Superstar Secrets

There are many secrets to becoming a top producer, including a number of strategic systems and other elements that superstars use to reach the highest levels of origination. The following comments highlight the business secrets from several of the nation’s top producing originators.

“The primary reason I have been able to grow my business over the years has been the laser focus on developing, maintaining, and marketing to my database of closed loan clients. As the market has shifted from Realtors controlling 65 percent of the purchase business, to the present number of 25 percent, I have been able to maintain a high production level because of constant contact with the database. We touch our client database a minimum of 15 times a year through postcards, newsletters, annual reviews and phone calls. This system buys our clients “brain cells” so whenever they have a mortgage need, they will think of us. On average 70 percent of my production will come directly from my closed loan clients. Approximately 15 percent of my database will either personally close a loan with me in any given year, or refer me a closed loan in that year creating an annuity business. If I am marketing to 2,000 people, I should be able to close 300 loans a year by doing nothing but staying in contact with my database.”

David Jaffe
Chase Manhattan Mortgage
Westlake Village, Calif.

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“All successful LOs know how to uncover their customer’s goals before giving advice, but the super producer needs to take it a few steps further in order to maximize their referral stream. I call this step determining the customer’s center of influence. I first determine who referred the client, and that provides a context for me. From there I ask about their profession, their affiliations with civic organizations, how long they have lived in the community and other questions to determine the breadth and nature of their influence among others. This helps me identify ‘super referral’ sources. We provide extra value to these folks. It may be referrals back to them, if we are in a position to generate referrals. If not, we make sure that our super referral sources always receive special attention as VIP clients.”

Jeff Lake
American Home Mortgage
Mt. Prospect, Ill.

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“It’s hard to name one specific ‘secret’ to define success in the ever-changing mortgage industry. Over the years, the importance of recruiting and teaching individuals who are able to function as a team has become more and more important. Players on my team are all superstars in the positions they fulfill. They are positive thinkers and doers. They are loyal to me and to each individual team member.
“Each team member shares my philosophy of ‘under promising and over delivering’ and they never miss an opportunity to spread this philosophy throughout the Realtor community. I share in the pride the team members experience with the close of every loan, no matter the difficulty or ease involved in assisting our clients with their mortgage needs. I feel very fortunate to have such a group of individuals who work with and beside me.”

Jon D. Volpe
Nova Home Loans
Tucson, Ariz.

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“In building a career as a mortgage originator—or in any other career for that matter—the key is to remember the end game. As one builds their business, you have to always keep the final goal in sight. I have always operated under two basic guidelines; one that you are only as good as your last mortgage and secondly that many smaller pieces of pie will add up to more pies. This means treat each borrower as your most important one no matter how small or large the deal is, a satisfied customer is your best referral source and there is no cost to good will. Second, no matter what put your best offer on the table first, even if it means working for less than you would like to. Especially in today’s tighter market with savvy borrowers, the best first offer is generally the one that gets the deal and a slightly lesser fee is much better than no fee at all. To sum it up do what you have to get as many deals as you can and know that they will help to create a foundation that will keep the business coming in the door; good market or bad. The key is to build a base of satisfied clients who will become your ongoing source of business. Remember, our clients either move, trade up, trade down or refi. If you do a great job with them the first time, you are sure to have them as customers for life.”

Melissa Cohn
The Manhattan Mortgage Company
New York, N.Y.

_________________________

“Unlimited energy, enthusiasm, intense drive and a genuine passion for the mortgage business—these are the ingredients for a superstar loan officer. I have consistently been one of the company’s top producers and ranked among the top loan originators nationwide. So what’s the secret to being a top performer year in and year out? A few superstar tips:

  1. Maintain a Database—I learned this very early on. Start with a program like ACT and keep track of as many parties to a transaction as you can. In a purchase transaction, your contacts should include the buyer and seller as well as both the listing and selling agents. I try and add 150 names to my database each year and take out 150 names each year. If you haven’t heard from someone in the past 24 months, chances are you can delete them from your database.
  2. Direct Marketing—I market at least six times a year to people who know me from my database. My marketing materials have a consistent look and feel; the only thing that changes is the message. By having your name in front of your clients on a consistent basis, you are always kept in the client’s presence. Whether or not they have a need for mortgage services, they will have you in mind when the right time comes.
  3. Saying Thanks—I always send a thank-you gift or note at the close of every transaction. It sounds corny and takes time as well as money, but I believe it is really worth the expense. It helps you stand out from the other loan officers and clients truly appreciate it.
  4. Honesty and Responsibility—I take full responsibility for every part of the mortgage process. Being responsible also means being accessible. My clients all know they can always reach me anytime, weekdays or weekends. At the end of the day, the client remembers you and the how smooth the process was, so it’s important to assume full responsibility. If there’s a problem or an issue, be honest and upfront about it with everyone involved. No one likes surprises in this business.”

Janna Kohl
First Financial
Los Angeles, Calif.

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“Clients don’t want a mortgage, they want money. The sooner you realize that your product is money, the easier it is to transition from a salesperson to a Mortgage Planner. A Trusted Advisor, who can monitor the market, builds relationships that create wealth for their clients and take rate out of the equation. A scripted and trained mortgage planner never sells; they teach, coach and assist their clients and referral partners.

This has helped me grow my business in hot and cool markets over the past 20+ years. I am confident that I am the best qualified professional in my market to help my clients manage their mortgage as a financial tool as well as offer market advice. I think the best mortgage professionals push themselves to gain the knowledge and training that helps them feel that they are the most educated and qualified mortgage planner in their market. It isn’t a secret, but most fail to do so.”

Barry Habib
Mortgage Market Guide
Holmdel, N.J.

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“I strongly believe in the importance of turning all of your past clients into clients for life. However, many people simply mail or market to their clients for life throughout the year. This is what I call a customer retention strategy. In this market, it is critical to adopt a customer engagement strategy. One of the engaging strategies I have developed for my clients for life is a “Family Day at the Movies.” Each year during the winter holiday season my team buys out a movie theater and invites all of our clients to bring their families to see that year’s winter-themed family movie. Each year, as a team we discuss the movies available, determine a date and make arrangements with a local movie theater. We then mail out an invitation to all of our clients for life, informing them of the event and ask that they RSVP to our office. For our VIP and Raving Fan clients we make personal phone calls inviting them to join us for the movie. Of our database of nearly 1500 clients, we usually fill the event with 400 – 450 people in attendance. After the event, it is essential for everyone on my team to make outbound phone calls to their clients to further engage in that relationship. We have been hosting this event for eight years and have experienced great success in cementing relationships with our past clients. We truly believe in targeting relationships, this is just one of the many strategies we use to continue targeting and building relationships.”

