Mortgage Connects knowledge hub

Mike Olden of American Reporting Company (ARC) answers the most frequently asked questions about credit scores and credit reporting.

Learn what mortgage insurance is and why you should bring it up in conversations with borrowers and real estate agents.

Designed to calculate income for self-employed borrowers, salaried borrowers, rental properties and more.

As a mortgage professional, learning the nuances of gift fund requirements for conventional mortgage loans can help you explore all options with your borrowers.

Discover 5 reliable ways to expand referral networks and bolster borrower leads.

The answer? Responsive service! Get 3 key strategies to strengthen referral relationships and become the go-to loan officer for your real estate agents.

Learn how Choice Monthly differs from traditional premium plans and how it can benefit both budget-conscious borrowers and loan officers.

Learn how to nurture ties with partners both inside and outside the mortgage industry.

Explore MGIC's 4 most popular premium plans at a high level.

Learn how to address 4 common myths that may be holding millennial homebuyers back.

We share key findings from the latest Loan Originators Survey, conducted by MGIC and Loan Officer Hub.

Gain new insights on marketing, referrals, productivity and more in the 2024 Loan Originators Survey Report.

Use this sample text provided by Mike Olden of American Reporting Company to help consumers opt out of credit solicitations.

Easily determine the eligibility of restricted stock unit income and calculate monthly qualifying income in cash or shares.

Gibran Nicholas discusses the often-overlooked potential of financial advisors as high-quality referral sources for loan officers.

Get tips from Tony Thompson and Sarah Vita on how to tap into the growing Hispanic Market.

Heather Bowman of Finally Home!® discusses the power of education for homebuyers and homeowners throughout the purchase process and beyond.

Danny Garcia-Velez, SVP of sales and business development for MGIC, shares his perspective on leadership, inclusivity and remembering his roots.

Are restricted stock units part of your borrower’s compensation? Don’t panic. This tutorial will take you step by step through the process of documenting, analyzing and calculating income from this source.

To gain an edge over the competition, loan officers may need to go beyond traditional referral sources. These 7 unexpected referral sources could help you find a new niche.

Get a deeper understanding of the Hispanic culture so you can be in a better position to help mortgage-ready Hispanic borrowers achieve their dreams of homeownership.

By positioning yourself as a trusted advisor through proactive education, you not only assist buyers but can also secure more business. Discover 7 key strategies.

Boost your online presence with our social media calendar for loan officers! Get 30 post ideas, trending hashtags and expert tips to attract leads and build client relationships.

Share our popular myth-busting series with your borrowers and referral partners. Includes: "The truth about 6 common mortgage myths," "The truth about private mortgage insurance" and "The truth about buying your first home."

Whether you're a new loan officer or a seasoned pro, the basics of selling are key to your success. The 7 topics in this ultimate guide for LOs will help you get started or brush up your skills.

Mortgage experts Heather Bowman, Finally Home!®; Tay Toliver, Thrive Mortgage; and Dustin Owens, The Loan Officer Podcast share innovative strategies to help you maintain a full pipeline through borrower education.

Discover how making a small investment in homebuyer education will pay big dividends for you and your customers.

Gain a better understanding of business liquidity and the role this accounting principle plays in analyzing the stability of self-employed borrower income.

Share this 10-point checklist with your borrowers to equip them with essential truths about budgeting, credit, emergency funds and more.

Listen as Marc Williams, senior loan officer at Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, shares insights into how financial literacy can boost wealth-building efforts through homeownership.

Amplify your online presence by capitalizing on the power of social media. 12 pre-made posts are ready for you to download and start sharing on your social networks today.

By championing financial literacy, you're not just helping borrowers – you're building stronger relationships and fostering a more responsible lending environment. See how you can make a difference.

Share this fun 10-question quiz with your would-be borrowers to help them find out how much they know (and don’t know) about the homebuying process. Available in English or Spanish.

Often considered digital natives, millennials are reshaping the homebuying journey. Discover traits and trends you need to know to engage, build trust and foster relationships with this tech-savvy generation.

Share these 3 real-life examples of how MI's advantages can help them achieve their homeownership dreams.

What do statistics tell us about the future of homeownership and what does it mean for community banks? Take a look at the reasons community banks could be at an advantage for future growth.

Introducing the new Mortgage Connects knowledge hub. 100s of resources in ONE destination—all yours and curated to help you meet today’s industry challenges and grow your business.

In honor of Women's History Month, we interview Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose, president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB).

Watch these 3 real-life case studies and learn: where to look for business miles on tax forms; how to confirm the use of standard deduction; and what common mistakes to avoid.

