Ben Casper, NMLS 1607736 - Movement Mortgage

09/08/2026

I closed a loan for someone with zero credit history last week. It was traditional, conventional conforming loan financing, not some outside the box non-traditional loan.

There's a great wrinkle to Fannie Mae underwriting that people may not be aware of. If 2 people are applying together for 1 loan, and one has credit & the other does not, it's possible you can count both applicant's income even though one of the borrowers does not have credit history.

Now, the algorithm has to accept the entire file (savings, credit, debt-to income ratio, etc), but if the national server down in Georgetown in DC likes it, you can do it.

All the decision engine said was for the borrower without credit history to have 2 lines of 12 months' worth of history of payments made out to something (IE utilities, phone bill, insurance), one of which must have been a housing item.

This was a great win for the borrowers, agents, and everyone else involved. It made for a very clean approval & transaction with very competitive financing terms.

If you know someone in these shoes, please let me know. I would love to help the next person in need-

09/03/2026

Appraisal changes are coming to the industry in the form of a new format for appraisers to complete their reports & valuations of homes. This will update the way, speed, and technicality of how the reports are made.

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending an appraisal panel at the Austin Mortgage Banker’s Association meeting at the Domain. Here are my notes from the meeting regarding the new changes:

• New appraisals will ask for many items the MLS will not have; IE ceiling heights will be a new one as an example
• Appraisals will need lots more upfront info provided by sellers
• This will affect contracts on homes in the higher price points moreso than the median price point contracts
• One appraiser said he’d only done it once and had to go back to the property three times. Expect more calls and follow ups between the appraiser and listing agents/sellers.
• The more data provided upfront the better; appraisers will ask for more now
• Lots of items homeowners won’t want to disclose thinking it will drive up the tax bill for the home
• Appraisal revision requests will be more arduous
• Freddie & Fannie are pushing for the changes to be AI driven for them to be able to review reports easier
• Monday November 2 kickoff date
• For my over-achievers out there, you can go toFannieMae.com/UAD to view sample reports

What are the takeaways? 1, expect to prep your sellers to provide more information on different parts of the house, and 2, expect longer appraisal turn times. The more complex the property, the more time you will want to give the contract process

We will have a Realtor & Partner webinar in early October covering this. I will provide notice soon.

08/27/2026

08/15/2026

This is a HUGE new product. Traditionally, rental/investment property loans only go to 15% down payment minimums. This also cuts out PMI, or mortgage insurance

These are now live. Please call me for your next investor client looking to buy or refinance a home to be rented out 📲 703-508-4783

08/06/2026

Reverse for Purchase Webinar: Help more buyers get into homes; Wednesday 8/12 at 1pm ET/noon CT

08/04/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC8NmlGJusE

CALL ME EARLY AS POSSIBLE! The earlier you call me (hopefully befor...

07/16/2026

Just light your 💵 on 🔥 already. It’s way less work.

Austin new builds with this deal structure are only good deals for the builder, not the consumer.

Housing professionals are in the business of placing families into sustainable home equity solutions. These are a disaster

07/12/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Ben Casper by Luca M - 5 stars for Ben. Incredibly transparent throughout the entire loan process and always a step ahead with updates. Highly recommend!

Click to see all 67 reviews of Ben Casper, Loan Officer

07/03/2026

🏦 When a non-spouse inherits a traditional IRA, 401(k), or similar pre-tax account, withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income and the account generally must be emptied within 10 years.

That 10-year rule applies to account owners who died after 2019, so if you inherited before then, you may still be on the older stretch rules.

If the original owner had already started RMDs, the heir may also owe annual distributions in years 1 through 9 of that window.

A Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) follows the same 10-year timeline for non-spouse heirs, but withdrawals are usually tax-free once the account has met the 5-year rule.

A taxable brokerage account works differently, since heirs receive a stepped-up basis, so the tax on gains that built up during your lifetime is wiped out and they inherit at market value with no forced timeline.

The catch people miss is that you cannot simply move pre-tax money into a brokerage to capture that step-up, because pulling it out of an IRA or 401(k) is itself fully taxed as income.

A surviving spouse has the most flexibility and can roll an inherited retirement account into their own.

None of this is a reason to avoid pre-tax accounts, since the upfront deduction and decades of tax-deferred growth often outweigh the tax your heirs eventually pay.

Which account are you planning to leave to your heirs, and have you mapped the tax that comes with it?

06/11/2026

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/citi-quietly-resets-sp-500-price-target-for-the-rest-of-2026

6-7 estimates for where the S&P will be on Dec 31 2026 from large institutions

A major Wall Street firm sees the market's next chapter differently, despite mounting risks