Tom Bass
Targeting Relationships Inc.
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

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“The basics of making a personal connection with our clients are the veritable foundation for which the entire relationship will be built. These relationships are key to the longevity and fruitfulness of this customer. I truly believe that the stronger the connection I have with the client, the more referrals I am likely to see during the course of our relationship.

During the initial phase of meeting someone new (either in person or over the phone), I look for areas in which I can connect with this person without being gratuitous or over-the-top—what people do we have in common, what interests do we share, where are they from originally, and such. For example, if their Social Security number starts with a ‘0’, I know that they are probably from the East coast. If it starts with a ‘5’ I know that the Northwest is (or was at some point) their home. Every now and then a client’s accent will provide the necessary ice-breaker for me to connect with the person on a level deeper than the standard ‘what interest rate I am able to offer that particular day.’

I truly believe that the more of your personality you are able to inject into the process, the more probable this new ‘prospect’ is likely to become a long-term ‘referring client’. Often times I find ways to weave elements of my personality – for example, my love of classical music – into my conversations with the client. I try to be very intuitive as to the areas in which I feel the client and I are connecting then I exploit this connection to establish long-term rapport.

In a time in our business when we have enough software and outsourcing to never actually have to get out of bed in the morning, I find it refreshing to come back to the basics of success and the prolific impact of a handwritten thank you note.”

Matt Elerding
Chase Home Finance
Vancouver, Wash.

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“My mom was a Realtor, so I grew up among them and learned first-hand that it was poor communication from their lenders that frustrated them to no end. I learned that they chose to do business with those loan originators who did a good job of keeping them informed. So, I decided early on to make “Communication the Lubrication in my Mortgage Operation.” I designed my ACTion Marketing system as a step-by-step method to communicate with the listing agent and selling agent from the initiation of my contact with their referred client, at 12 key points during the loan process, followed by an announcement of our loan approval, culminating with a copy of their referred client’s closing survey. I announced my successes on every transaction. This aggressive system of communicating was unique when I began my mortgage practice in 1985 and remains so today. My team and I separate ourselves from our competition every month, by providing exceptional communication at every step of the loan process. As a result, our business is over 90 percent Realtor referred, purchase business. I just finished reading client and Realtor surveys on 46 recent closings. Almost every one of them had a penned notation that mentioned their appreciation for our professional communication.”

Greg Frost
Frost Mortgage Banking Group
Albuquerque, N.M.

Scanners: Image or Text?

Dear Thor,
What is the difference between an image scanner and a text scanner?

An image scanner allows you to scan a document and read it later, but you can’t edit it. On the other hand, if your saved file is a text document, then you can change it. Even more important, you can do a word search. Let’s say you have all your files stored the traditional way. A prior client wants you to pull his note and see if there is a prepayment penalty. If you have your closed loans stored as text documents, then you can do a search for the client’s name and scan his note electronically, instead of going to the storage bin and looking through boxes.

Much the same as a copy machine, the more you are willing to spend, the more speed and flexibility you get. An example of the super high speed is the Kodak i840 that lists for over $50,000. For something mid range, you can get a text scanner for about $800. This would be a commercial rated flatbed scanner, versus the handheld pen style word scanners that sell for about $50. You can also buy software that can convert a saved image file to a text file for $100 to $200 dollars. This software is analogous to speech recognition software that converts voice to text.

__________

Dear Thor,
What is open-source software?

You might think of open-source software as the next generation of freeware. It is free in the sense that not only the software itself, but also the source code that makes the software tick is openly available. This means that not only can you get a free copy of the software, but you can take the existing source code and build on it before passing it on to other users. Because everybody in the world has access to the code and the ability to expand and refine it, even if you’re not a programmer yourself, the software is destined to constantly improve. The software can be downloadable to operate on a computer or it can be an online program.

The open source model is proven to work: it spawned the operating system now called Linux. Another great example of how open-source software works is Wikipedia, the Internet-based encyclopedia. There are rules and procedures to follow, but anyone can add new information to the program. Or, when using the knowledge source, if you see something that is inaccurate or obsolete, you can edit or update the data. Not only does it keep growing, but it keeps getting better. And like open-source software, you’re free to copy and distribute Wikipedia articles if you include a copy of the license.

Much open source software available today is a workable alternative to expensive software. A prime example is the OpenOffice.org office suite. It has programs very similar to those in Microsoft Office. For instance, OpenOffice.org Writer is a word processing program and would be a counterpart to Microsoft Word. While they are similar, Writer has one distinct advantage: it can save documents in the Microsoft Word “.doc” format and in a generic format called OpenDocument. Word documents, on the other hand, can be saved only in the “.doc” file format, which might not be readable without a copy of Word. Other open source software programs available are Mozilla Firefox, which is a Web browser like Internet Explorer, and the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), which can replace Adobe Photoshop.

__________

Dear Thor,
Why does my computer sometimes reboot itself?

If your computer is working normally, there are only two reasons for a reboot. One is when you initiate the reboot. This can be for several reasons. Some software installations require a reboot and part of the install routine will offer an option to reboot. This can be automatic if you have opted for automatic updates from Microsoft.

You might reboot simply because want to refresh your RAM (random access memory) by closing out partially running programs. Sometimes a program design flaw will cause what’s called a “memory leak,” where a program claims some of your computer’s memory for itself and then doesn’t give it back after it’s closed. Rebooting resets your memory, fixing the “leak.” Or, there could be a time when your computer freezes and a reboot is required. If it is so jammed that a normal restart won’t work, try holding down the on/off button.

The second reason for a reboot could be a result of a setting in your Control Panel that will automatically reboot your system any time your computer encounters an error. This is not a default setting and if it is turned on, I would turn it back off. Go to System, then Advanced. In the Startup and Recovery Settings you will see an option for Automatically Restart in the Recovery Settings. If it is checked, try deselecting it.

Superstar of the Month – Preet Kalirai

M.O.M.— How did you get started?
Kalirai—I began as a teller at Security Pacific Bank right after high school. I was there (which became Bank of America) for 9 ½ years, eventually working as assistant manager, underwriter and loan officer. I was recruited by my mentor Sean Safholm to Countrywide.