This overview tutorial defines the difference between the use of actual expenses and standard deduction when it comes to adding back vehicle mileage depreciation in a Schedule C.

Discover how Schedule K-1s affect mortgage qualification in this video. View 5 common scenarios to learn who gets them, why they matter and how to use earnings.

Take advantage of the power of social media to generate leads and referrals with curated posts and images ready to download, post and share.

We cover the latest SEB income calculation tools for the 2023 tax year, plus IRS tax and GSE guideline changes that may affect cash flow.

Use the insights in this infographic to help you understand your opportunity to help support future Black homeowners.

How LOs can partner with HR departments to connect with large groups of potential homebuyers.

From budgeting and understanding credit to preventing identity theft and navigating down payment options, this informational series provides borrowers with essential keys to successful homeownership.

Help your homebuyers see the milestones ahead and stay the course to their ultimate destination - the home of their dreams.  

Kayla Kallander, mortgage loan officer at First International Bank & Trust, shares actionable tips and tricks to help mortgage professionals maximize their social media strategies.

Listen in as Kevin Peranio, chief lending officer at PRMG, reveals top strategies to thrive in the current interest rate environment amidst the challenges of the mortgage industry.

Debunk common mortgage myths and show prospective borrowers all their options to help guide them on their homebuying journey.

This handy guide is chock-full of facts to help loan officers and real estate agents debunk the 6 most persistent myths today's homebuyers believe.

This foundational video discusses who can be considered self-employed, eligibility requirements and what facts must be considered when evaluating self-employed income.

See how correctly documenting your file can expedite turn times, what tools can help you confidently calculate qualifying income and more about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac documentation.

Learn how to look at income from a mortgage perspective, 3 key concepts used during the cash flowing process and how to analyze earnings trends to correctly calculate qualifying income.

Discover how understanding the different types of business structures can help you analyze your self-employed borrowers' income.

Uncover important mortgage industry insights to help build your referral strategies from MGIC's 2023 Loan Originators Survey Report.

Our on-demand video training series helps loan officers, lenders and other mortgage industry professionals expand their knowledge in 15 minutes or less.

Explore non-taxable income, like Social Security, child support and alimony, and learn how to “gross up” the non-taxable portion of borrowers' income to arrive at adjusted gross income.

Get tips to determine the difference between bi-weekly and semi-monthly pay, as well as the importance of validating income documentation before calculating borrowers' qualifying income.

Learn how to determine if employment and income can be used for qualifying, the difference between fixed and variable income and more.

This brief tutorial helps you prepare for calculating your borrower's income under unusual circumstances, like when your borrower is unemployed or on leave.

This brief video provides guidance for calculating income for borrowers who are teachers, postal workers, seasonal or union workers, or in the military.

This brief tutorial shows how assessing the overall risk present in a file plays an important role in income calculation and delivers some helpful guidelines for calculating variable income.

An interview with Daniel Gomez, branch manager at DHI Mortgage, in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.

An educational tool for your borrowers to help them understand the meaning behind their credit score numbers and how they can improve their score.

Explore our library of resources (available in English and Spanish) to understand, reach and guide mortgage-ready Hispanics on the journey to homeownership and expand your market.

Watch this video to learn about Hispanic homebuyers, a vibrant, growing origination opportunity.

Ready-made workshops help you build stronger relationships with real estate agents and other referral partners. Gain access to everything you need to host a business-building workshop.

Mortgage industry coach/trainer Ron Vaimberg shares tips for loan officers to connect with referral partners, including the right questions to ask and how to play to your strengths.

Gain access to MGIC's editable and auto-calculating self-employed borrower and income analysis worksheets.

Handy list educates borrowers on what they should avoid doing during the mortgage process to help ensure their loan is approved on time.

Share these 5 benefits of homeownership with renters to help them see the big-picture value of owning a home.

Traits, trends and preferences you need to know to build trust and foster relationships with first-time homebuyers.

Listen in as Matt Weaver, VP of mortgage sales at CrossCountry Mortgage, discusses referral partner relationships and strategies.

Enhance your next social media post with this ready-made visual about the value of homeownership. Tailored specifically for LinkedIn and Facebook.

Hear about PAL Kauai’i’s mission to provide permanently affordable and sustainable living solutions for the people of Hawaii.

Discover more about the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) from its director of corporate solutions, Jade Winfrey.

This user-friendly calculator quickly shows renters and first-time homebuyers why it could make financial sense for them to buy a home now rather than wait to save a 20% down payment.

This handy flyer introduces potential homebuyers to our Buy Now vs. Wait Calculator that instantly provides a comprehensive comparison of the financial implications of either choice.

