This week, HousingWire’s Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler interviews Michael Franco, the chief executive officer of SitusAMC. In this episode, Franco discusses the company’s explosive growth and what he thinks are the most impactful changes for the mortgage industry in 2021.

Here is a small preview of the interview, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity:

Sarah Wheeler: This has been a wild year for the mortgage industry – What do you believe have been the most impactful changes here in 2021?

Michael Franco: This has certainly been a big year for change. Do you start with the GSEs and the change in FHFA Chairman from Calabria to Thompson? These were certainly pretty huge, as well as the non-owner occupied caps, the Safe Harbor QM, as well as CFPB changes in leadership and regulatory stances. I mean, all of these are just massive. However, I think the number one thing is really the change in profitability. That to me is what it all boils down to. You know, at the end of the day, everybody’s concerned with how all these things really impact their bottom line, and if your bottom line is healthy because you’ve got really wide margins, you don’t really care if you know there are different permutations in the industry as to how things are being treated. They’re things to adjust to, but they could fit within your economic model. I think what people are most concerned with today is what this is going to look like moving forward from a profitability standpoint.

The Housing News podcast explores the most important topics happening in mortgage, real estate, and fintech. Each week a new mortgage or real estate executive joins the show to add perspective to the top stories crossing HousingWire’s news desk. Hosted by Sarah Wheeler and produced by Alcynna Lloyd.