M.O.M.—What was your initial marketing activity as an originator?
Kalirai—I was working at a small branch and started calling on existing clients. I introduced myself and explained the types of services and products we offered. Of course, some of them needed attention—a refinance or other loan. Once I got an initial customer, the referrals came. I’ve never really made cold calls.

M.O.M.—How did you get started with CalPERS?
Kalirai—CalPERS is a financing program designed for members of the California Public Employees Retirement System. CalPERS (offers special interest rate and closing cost advantages. I got involved about four years ago when I got a call from a state employee. I currently handle CalPERS-based loans in California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, Nevada and Hawaii. This accounts for about 20 percent of my total production.

M.O.M.—How did you market to these clients?
Kalirai—It started with referrals, with one state employee referring another to me. CalPERS has a number of loan officers throughout the state, but they rely on a few of us more than others. Once you close a certain number of loans with them, they put you into their lead program, whereby they will send you leads that come in when state employees call for more information. I’m also listed on the CalPERS Web site, which leads to a number of calls.

I have a billboard in downtown Sacramento, the site of many state government buildings. The billboard has my picture and the CalPERS logo, along with contact information. I’ve had good success with that. In addition, a couple of times a year I send my customer/contact list a flier that highlights the benefits of a CalPERS loan.

Much of the CalPERS business is now referral-based, as one employee tells another about the program. CalPERS monitors the lead to conversion rate very closely, so it’s important that I close as many of these loans as possible.

M.O.M.—What do you recommend to orginators in other markets?
Kalirai—I believe that many markets have something resembling CalPERS. You need to evaluate your state and local programs and get to know the guidelines. Introduce yourself to the contacts and explain why your expertise and customer service approach will benefit employees. Once you get a loan or two from a state or county employee, you should begin seeing a steady stream of referrals. Of course, you can also advertise this specialty on your Web site, fliers and other marketing materials.

M.O.M.—What other marketing have you done?
Kalirai—I’ve had a small ad in Sacramento Magazine, which is aimed at businesses in the area. I actually got more calls from past customers telling me they saw it and asking for help with a loan, than from businesses.

M.O.M.—How do you stay in touch with past customers?
Kalirai—I send something to them almost every month. This includes, thank-you notes, holiday cards, seasonal cards, and tax season postcards. These are simple mailers, but help to ensure that my customers don’t forget me.

M.O.M.—How often do you ask for referrals?
Kalirai—I ask for referrals every time I speak to a customer or other contact. Even during the application process, when I’m explaining the various deadlines and other information, I will say “Please share my name and number with anyone you know who might need my assistance.” This works better than mailing postcards or newsletters.

M.O.M.—Do you have a specific niche market?
Kalirai—In addition to state employees, we also assist Spanish speaking and Indian customers. I speak Punjabi and Hindi and one of my assistants speaks Spanish. Just having one of us use their language makes them more comfortable, even though most of them speak English as well. We also offer the 1003 in Spanish.

M.O.M.—How does your Web site benefit your success?
Kalirai—My Web site notes that I specialize in CalPERS loans. It has links that give my clients the opportunity to fill out an application and fax or e-mail it to us. My site also breaks down a few financing options for our clients. They seem to appreciate the Web site because it gives them a more hands-on approach to the loan transaction. I always inform clients that they can visit my Web site and read more about the process.

M.O.M.—What is key to customer service?
Kalirai—My perspective is that it’s always what’s best for the customer. We strive to have the best customer service experience possible throughout the whole loan process. For those people who do visit the office, we have a very friendly atmosphere so clients feel comfortable. On the phone, we always thank customers for taking the time to talk with us or to gather their documents.

Throughout the process my team is in contact with customers to inform them of their loan status. That way we don’t have clients calling to ask about the status. They always have a good understanding of what’s going on and when they’re going to close.

M.O.M.—Who is on your support team?
Kalirai—I couldn’t do this without them. My two assistants are Craig Clegg and Kameka Grant. They are my right and left hands; responsible for a variety of different areas.

M.O.M.—What process do you have to handle the volume?
Kalirai—It’s fairly simple, but effective. After I first talk to the client, I pass the introductory information to one of my assistants and they complete the application. (I’ll take about 80 percent of the apps.) They pull the credit report and complete the 1003 and give that to me so that I can review it and the loan recommendation with our customer. Then I’ll give it back to one of them to complete the file for submission to our underwriter.

M.O.M.—What do you consider a key characteristic of superstar originators?
Kalirai—You have to take extra steps to impress your customers. I like to make every person feel special. When a client calls me, I still stop what I’m doing and take the application on the spot. I don’t transfer them to assistants or act like I am too busy to talk with them. If I’m driving, I will even pull my car over and take an application on the side of the road. Whatever it takes.

M.O.M.—How do you balance work with your personal life?
Kalirai—During the last few years it was difficult to have a balance. However, lately I have been scheduling more time for my family and personal life. I take more vacations and make sure to spend time watching my children’s activities. Balance is good.

Rookie Superstar – Paul Cargal

Favorite Book:
“How to Master Your Time,” by Brian Tracy

“My first loan couldn’t have been more than $200,000,” recalls Paul Cargal, 26-year-old loan officer/mortgage consultant with Metro Broker’s Financial, Atlanta, Ga., “But completing it was definitely nerve wracking because I wanted to make sure every little thing was done perfectly. I knew my performance would leave an important first impression.” A perfectionist by nature, Cargal sets lofty aspirations and says his main goal for his second year was to increase business by “providing one of the highest levels of service known in the industry.”

His ambition has certainly paid off in his second year, Cargal’s personal loan volume reached $27,000,000 with 210 closed loans. “He is one of our star originators and is very dedicated to his customers and to constantly finding ways to work smarter and help more people get into a home of their own,” remarked Judy Jones, vice president of Metro Brokers Financial.

Growing up in what he calls a “real estate family,” Cargal has always been interested in the industry but admits he wasn’t sure if he would ever make a career out of it. However, after graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Management, Cargal landed a job as a pricing coordinator in the Secondary Marketing department at Banc Mortgage. The experience was invaluable to Cargal as a new originator and taught him a great deal about different product options and pricing out loans. “I ended up liking the mortgage business so much that I decided I wanted to try to become a loan officer myself,” says Cargal.

