Brian Crooks - ATX Mortgage Lending - Mortgage Broker

08/09/2026

The Daily Crossword: August 9, 2026

Keep your word wits sharp with the daily crossword for August 9, 2026.

08/07/2026

Not Quite The Rally You'd Expect, But a Rally Nonetheless Today's vitals might be a bit confusing at first glance. Payrolls came in at -23k versus forecasts of 80k. At most moments in history, that would be worth a substantial rally. Today it was only worth 3bps in the 10yr and a quarter poi...

08/07/2026

The Hunt Is On for a Million-Dollar Cooper Flagg Trading Card

Millionaires, fans, and even the Mavs want it—for more than a pretty penny.

08/07/2026

Mortgage rates dropped moderately today after the latest jobs report showed much lower jobs created than expected. The monthly jobs report is one of the most--if not THE most--important pieces of economic data to the rate market on any given month. If the numbers are close to forecasts, there isn& #3...

08/07/2026

Mortgage application activity declined for a second consecutive week as higher borrowing costs continued to weigh on both purchase and refinance demand. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 2.9% decrease in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending July...

08/07/2026

As many of us prepare to head to So Cal for the California MBA’s Western Secondary (800 or so registered), artificial intelligence continues to be the buzz. I recently received this question: “Rob, does it seem to you that we’re now at the same inflection point with AI as when everyone was afr...

08/07/2026

Nonfarm payrolls (NFP) FELL 23k versus an 80k forecast.  Last month was revised down as well. From a traditional market-watching perspective, this is pure rally fuel. Indeed, bonds are rallying sharply so far. Let's hope it sticks. Why wouldn't it? As labor force dynamics have shift...

08/06/2026

Almost Like Clockwork Almost like clockwork, after several days spent mostly rallying on a headline-driven drop in oil prices, bonds reversed course as the tone of the headlines changed and oil prices bounced. That said, oil didn't bounce too much today. The rest of the drama for bonds came cour...

08/06/2026

In Houston, It Was Ken Paxton Versus the Emo Baddies

The U.S. Senate candidate shared a concert venue with an emo band. Their tones were remarkably similar.