Learn how mortgage insurance can help your borrowers save a deal threatened by an appraisal gap.

User-friendly homebuying calculators help borrowers crunch the numbers to see that buying a home is possible.

Access tools and information you can use to educate and guide your borrowers through the homebuying journey. Available in English and Spanish.

Ready-to-share social media image is sized perfectly for LinkedIn and Facebook. Simply download and add to your next social media post.

Learn about the ways Housing Resources, Inc., opens the door to homeownership though comprehensive homebuyer education, help overcoming obstacles and financial empowerment.

Customer trainer Sandra Sweeney discusses MGIC’s comprehensive self-employed borrower resource program - including the cash flow worksheets for 2022.

Hear about soft and hard credit inquiries, credit score factors and other credit-related topics from Mike Olden, VP of sales & education at American Reporting Company.

Mortgage insurance allows your buyers to put down less than 20%. Pass along the MI basics with this information sheet.

This practical guide explains the importance of budgeting and how to evaluate spending patterns to uncover savings opportunities. Part 1 of our Get Ready! series.

Help your borrowers learn how to establish and maintain - or regain - good credit by sharing this useful guide. Part 2 of our Get Ready! series.

Help borrowers understand how lenders review credit history to determine their creditworthiness by sharing this useful guide. Part 3 of our Get Ready! series.

This informative guide details how preventing identity theft is key for borrowers in protecting their credit standing. Part 4 of our Get Ready! series.

This shareable guide explains mortgage insurance options that might help your borrowers find more down payment funds or put less down. Part 5 of our Get Ready! series.

Download this ready-made credit score basics social shareable and upload to LinkedIn or Facebook to boost engagement on your social media platforms.

Get practical advice from a top loan originator for growing and building referral partner relationships.

Practical guide explains the characteristics of the 5 common business structures of self-employed borrowers: sole proprietorship, partnership, S corporation, corporation and LLC.

See a quick comparison of MGIC's 4 most popular premium plans, including BPMI Monthly, BPMI Single, BPMI Choice Monthly and LPMI Single Premiums.

See how mortgage insurance can help your first-time homebuyers buy sooner and build more equity with a lower down payment.

Discover how mortgage insurance can help your move-up buyers afford more home, buy sooner and expand their cash flow options.

Hear from Sean Moss, EVP at Down Payment Resource, about how this enterprise tool can help mortgage pros find, explore, track and monitor DPA programs in their area.

This quick-hitting video provides an overview of ways mortgage insurance can help broaden borrowers' financial options to find the loan that works best for them.

Watch this video to learn about the ways mortgage insurance can help move-up buyers afford more home by putting down less than 20%.

A quick-hitting summary of insights gleaned from MGIC's 2022 Loan Originators Survey Report.

Hipolito "Hip" Garcia, vice president at OneTrust Home Loans, discusses why Latinos are the driving force behind the housing market.

Unlock keys to understanding and engaging with the future wave of Gen Z homeowners.

Solutions, the fourth pillar in MGIC’s ARCS framework, highlights products and programs that may meet the unique needs of creditworthy minority applicants.

Community, the third pillar in MGIC's ARCS framework, reinforces how collective action can help address housing challenges in your target communities.

ARCS framework checklist helps lenders ask the right questions to build an affordable homeownership and racial equity plan in 4 areas: Awareness, Readiness, Community & Solutions.

Readiness, the second pillar in MGIC's ARCS framework, stresses the value of financial literacy in addressing the racial equity gap in homeownership.

Down Payment Resource’s database of homeownership programs and suite of tools helps lenders connect their borrowers to the DPA assistance they need.

Down Payment Connect is the affordable, effortless down payment assistance look-up tool that delivers quick access to available DPA programs in your borrowers' state.

Learn more about United Way’s Safe & Stable Homes initiative to improve housing and financial security and end family homelessness in Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County.

See how Awareness, the first pillar in MGIC's ARCS framework, can help you reach out to mortgage-ready minority borrowers.

Introducing MGIC's 5-part Affordable Homeownership Series: Addressing the racial equity gap in homeownership.

An insider’s experience in developing a multicultural lending action plan and his advice to loan officers looking to serve more diverse communities.

Listen as Karen Chiu discusses her experiences and insights into the challenges many Asian Americans face in homebuying and the mortgage industry.

Amber Lawrence, AVP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the MBA, discusses why creating an inclusive workplace is crucial, the MBA’s 5 pillars of DEI and other key DEI topics.

Listen as Ryan Hills, regional director of Movement Mortgage, talks about the evolution of his business and successful career as a top originator and content creator.