The opportunity came when Cargal’s father, a local real estate agent, introduced him to Lloyd Carver of Metro Broker’s Financial, one of the most successful loan officers in his state. The meeting evolved into a fruitful relationship as Cargal trained for eight months as his junior loan officer. “It’s important to have a mentor and I learned a lot from him [Carver],” said Cargal. “He taught me what programs to place borrowers in, how to market myself to agents and lend loans by beating other lender’s prices.”

Of his rookie year Cargal reflects back and says, “There is not one most memorable loan that I can remember in my rookie year. Anytime I can obtain a loan for a buyer who was previously denied a loan by other lenders is memorable. Meeting any buyer’s need for a loan is also memorable.” Today, the breakdown of his business consists of approximately 40 percent new construction, 40 percent re-sales, 15 percent investor and five percent refinances. However, Cargal is quick to mention that he does not market himself to any one group of customers. “My specialty is whatever matches my customer’s portfolio, whether that is an FHA/VA, Jumbo, First-Time Homebuyer, Sub-prime, C/P or investor loan,” he remarked.

Since his training with Carver, Cargal has gone on to originate for three of Metro Broker’s offices in Georgia—located in the cities of Buckhead, Stockbridge and Peachtree City. “It was difficult at first to manage my time between all three offices,” admits Cargal, “since I obviously can’t be in all three locations at once. But once I got all of the agents on a routine, letting them know what days I would be in each office and making myself readily available on the phone, it became a lot easier.”

Along with spreading his time evenly between three offices throughout his typical 50-hour work week, Cargal also helped his business grow by implementing a few of his own marketing strategies, the first of which includes speaking in front of agent caravan meetings. “I’ll speak about different loan programs at these events,” said Cargal. At the meetings Cargal also hands out V.I.P. gift certificates for a free appraisal or to Home Depot and says he garners a good response from this. Besides public speaking, Cargal also kept his name visible throughout his second year as an originator by sending out fliers for new listings/re-sales and calling agents/builders to see if there was anything he could do for them. “I currently also send out annual mailers to my past clients and letters with pre-qualification forms attached to them. Out of 200 solicitations I receive anywhere from two to three responses.”  

Cargal credits his success to hard work, persistence, having a great processor and assistant and most importantly, the agents that put their trust in Cargal by giving him the opportunity to do business with them. He leaves the following advice for new originators. “Probably the most important thing I learned is better methods for moving loans through the loan process, for faster closings without delays,” commented Cargal. “These methods include quickly returning calls and getting pre-approvals as fast as possible to ensure nothing goes wrong.”

The EMortgage Transition

Major effort coordination will soon result in eMortgage transactions as the industry’s normal operating process. An eMortgage is done with as little paper as possible, ideally none at all. This requires major technology coordination, but many changes have already been put in place. The eMortgage is a growing and viable loan transaction method. Fannie Mae announced purchasing its 1,000th eMortgage.

When you can originate a loan, process a loan, underwrite a loan, and do all the other needed steps to market, record, ship, insure and store mortgage instruments without transferring paper from one place to another, the eMortgage will be upon you. Many hundreds have already been done. The eMortgage is no longer hung up on “if” questions. The only remaining question is “when?”

You can find critical technical information on the Internet at www.mismo.org. The eMortgage technical specifications and implementation guides provide a framework for implementing paperless mortgages with electronic signatures.  They provide links to all of the documents and work products of the MISMO eMortgage Workgroup, including:

  • SMART Doc(TM) Implementation Guide
  • SMART Doc(TM) Specification, DTDs and supporting information
  • ePackaging DTD, Specification and Implementation Guide
  • eMessaging DTD and Implementation Guide
  • Background information on eRecording, eMortgage Vaulting and the National eNote Registry concept (now the MERS eRegistry).

You may not be the technical wizard of your company, but you still need to read the eMortgage Guide final document for version 2.0. In fact, if you intend to remain in the mortgage origination business, you must read this 96 page document. It is available free as a PDF download from the above site. What will you learn?

You will discover what an eMortgage really is. You will learn what is involved with this process and will discover the benefits and cost savings you should expect to flow from the eMortgage process, all important points. As the eMortgage becomes the industry standard, you and your company must adapt to these changes or you will need to find a new career. How close is this transition? Best estimate is more than a few months, but not many more years. Adapting your technology, your work flow, staffing requirements and all the rest of the changes needed for an eMortgage environment will require time. It is not too late to do the needed planning, but it is getting late to start your planning if you are still just doing business as usual.

Page 7 of the eMortgage Guide identifies many of the expected benefits that will flow from using this technology. These include significant reductions in cycle time for all processes, increased data integrity, cost savings for system integration and increased value of eMortgage assets. Opportunities exist in many areas such as compliance, disclosure, closing, delivery, recording and servicing.

The current legal framework surrounding mortgage transactions must also evolve, and already has in many areas including passage of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN). The details of these laws and the requirements to be met therein require review by your legal staff. However, understanding and correctly implementing these laws with your eMortgage process is absolutely critical.

Another important area is notarization of documents. While the foregoing acts each address this issue, the laws of each state currently set the regulations for notarization. These will need to be modified to enable electronic notary services. Many states are already working on the needed changes; however, enabling legislation will require some time to complete. You need to determine the situation in each state where you conduct business. Additional information can be found through state and national notary associations.

eRecording is another area with conflicting positions between federal and state laws. At present, you need to clarify the rules in your county and state as to whether eDocuments are eligible for recording. This is another area of change as the various states and counties move to enact appropriate legal support for the process. Legislation in the form of the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act (URPERA), has already been adopted by some states, and provides for recording of electronic documents as originals and eliminates the need for a physical or visual image of the notary’s seal.

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) has a 16-page draft of a new loan policy available. The draft contains a number of references to electronic loan obligations designed to emphasize coverage that already exists in the current ALTA policy. Obviously title insurance is a critical part of every mortgage transaction. Therefore, you must become familiar with these requirements to ensure you will have the protection you need for each eLoan.

Consumer disclosure delivery via electronic means is also subject to regulation. You must obtain prior consumer consent to receive such disclosures. Also, some notices are not eligible for electronic delivery such as any notice of acceleration, repossession, foreclosure, eviction or right to cure relating to a credit contract secured by the consumer’s primary residence. The general laws concerning disclosure requirements are included with Regulation B and Regulation Z and in advisory letters from the Comptroller of the Currency. You will find more details beginning on page 17 of the eMortgage Guide.

