative: produce good quality mortgages. For precisely that reason, Rob likes helping people stay focused and optimistic by passing along his expertise, insight, and observations in the Chrisman Commentary. And we at LodeStar are certainly grateful for Rob’s voice in the ongoing conversation.

In the unlikely event you aren’t already familiar with Rob’s work, please check out the Chrisman Commentary. It’s a great resource!

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