Insights

In a good first mortgage purchase/refinance market, home equity lending competes with first lien originations from an appraisal, title and servicing aspect. Yet appraiser shortages, staff burnout and fatigue, especially in the real estate market, are very real. In addition, borrowers lose jobs, get divorced or pass away and loans become delinquent. These life events are all things even the best underwriter cannot foresee. This seller's market is frenetic, with homes selling quickly. That is pus

In addition to protecting yourself against COVID-19, it's also critical to take precautions to avoid other illnesses, especially during flu season. While viruses can circulate year-round, flu activity tends to surge in the fall and winter months. During this time, there are several measures that you can implement to keep both yourself and others safe and healthy at work. Consider these best practices from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration amid flu season: Stay Home if You Feel S

It's a revolution that seemed to ride in from out of nowhere. Electric bicycles - e-bikes - have exploded in popularity recently. Between 2020 and 2023, it's predicted that 130 million e-bikes will be sold.  It is a far cry from just a few years ago. From 2006 through 2012, e-bikes made up just 1 percent of all annual bike sales . In 2013, only 185,000 e-bikes were sold in the US. Yet, with technology comes risk. Between January 2018 and September 2019, 10 people died from injuries sustain

In the third of installment of our four key issues impacting trade credit risk over the next year, we look at how the changing credit, economic and Covid environment will impact high risk 'zombie companies.' One of the largest global airlines is one. Most of their planes are provided by a global manufacturer that is one as well. So: what is a 'zombie company?' Generally, a zombie company is identified as a business in operation for over 10 years that generates just enough cash - or not qui

As a reminder, beginning January 1, 2022, employers are required to report their Washington employees' wages and hours and collect the premiums from employees' wages for their new state's long-term care (LTC) program, called WA Cares Fund. Employers are not required to contribute to this program. (WA Cares Fund was discussed in a June 8, 2021 article in Compliance Corner, which can be found here.) The WA Cares Fund premium for 2022 is 0.58% of an employee's gross wages without a maximum limit.

Acquiring new business and merging with another entity means that your company is taking on not only their business operations but also their liabilities. And some liabilities may be hidden from view. Performing Due Diligence  Such was the case when a major retailer was performing due diligence during the acquisition of a competitor. During that process, the buyer found that a dry-cleaning business was one of the tenants in common. The buyer then conducted a permeated slab, soil, and conta

One case, One billion  In August 2021, a Florida jury awarded damages above $1 billion in a wrongful death case involving a crash that killed one person.  While the case is unprecedented, it illustrates the atmosphere contributing to a hard insurance market for commercial trucking operations. Another verdict in 2020 awarded $411 million, and such awards are becoming more commonplace. That reality puts extensive pressure on insurance carriers, evidenced by one of the hardest overall in

When it comes to launching something new at your organization, whether it's a wellness program, employee benefits or your total rewards package, I think we can agree that the key to success is strong employee communication. In fact, 89% of people believe that effective communication is extremely important. In contrast, 8 out of 10 people rate their own business' communication as either average or poor. Successful communication within your organization builds trust and buy-in among employees. It

With the complexity of many projects, getting to a successful outcome has become a journey fraught with bad turns. Problems get buried or unreported, and costs begin to mount with so many moving parts and activities. It is relatively easy for executive teams to lose sight of the minutiae. Although the performance of the subcontractors is a major component of project success, it is not the biggest issue. Instead, lack of communication is the biggest issue, and solving that may resolve many other