Once clear of the legal hurdle sections, you get to the structure concepts of eMortgages. Standards for SMART™ documents are important to understand; not the technical aspects for managers and production staff, but the concepts. SMART is the acronym for Securable, Manageable, Archivable, Retrievable and Transferable electronic documents. In general, the document contains information describing the document, a visual representation of the document, data embedded in the document, transparent linking of the data and visual representation, electronic signatures in the document, tamper-evident security in the document and an audit trail of changes in the document. These are features not available with paper documents as there is no way to know or discover skillful changes to paper documents. In this instance, a SMART document provides superior security for each transaction.

The eMortgage guide starts with a high level overview of the general process. It then provides greater detail about specific critical topics necessary with the eMortgage concept, such as eDocs, eSignatures, ePackages, eRegistry, eDoc Delivery and the Electronic Vault. Section six reviews information concerning eDisclosure, eCredit Reports, eAppraisal and much more.

Like it or not, the eMortgage process is descending upon you. Your choice is to be prepared to adapt to these changes or to be crushed by them. What is absolutely certain is that the business is changing again. The benefits in time saved, superior service, superior transaction security, fraud defense and general efficiencies will drive these changes. Change is not new but constant. Be ready for it or join the dinosaurs.

By Bruce Forge

Rookie Superstar – Ginny Phillips

Favorite Quote
“I think I can, I think I can…” The Little Engine That Could

Advice to New Originators
“Book Yourself Solid,” Michael Port

With her husband already in the loan origination business, Ginny Phillips carefully weighed the industry’s pros and cons before leaving her prior post as director of research and communications with Langley Federal Credit Union in Virginia, where she was responsible for writing newsletter articles and designing marketing campaigns, as well as researching the various customer and program products. As Phillips commented, “My previous experience at Langley has been a big advantage. It has given me the ability to look at my production as a business and market it based on what differentiates me from other lenders. My last job focused on how to get customers to purchase new products, deepening their banking relationship and therefore making them more profitable.” Before stepping into origination, her husband’s boss at BF Saul Mortgage granted her an interview, openly discussing both the pluses and minuses of the business. Even though he ended up offering Phillips a job, it took her an additional six months before she was ready to “jump into the world of 100 percent commissions.”

After BF Saul Mortgage’s three-week intense instruction program followed by one-on-one training with a senior loan officer, which she remembers as the best part of her preparation, Phillips was still a little nervous embarking on her new career. “My first loan was a $60,000 condo and I fretted from contract to closing,” she said. “I’d been working on marketing to a few condo associations and this one was my first call back.”

However, her training coupled with hard work and a steadfast attitude proved to be a successful combination, helping Phillips, 33, to close 82 loans. In 2005 she began to implement new ways to generate business. “Every loan my rookie year was like turning on the light for the first time,” she said. “Each had its own twists and turns. Some were more difficult than others, however I learned something from each deal—what to do and what not to do in certain situations. It took a long time for me to feel confident in my ability to solve problems. Having the experience under your belt is a powerful tool when it comes to problem solving and I’ve learned a lot of creative ways to make deals work.”

Early on, Phillips decided to focus the majority of her efforts on real estate agents. “In our area, real estate agents have a tremendous amount of influence over where their buyer shops for financing,” remarked Phillips. “After identifying what I felt differentiated my company from the competition, I simply picked up the phone and started calling agents for a 10 minute face-to-face. After the meeting, I would always follow up by e-mail, then by phone and finally by mail. If I hadn’t heard from the agent within that time period, I gave them another call and asked them to lunch—repeating the process. But the one thing I think is paramount to success in this business is returning phone calls. It sounds pretty basic; however that was the number one complaint from agents in reference to other companies.” Further marketing efforts during Phillips’ first year included developing a campaign geared towards a few condominium associations in her community—sending mailers and making extra phone calls.

She also admits that being surrounded by mentors has also greatly impacted her success. “My husband William has been very supportive of the hours, phone calls and juggling and care of our daughter Jordan,” she said. “In the beginning I worked a lot. Now I have a little more control of my time. I would say that I work nine-hour days Monday through Friday. I enjoy coming in early to organize my day before the phone begins to ring.”

Another mentor, Jim Fiocca, assistant vice president and fellow loan officer has also proven to be an invaluable resource for Phillips’ trickier deals. “He took a lot of time to answer countless questions and assist in finding solutions to obstacles,” said Phillips. “And Tim Blowe, the vice president/branch manger has also been great at giving me encouragement.”

The camaraderie and trust of her support staff—in-house processor, underwriter and closer has also helped Phillips gain success. “Our office is unique in that we really support each other,” she commented. “In fact, I just made our company’s Rookie of the Year and Chairman’s club and my processor and underwriter are heading up to Maryland to attend the awards banquet to cheer me on.”

The overall breakdown of her business is 98 percent purchase units and two percent refinances; Phillips says she enjoys working with VA buyers the most. “We are surrounded by every branch of the military, which I’ve found is a truly loyal and tight-knit customer base,” she said.

Having surpassing her end-of-year goal by more than $11 million dollars, Phillips says the biggest lesson she learned was that she has the power to set expectations, both of the buyer and the agent involved. “Expectations can make or break you,” she said. “I’ve also learned that internal customer service can get you as far, if not farther, than external customer service. In other words, value those that support you. They are your competitive advantage, treat them as such.”

Phillips leaves the following advice for new originators, “Continuously follow-up with agents and past clients. Keeping my name in front of those who can positively impact my business has been priceless. The secret to my success has definitely been self-motivation, fantastic support and the drive to succeed.”

Superstar of the Month – Mark Taylor

M.O.M.— How did you get started in the lending business?

Taylor—After college in Southampton, England, I worked as a business consultant, advising companies on management, marketing and related issues. I came to the United States in 1992 on behalf of a client. A friend said he thought I would be good as an originator and in 1996 I went to work for PNC Bank in Scottsdale. I proved I could do the job, but didn’t feel there was enough product at the time, so I went to work for a brokerage. I eventually opened my own firm, but it grew to the point where I was spending too much time managing and not enough producing. I joined Security Mortgage in 2002.

M.O.M.—What was your first marketing activity?

Taylor—I called on Realtors, same as today. The key was making a point to ask them what they wanted. The responses were similar—they want docs to title early, want you to be available, ask that you do what you promise, and take care of their client. I guaranteed I would do all of that. I got my first deals based on my commitment and the business grew.