See how mortgage insurance can help your buyers looking to purchase a fixer-upper keep more cash in the bank for home improvements and renovations.

Discover how Joanna Garcia realized her own American Dream by helping her Cuban community realize theirs.

Lenny McNeill, EVP of U.S. Bank Home Mortgage, discusses the need for homebuyer education in boosting homeownership rates in ethnically diverse communities.

Jeff Platfoot, MGIC customer trainer, covers what mortgage industry pros can expect as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pivot from the classic FICO model to new credit score models.

Steve Kyles, partner with Mortgage Animals, shares insights and tools that have helped him succeed for over 17 years in the mortgage industry.

Bestselling author Todd Duncan talks about the importance of mindset, attitude and knowing your "why" in building a successful career in the mortgage and real estate industries.

Discover more about eClose and Service First Mortgage's experience with this digital mortgage process.

Take a deeper dive into the term “standard coverage” and its direct impact on lenders with MGIC’s customer trainer, Jeff Platfoot.

Maria Vergara, director of community lending at Fannie Mae, reveals why working with Hispanic homebuyers should be part of lenders’ origination strategies.

“Freedom is everything” to Eddy Perez, CMB, co-founder and CEO of Equity Prime Mortgage. Learn how his family’s immigration from Cuba shaped Eddy’s future and success.

Angel Alban, president at Zventus and chairman/co-founder of blockchain Hyperledger Mortgage Subgroup, shares why working hard, helping others and dreaming big can make it happen.

Armando Falcon, CEO of Falcon Capital Advisors LLC, expounds on his efforts to clean up the operations of the GSEs before the financial crisis as well as mortgage finance reforms.

Hear how lenders can support multicultural growth and incorporate diversity in the workplace from Senior Manager Edgar Hernandez, MCOE, CUNA Mutual Group.

Hear about the ways Service First Mortgage overcame operations, recruitment and marketing challenges post-pandemic.

Discover the do's and don'ts of keeping social media profiles and posts compliant in the highly-regulated financial industry.

Get the inside scoop on distinctive economic and social circumstances and challenges that faced 2021 homebuyers from Freddie Mac’s Danny Gardner.

Joel Mahakian offers advice for those pursuing a successful career in the mortgage industry, including how “when you do the right thing, the money will come.”

Hear Sean Phalon, AREAA vice chair, discuss how understanding Asian Americans and their subcultures plays an important role in connecting with this homebuyer demographic.

Gain industry insights and tips to overcome obstacles and grow your business from Phil Treadwell, national director of sales innovation & strategy for Thrive Mortgage.

Chelsea Peitz dives into the essentials that business professionals should consider when building their personal brand on Instagram.

Key insights from Kyle Draper, social media guru, about where mortgage professionals should be spending their time on social media to maximize their reach.

Take a deeper dive into specific requirements for gift documentation with MGIC's national trainer, Hali Plachecki.

Learn more about Freddie Mac’s support of equitable housing from Danny Gardner. Danny also shares his experiences in the affordable and inclusive lending space.

Jim Park, executive chairman and founding partner of The Mortgage Collaborative, discusses strategies for connecting with Asian Americans in the mortgage industry.

Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina, shares how his humble beginnings and the guidance from role models and mentors led to his life of public service.

Tony Thompson shares how the lack of women, millennials and minorities in the mortgage banking industry was the impetus for founding the National Association of Minority Bankers of America.

Lisa Rice, president & CEO of National Fair Housing Alliance, discusses how the legacy of discrimination resulted in disparities of wealth, homeownership and opportunity.

Uncover MI strategies to help you broaden your borrower's financial options, create new opportunities and earn more deals.

Loan Officer Hub, powered by MGIC, gathers the best information and resources from around the mortgage industry to help loan officers grow, learn and succeed. Get the latest insights!

Send your potential homebuyers to Readynest for tips, tools, and information that breaks down the homebuying process into bite-size topics. Accessible in English and Spanish.

Use this handy guide to MGIC's consumer calculators to help homebuyers understand their financial options.

Help your customers get a jump-start on creating a realistic household budget by sharing these useful tips from Readynest.

Access this step-by-step guide for borrower-requested and lender-required MGIC mortgage insurance cancellation under HPA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines.

Get the basics about cancelling mortgage insurance in this step-by-step guide (available in English and Spanish).

Homebuyers can use this chart to compare the features of up to 3 houses.

Borrowers saving up for a down payment can use this worksheet to track their expenses and create a livable budget.

This home maintenance checklist helps homeowners decide when to perform a maintenance checkup and what to look for.