Jon Wierks of First American Data & Analytics on the Future of AVMs

Jon Wierks heads development of valuation analytics for First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., including the company’s automated valuation models. He has played a role in developing many of the industry’s most commercially successful AVMs for the past 25 years.

MBA Welcomes Its New Members

The Mortgage Bankers Association welcomed the following new members in April:

Vote: MBA.org Finalist for Website of the Year

mba.org has been chosen as one of three finalists for the 2023 Sitefinity Website of the Year Awards. MBA members can vote to ensure mba.org is the winner.

Casey Cunningham of XINNIX on Why Today’s Mortgage Downturn is Best Time to Upskill

The current mortgage industry downturn, while extremely challenging, is also an opportunity for banks to upskill for the future, says Casey Cunningham, CEO/Founder, XINNIX. Specifically, she recommends that leaders use this time to re-evaluate their approach to sales, and potentially discover exciting new paths to growth.

Toby Wells of Cornerstone Servicing on Customer Retention and Technology

Toby Wells has more than 25 years of experience in servicing, originations, capital markets and asset management. He currently serves as president of Cornerstone Servicing, Englewood, Colo., a division of Cornerstone Capital Bank SSB, Houston, a provider of mortgage servicing platforms designed to empower healthy, sustainable homeownership. He can be reached at twells@cornerstoneservicing.com.

Unemployment Claims at 6-Week High

Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose again last week to their highest level in six weeks and well above pre-pandemic levels, the Labor Department reported Thursday.