M.O.M.—How did your Realtor business evolve?

Taylor— I’ve developed a number of other strategies to benefit Realtors. For instance, every week I prepare a flier on loan program that is distributed to approximately 5,000 real estate agents throughout the valley. I determine the topic, we have it designed and printed, and a service delivers it for distribution to agents’ mailboxes.

I also send agents weekly e-mails that highlight new loan programs, which helps demonstrate that I’m the “go to” guy. This has been very successful; we recently got 19 new loans within two weeks of sending an announcement regarding a specific loan program (2/1 buydown). In addition, we send them e-mail updates at every stage of the loan process.

I also started helping Realtors refine their databases, to show how their customers could move up in properties through various ways (such as 401k analysis). This often involves me talking to their clients about options, which ultimately drives more business to agents’ pipelines.

I’ve held classes for agents on how to use Palm Pilots and Blackberries; generally how to stay abreast of technology. All of this is non-traditional marketing aimed at staying in front of agents.

We always try to provide agents with a high level of service. We continually ask what is being done (or not done) to help the Realtor. For instance, if they have to call us for an update on an appraisal or closing, we’re not doing our job.

M.O.M.—Any other advice regarding marketing to Realtors?

Taylor—I’ve learned the importance of not creating a reputation for only doing the tough loans. I recently had a conversation with a regular Realtor client who said that he typically sends me the tough deals. I asked if he was sending me the “vanilla” loans as well and he responded that “anyone can do those.” It made me realize that I might have positioned myself too much as a specialist and as a result I’m not getting all of this (and possibly other) agent’s deals. I’m planning to change my focus slightly so that they see I’m good at both the basic as well as the more challenging loans.

M.O.M.—What about advertising?

Taylor—I’ve tried lots of different types of advertising, from Yellow Pages to high quality city magazines and others. I’ve concluded that advertising doesn’t work (for me). You spend a lot of money on an ad and get someone interested in your service and then their Realtor often convinces the borrower to go with their originator. I don’t believe the ultimate response justifies the cost.

M.O.M—How do you stay in contact with past customers?

Taylor—Twenty percent of my business is generated from past customers. After meeting with a client, we send them a thank-you card and a testimonial from a current client. This usually stops the new customer from rate shopping. This is probably my most effective marketing technique.

Upon closing, we give new customers a book that contains a variety of value-added material, including copies of the application, credit and title reports; along with a home repair manual and postcards (with photos of their new house) that they can send to family and friends.

Past customers receive two mailers a month—a postcard and a newsletter. The postcards are often humorous and are sent on such non-traditional holidays as Ground Hog Day and St. Patrick’s Day. The newsletter is a two-sided legal paper format that highlights mortgage news, recipes and other helpful information. We get a great response from these items.

M.O.M.—Do you have a specific niche market?

Taylor—The main one would be corporations, including relocating employees. Our Workplace Mortgage Program starts when we survey new customers regarding their place of employment. We will send a survey to the benefits manager explaining that we did a good job with one of their employee’s loans and try to set an appointment. When we meet, we’ll show the support materials we can provide, such as posters for their lunchroom and payroll stuffers regarding refinancing and purchasing discounts. When a new employee moves into the area we’ll send them a welcome e-mail to introduce our service and that of our Realtor partner for that client.

M.O.M.—Any other unique marketing?

Taylor—We also have a “welcome to the neighborhood” party for new customers. During the transaction we send postcards to their neighbors, letting them know that someone bought a house nearby. The next postcard informs them that our customer has moved in and that we will host a welcome party for their new neighbors. We mention that we can provide them with comparable analyses and other services. The clients like this and it also gives the Realtors a chance to meet everyone.

Of course, one of the benefits of this party is that we obtain the customer’s address book so that we can mail the invites and send them future updates. For instance, we may send their friend in Minnesota a card that encourages them to buy a second home in our area.

M.O.M.—Do you develop an annual marketing plan?

Taylor—I develop an annual plan and review it on a quarterly basis to see how I can be more effective with specific messages and strategies. Then every six months I evaluate where the business has come from and make other adjustments. By end of the year I’ve reviewed every client/business source, which helps us fine tune the plan for the next year.

M.O.M.—How did you decide to incorporate your sons in marketing materials?

Taylor—Including my boys in marketing fliers and other material helps show that I’m a family man. It emphasizes that there will be times when I’m with my family and not able to take weekend appointments, for example.

M.O.M.—Who is on your support team?

Taylor—I certainly couldn’t do this without the assistance of Donna Rinaldi, Realtor liaison and Ryan McDonough, processor. They make me the success I am today. They are passionate about what they do and help to make our team successful. I’ve learned that a key to an originator hiring an assistant is having a system, knowing what you want them to do.

M.O.M.—What process do you have to handle the volume?

Taylor—Before I talk to the client, Donna has already taken a complete phone application and we’ve had the credit pulled. We’ll run DU/LP as soon as possible. I’ll then meet with the customer to review the application and the overall loan strategy.

Our goal is to have them come in with just a pay stub and proof of funds to close. The time I spend with them is to build rapport, rather than take an hour to do the loan application.

M.O.M.—What do you do to make the customer welcome?

Taylor—Donna calls customers to find out what beverage they prefer, which is waiting when they arrive at our office. Our reception area has a board with their name on it. These steps help set the tone and make them comfortable. A relaxed atmosphere helps eliminate the anxiety they may be feeling.

M.O.M.—What do you consider key characteristics of superstar originators?

Taylor—I believe that top producers generally have a higher learning skill set than other originators. They have a better grasp of what to ask customers, and make a point to listen to what the customer isn’t saying as well. Being able to see things from the client’s perspective is critical.

It’s also important to be associated with a supportive company that allows the originator’s entrepreneurial skills to develop. Without the infrastructure we have here, I wouldn’t be able to do the volume. My company was founded by and for originators.

M.O.M.—What is your usual work routine?

Taylor—As soon as I’m up I’m working. For example, I’ll check my Blackberry and then return phone calls on my way into work. I may talk with or leave messages for five customers I had taken applications the prior day, or follow-up with agents. I’m starting the day on a positive note. Then I arrive at the office ready to meet with clients.

One thing that I emphasize is close contact with Realtors and others regarding appointments. For example, if I’m meeting with a customer and running late for an appointment with a Realtor, I’ll text message Donna or Ryan who will immediately call the agent to advise that I’ll be there (or return the call) within 15 minutes or a half-hour. Realtors love this kind of response. We make a point to never say I’m busy, which no one likes to hear.

