This podcast segment explores the complex debate around loan level price adjustments (LLPAs), examining how risk-based pricing, capital return expectations, and potential reforms could impact housing affordability—especially for first-time homebuyers.

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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!

This podcast segment breaks down the 10-year Treasury’s technical resistance at 4.0%, muted bond market reactions to mixed economic data, tariff-driven volatility, and the return of top-tier 30-year mortgage rates to 5.99%.

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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 MBSLive!

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.

Divorce is one of the most overlooked opportunity channels in the mortgage industry — yet nearly every divorce involves real estate, refinancing, assumptions, equity buyouts, or forced sales. In this powerful and personal episode of Lykken on Lending, I sit down with board-certified family law attorney Jimmy Evans to unpack the real challenges divorcing homeowners face: assumable low-rate mortgages, short sales, capital gains exposure, credit risk, and poorly written divorce decrees that can derail future financing. What shocked me most? After handling thousands of divorce cases, Jimmy has virtually no consistent mortgage referral relationships. For loan officers looking to add value and build a steady referral pipeline, this conversation reveals a massive untapped opportunity hiding in plain sight.

02-23-2026 "You Want Battle? (Here's a War)" Oil War Drums Are Beating

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Who will not take this anymore? News, Iran, EU, what’s ignored? You Want a Battle? Is it a war?

April Crude Oil pushed above $66 a barrel, its highest level since July 2025. War drums continue to bother Oil and sustain the Dollar, while Bonds ignore it.

The US growth and inflation send mixed signals. So, the new bull market has no momentum and will be on its heels if the 10-year yield closes above 4.10. Yet, sub-6% remains the target for the 30-year mortgage rate.

Don’t Be Afraid

These views are mine. See danger by signing up at les@parkerandcompany.net.

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Song: You Want a Battle? (Here's a War) (2015) Bullet For My Valentine

Bullet for My Valentine is a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998.

NOTE TO ALL: To sign-up send your contact information to les@parkerandcompany.net. In March, we will be making content delivery changes, so get on board now.

This podcast segment highlights the MBA’s recent meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to advance housing affordability initiatives, capital reform efforts, GSE policy updates, and proposed changes to credit reporting, FHA premiums, and LLPAs.

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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.

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.

Mortgage rates are edging tantalizingly close to the 6% threshold, fueled by a benign CPI report, bond-friendly employment revisions, and shifting job market dynamics. But while the headlines suggest momentum building for lower rates—and perhaps a pickup in refinance activity—this moment calls for strategic discipline, not complacency. In this segment, we unpack what the latest economic data is really signaling, why mortgage rates are diverging from the 10-year Treasury, how AI may be reshaping hiring patterns, and why lenders must resist the temptation to chase easy refi volume at the expense of purchase relationships. The opportunity is real—but so are the risks if leaders misread the cycle.

This podcast segment examines the rising burden of 50-state mortgage regulation, the escalating costs of state audits, and why recent housing reform efforts may not provide the operational relief lenders are hoping for.

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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!