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Archive for the ‘Lead Management’ Category

US Trade Gap Narrows and Mortgage Market Heats Up

Friday, December 19th, 2008


The US trade gap narrowed in the third quarter to just over $174 billion (4.8% GDP) from a downwardly revised $180.9 billion (5.1% GDP )in the second quarter. After a long dry spell, mortgage applications began to increase last month. The mortgage rates being offered were so low that almost everyone who’s not in a state of negative equity could benefit. Lending standards have tightened, so there are many individuals who can’t benefit from the low rates, or the market stimulus that came from the Fed’s pledge to buy billions of dollars of mortgage bonds. The Fed’s rate cut to near zero has put the dollar at near record lows against the Japanese Yen which has also stimulated the mortgage market. All in all, the  application activity index maintained by the Mortgage Bankers Association rose 2.9 percent to a 841.4 (seasonally adjusted) in the week ending December 12.

Lead Management Simplified!

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

In the wake of the mortgage meltdown, many mortgage professionals are starting over and there is no better way to start than simple, quick and easy. Only that and those which are guaranteed to drive revenue remains.

So in the world of rationing, how do you survive on so little for so long? You find purposeful and inexpensive or, heck, even free technology and services to help you manage the workload.

Well, Lead Management Software should be no stranger to the trend. Leads360, recognizing the needs of small mortgage shops, launched its new product for companies in need of affordable, easy-to-use lead management that is ready to go on day one.   Check out Leads360 Express for a free 60-day trial (it’s always free for 1 user!).

The D++ faucet is on for Debt leads

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Double Positive has just announced that they are now able to supply hot transfer debt leads through their relationships with top-notch lead generation companies.  For those readers that are not aware of Double Positive, they are the leader in hot transfer leads.  Hot transfers are a productive marketing source for some of our clients, and if you are looking for something to jump start your Debt business, they may be just what you are looking for.  For more information click here and tell them that Leads360 sent you.

Senate Finance Committee on Healthcare Reform: “We need IT help, lots of it.”

Friday, September 12th, 2008

The Senate Finance committee recommended that the Federal Government take the lead on healthcare reform by implementing solutions that would not only cut costs but improve care. After recent hearings, the committee recommended that Pay for Performance healthcare, increased transparency and Health IT would do wonders to reign in an industry whose inefficiencies have become increasingly elephantine in recent years. It’s no wonder that better IT service top their recommendations given that such an overhaul would necessarily result in greater transparency. Software solutions are increasingly being adopted throughout the healthcare industry to help providers, insurers, and patients get the best return on their spend. While relations between these three groups can get adversarial at times, everyone would benefit from wasteful inefficiencies being eliminated or reduced.

Make money through enjoyment - the PebbleStorm ethos

Friday, September 12th, 2008

Why do you do your job?  Why do you work on projects?  The answer is likely that you work to make money and you work for personal gratification and enjoyment.  If you hated your work 100%, you would chose a different career.  One of the best things about working at Leads360 is that the people here genuinly enjoy their jobs in addition to being well compensated for their work.

Legislators Target Shady Practices of Health Insurers

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-Southgate) has introduced a piece of legislation that aims to curb the most unfair practices engaged in by some insurance companies. Most notably, AB 1945 will force insurers to prove that a pre-existing health condition was diagnosed prior to the policy having been written if they want to cancel the policy based on those grounds. There are more far reaching measures in the bill that would necessitate state review of all policy cancellations. State review would be performed by Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance and would effectively establish industry standards for application processes, restraining the incentive insurance companies have to clip the benefits of the insured at the time when they are most needed.  The Department of Managed Health Care has investigated claims by patients who had their policies canceled even when health conditions were diagnosed years after the policies were written. Such cancellations are already illegal. Tracking them down and levying fines is not difficult for State Agencies to do, but such measures are often beside the point for families facing health crises where quick, quality health care is critical to recovery. If this bill passes into law, it will be another complication for insurance companies looking to sort through possible customers. As insurance providers and brokers face new customer acquisition hurdles it may become increasingly important for them to optimize their sales and marketing through effective lead management and other software solutions.

In Alabama, insurance fees go up with the needle on the scale

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

The state of Alabama has announced to its more that 37,000 state employees that it will begin billing them for being overweight. Employees have a year to demonstrate that they are working on slimming down, exercising, eating more healthily.  If they fail to do so, they will be charged a $25 monthly insurance surcharge. Alabama is third in the nation for obesity, and already charges state employees more for insurance if they smoke. The yearlong period they have to prove they are serious about their weight and health is measured by blood pressure and blood glucose levels. Test poorly now; you’ve got a year to straighten it out. Test the same or worse at the end of that year; you pay $25 a month. As medical research continues to uncover the cost of a chronically unhealthy public, employers adapt to cut their costs and shift some responsibility to the insured. Good insurance lead management software can help insurance companies stay on top of the shifting landscape that result from these advances in medical technology and their real world ramifications.

FDIC restructuring many IndyMac Mortgages

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

After taking control of IndyMac in July and putting a temporary moratorium on foreclosures, the FDIC is attempting to set an industry example for large scale, systematized refinancing for troubled borrowers. Motivated by the fact that foreclosures are good for neither bank nor borrower, the FDIC is refinancing 25,000 mortgages formerly held by IndyMac with loans as low as 3%. This standardized approach to addressing borrower woes which can be quite varied is not without critics. Given that some of these mortgages are still likely to foreclose, there could be problems down the road with any potential buyers of IndyMac’s Assets. The FDIC appears to be eager to take some action after declaring the foreclosure ceasefire, which can’t last forever. It could be that lenders will appreciate some attempt at a solution that aims to reduce foreclosures. But given that the FDIC can’t even make the guarantee that they’ll attempt this with any future failed banks, it’s hard to imagine this plan will attract many speculators with big checkbooks.

Credit crunch hits universities as they struggle to keep enrollment high.

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Keeping enrollment up during the credit crunch is a difficult task faced by the nation’s colleges and universities. Moody’s Investor Service recently downgraded their rating of the nation’s colleges and universities. Half a year ago they indicated that the financial outlook for such institutions was stable, but in light of the persistent downturn in the economy, they have reconsidered.
Having diversified sources of income, Colleges and universities have always fared well, even when tuition outpaces inflation. But the credit crunch resulting from the subprime lending crisis has lenders everywhere tightening their purse strings. Federal regulators have recently loosened restrictions on student and parent loans to make it easier to keep students enrolled. Even so, lenders are dropping their less profitable loan products. With fewer lenders and dwindling home equity, all the usual sources of extra money to keep students enrolled are drying up.
Universities across the nation are scrambling to find other ways to make attending school cheaper. Some schools are offering classes only four days a week, so students don’t have to drive to campus five days a week. Schools across the country are seeing increased enrollment in their online classes. While online classes aren’t any cheaper, enrolling in them does cut down on gas prices, which continue to climb.
The more challenging it becomes to hit target enrollment numbers, the more universities are making use of lead management software to find more students to fill their classes.

Fannie and Freddie Bailout Price Tag - $25 Billion?

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

A price has been put on the potential Fannie and Freddie bailout. The price tag could be as much as $25 billion. It is not a fait accompli, however. Peter R. Orszag, Director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office put the odds at better than half that Fannie and Freddie will not use need any cash. Critics of the bailout maintain that homeowners should be the first to benefit from any taxpayer help. But if it is approved by congress, restoring confidence to investors in the U.S. and internationally is the bailout’s aim.  We will continue to closely watch the developments at Fannie and Freddie along with our mortgage broker and mortgage banker clients.