M.O.M.—How do you balance work with your personal life?

Taylor—When I started I was working way too many hours, but soon learned to make the adjustments. Of course, balancing your work with personal life can be a challenge. I let clients know that I have children. I don’t work after 6 p.m. and generally don’t work on the weekends. I try to take four vacations a year, and I spend time with family on weekends and other occasions. One of the best things about a support team is having them eliminate the minutiae when you’re on vacation. For example, if I get a call while on vacation, I know that it’s important (about structuring a deal).

Superstar of the Month – Carolyn Frame

M.O.M.—How did you get started in the lending business?

Frame— I worked for Security Pacific’s Human Resources and Operations divisions for 27 years and was very involved with the branches, ultimately responsible for most of the hiring and training. I later worked as a branch manager and actually oversaw two offices. I found that I was a good salesperson, helping to increase the branch production totals. I also realized that the banking industry was changing and I thought it was a good time for a move, so in 1990 I left to work for a small mortgage broker; commuting by car and ferry and essentially working out of the trunk of my car because the office was over an hour away and I needed to prove myself.

M.O.M.—What was your initial marketing activity?

Frame—I was a long-time member of the Rotary Club and had an opportunity to announce my new profession to fellow members. Everyone was very supportive and a good percentage of them came to me for their loans. In addition, I got involved helping people finance their log homes, a highly specialized area. I participated in the seminars that the log home builder held. While they weren’t too successful, because many people found it hard to qualify for and lenders were somewhat hesitant to finance these properties, this gave me a chance to expand my network. Many of the borrowers eventually came to me for financing other homes.

At first I didn’t know many real estate agents but I began to develop a strong referral base by contacting them and asking for their loans. I made a point to show them that we were different. We would also provide training workshops for Realtor offices. I did some co-op marketing with agents, such as taking an ice cream truck to various neighborhoods.

I gradually developed a builder network. This support has included chairing the Parade of Homes events in our area, attending open houses, and meeting with builders to help them develop a plan of action when their project sales slowed.

I also became very involved in the community. Since those early days, we have supported more than 150 organizations, including Boys and Girls Clubs, United Way, Habitat for Humanity and many other groups; serving on the boards, hosting events and providing financial assistance. I love being involved this way and have been honored with several major awards, including the Seattle Women Business Owners’ Nellie Cashman Award, Business Leader of the Year (for Kitsap County), and with my husband, Charlie, Business Couple of the Year in our hometown.

M.O.M.—What about seminars?

Frame—A key part of our overall marketing has been providing seminars; I do about 20 a year. This includes sponsorship of the Money Wi$e Women seminars, educating women in various finance-related issues. We also began leading Passive Income seminars, which are based on the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” book. It teaches participants the importance of developing income streams for clients (such as real estate investments), not just relying on a regular paycheck or Social Security.

M.O.M.—Have you incorporated advertising in your marketing?

Frame— We have had a TV commercial that shows some of our clients in different situations, such as discussing investment properties or a specialized product.  This has been primarily for visibility. I’m not sure that it has led to that many closed loans, but it has been excellent exposure for our company.

For several years, I also advertised on shopping carts. People still tell me that they’ve seen me on the carts. I did this not so much to generate immediate business, but to help reinforce that I’m here. If they think about a mortgage, I want them to call me.

In addition, we have sponsored a Babe Ruth youth baseball team whose members wear t-shirts with our company name. It’s great advertising. After games, there are often articles saying that “….the Frame team did it again” (beat the competition.). We’ve also donated money to a youth leadership program which helped purchase a sailboat used to teach young people to sail. The boat’s sail has our company name on it.

M.O.M.—How do you stay in touch with past customers?

Frame—Our client-for-life campaign starts early. For example, when we first meet with new customers, we usually give them a book as an introductory gift, either Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” or  T. Harv Eker’s “The Millionaire Mind.” Then we’ll send a mid-transaction survey that asks customers how we’re doing so far, which is accompanied by a box of popcorn and a movie pass and a card that tells them to relax and enjoy the movie.  At closing we send them a nice gift basket.

When customers do more than one loan with us, we usually give them a gift card to The Home Depot, Starbucks or a spa. Many of our investor customers receive a popular book of their choice.

We stay in touch throughout the year with a quarterly newsletter that we produce in-house. We also try to talk or meet with past customers once or twice a year, giving us the chance to assist them and ask for referrals. We have an open-door policy that encourages them to stop by whenever they want to discuss their current or new loan. In addition, we send monthly e-mails that update everyone on our scheduled events.

M.O.M.—Do you have a specific niche market?

Frame—Investors and first-time buyers would be two of our main niches. An interesting sidelight to the latter is how my husband and I work with tenants of our own rental properties. When people begin renting with us, we tell them that we expect that it will only be for a year or two because we want them to be homeowners. Then we counsel them on how to achieve homeownership.

M.O.M.—Education seems to be a major aspect of your overall approach.

Frame—Education is an integral part of our customer service, as well as our personal philosophy. In addition to our regular seminars (noted earlier) and ongoing consultation with clients, we try to teach basic financing and related areas to younger people. We’ve even been invited to local schools to play the cash flow board game with students, helping them understand the basics of finance, balance sheets and passive income.  I spend a lot of time educating clients and others, but in return we receive a great deal of loyalty, and it helps generate business as well. Several of our company loan originators also emphasize education and they’ve been very successful.

M.O.M.–How does your Web site benefit your success?

Frame— We drive people to the Web site by having the URL on all of our marketing materials and in other communications. The site provides background information as well as a full range of our services and a calendar of events; and helps to acquaint people with our expertise. However, I prefer talking to people face-to-face about their loans so we don’t rely on the site to generate applications per se.

M.O.M.—Do you develop an annual marketing plan?

Frame—Yes, it’s usually completed in December (when I set my overall budget) for the following year. The plan incorporates the various strategies that we will employ to reach personal production and company objectives. Of course, as a “change agent,” I’m always looking for new ways to enhance our success. Therefore, I review the plan on a monthly basis and make the appropriate adjustments.

M.O.M.—How did you happen to open your own firm?

Frame—After working for the broker for about three years, I expressed my interest in receiving a larger commission or having the ability to fund our own loans. He instead suggested that I buy him out and keep him on as a mentor for five years, which is what we did. By 2001, we had 150 employees in 11 offices throughout Washington, Oregon and Alaska. I eventually realized that managing that many people wasn’t the best use of my time and we scaled back. However, we are now licensed in most states and are planning to expand in the near future (in part based on a joint venture with Liberty Financial Group in Bellevue, Wash.).

M.O.M.—Who is on your own support team?

Frame—Obviously, my team plays a major key role in my success.  I couldn’t do it without them. I currently have two assistants, Martina Norman-Maleski and Susie Bohnert; a transaction coordinator, Shawna Madayag; and a marketing and events manager, Ashley Endres. In addition, two processors, Jill Dacier and Marisa Acuna, assist me and a few of our other originators.

M.O.M.—You also have some of your family members working for you?

Frame—There are five generations of us here. In addition to myself and my husband (whose primary role is community relations), my 81-year old mother works part-time with various clerical duties. My son is a successful loan originator in one of our branches and his daughter (my granddaughter) is an originator as well. And, her seven year-old son (my great-grandson) empties wastebaskets on weekends.

M.O.M.—What process do you have to handle the volume?

Frame—I conduct the initial/”high trust” interview and gather the client’s vital information, to determine the specific loan and other essentials. Then either Martina or Susie will call the customer to complete the online application, send necessary documents and follow-up as appropriate.

I rely on computer-generated monthly reports. However, I’m still old-fashioned and also like monitoring two status boards that show the progress of every loan through closing. I know we’re on track when both boards are filled. This also helps check the workflow; determining whether or not one of the team members is too busy, for example.

We also have a weekly “gong meeting” (where we call everyone by using a gong) when we discuss current loans in progress, actions to be taken and who needs assistance.

M.O.M.—What do you consider key characteristics of superstar originators?

Frame—Certainly, having a support team is critical; enabling you to set and achieve ever higher goals.

Top producers must be able to delegate, so that you’re able to concentrate on the most productive/profitable activities. I believe that customers should be informed of your team members’ roles, so that they can have the confidence everything is handled in a timely and effective manner.

Continuing education is also important. I’m always learning something new for the business that I can share with clients.

A competitive spirit is mandatory. My goal is to fund $10 million a month; I want to set the bar high and don’t like settling for less.

I also think that community participation is important for top producers. I’m always out in the community, as is my husband, and that is something I believe all top producers should be doing.

M.O.M.—How do you balance work with your personal life?

Frame—There are several components to my work and personal life balance. First, we have a reasonable work schedule and typically don’t bring work home. We also take one week off every month as vacation or to just relax around the house. We also take shorter trips, often flying in our plane to see our rental properties and then stopping for shopping in town and getting loans.

My husband and I love card games and always play a couple of games every morning and night. We have five children, 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren so we try to spend as much time as we can with them and our nieces and nephews.

M.O.M.—What are your future plans?

Frame—I will continue to expand my own production and we will grow the company into other regions as appropriate. Of course, education will remain an important focus, both with our seminars and individual customer consultations.

My husband and I have a goal of being completely financially secure during the next few years. In addition, I intend to cut back on my work schedule so that I’m spending less time in the office.  Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy this rewarding profession.

Improving PC Performance

Dear Thor,
My computer seems to continually slow down. What can I do about this?
–Cheryl W., Riverside, Calif.

There are several ways to improve the performance of your computer. Your friends might tell you to add more RAM (Random Access Memory), but there are easier ways that don’t cost anything. A good way to start is to not run unnecessary programs in resident memory. Certain programs are pre-scheduled to start running when your computer boots. Not only do they waste memory, but also loading extra programs when booting slows the process down.

You can see what is running in your computer by hitting Ctrl, Alt and Delete. (Hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys and then tap your Delete key once. Twice could initiate a computer reboot.) This will open a panel where you can click Task Manager. This is a useful utility where you can see what programs are actively running with the Applications tab. However, we are interested in Processes. Click this tab and you will see a list of functions along with the amount of memory each is using. You can also click on Performance and see the percentage of your CPU Usage. This number represents how hard your computer is currently working. When it hits 100 percent, and the RAM is used up, your computer creates and uses virtual memory on the hard drive. A task that used to take nanoseconds now takes mille-seconds, and slows down the computer.

Here is how you can control what automatically loads when you boot your computer. Click Start, Run and type msconfig. This will display the Windows System Configuration panel. Next, click on the Startup tab and you will see a list of the programs that are loaded during booting. If you scroll through the list, you might see several programs that you do not need to have constantly running. Un-checking them does not mean they are no longer available. It just means that if you run the program, it might take a few seconds longer to initialize, but this is OK if you don’t use it continually. The tricky part is recognizing what all the items are. It is not a bad idea to take a screen shot of the panel before you start de-selecting items. That way, you can keep track of what you are changing. If your computer seems to be losing an essential function, you can always reselect the item.

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Dear Thor,
How can I set up wireless Internet access?
–Frank S., Pittsburgh, Pa.

WiFi is easy and inexpensive. Assuming you already have high-speed Internet access via cable, you can add a wireless router. All you have to do is plug one of the cables from your hub into the WiFi router. If you are already using all your ports, you can purchase a splitter for another $20. Access range varies from about 100 feet, to hundreds of yards, depending on the signal strength. LinkSys sells an access range for about $30 that is adequate for a home or small office.

The routers come with software that lets you name your WiFi signal. You can also create security so that a password is required to log on. Then, when your computer searches for wireless access points, you simply click on your named signal and the computer connects to it. Of course, to receive the wireless signal, you need a wireless modem, but most new laptops come with them as standard equipment. You can add one using a USB port for about $20.

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Dear Thor,
Can I only use my own WiFi signal to get onto the Internet?
–Matt H., Raleigh, N.C.

No, there are several ways to pick up a WiFi signal when you are out of the office. One is to go to a place that provides them for a fee. Starbucks is famous for this. Most hotels provide WiFi access for about $10 a night. If you do a Google search for WiFi Hot Spots, you will see listings for access points available by location. www.WiFinder.com is a good example.

There are also free hotspots all over the planet. www.AnchorFree.com lists them by area. Another way to a find a free hotspot is to simply drive around with your laptop on and wireless modem screen open. When you catch a signal, you can stop, log on and check your e-mail. Another way is to get a WiFi detector. These are tiny handheld devices (nicknamed sniffers) that find WiFi hotspots and display the signal strength.

By Thor Skonnord