Barry Habib, founder and CEO at
MBS Highway, a provider of mortgage industry news and analytics, has been named 2020 winner of the Crystal Ball Award, presented by Zillow and Pulsenomics.
A second-time winner of the award,
having also taken home the honor in 2017, Habib was presented with the honor in connection with a Pulsenomics survey of more than 100 of the nation's top economists, investment strategists and housing market analysts, who then rank the winners based on the accuracy of their predictions of future real estate trends. Barry’s forecasts were found to be the most accurate of all those polled.
“It’s a very big honor to win this award twice, especially given that the other 100-plus top economist are all highly-qualified and respected,” said Habib. “The MBS Highway team, as well as our subscribers, deserve much of the credit because they help us understand local market conditions.”
Winners receive the coveted Pulsenomics Crystal Ball Award, a genuine crystal ball complete with a crystal stand and an engraved plaque to commemorate each winner's accomplishment.
Those who are frequent users of the MBS Highway product shared their thoughts on Barry’s accomplishment …
"In my recent years at other companies, I’ve learned and heard of Barry Habib, but never utilized MBS Highway until I joined Hancock Mortgage Partners,” said Christine Pham, assistant vice president of secondary marketing for
Hancock Mortgage Partners LLC. “Ever since, I’ve been following his economic data and bond market updates, his predictions are always accurate and have helped our position for hedging at Hancock. Barry’s insight has helped our loan originators to position their rates to either float or lock, and his daily coaching videos have helped us beat our competitors to be a true loan advisor and service our clients. We appreciate MBS updates, especially with the volatility of the current mortgage market."
Kevin Peranio, chief lending officer for
Primary Residential Mortgage Group Inc. (PRMG), said: “Barry and his team have been an integral part of the PRMG family for many years. What's been great is not only has his sales experience and macroeconomic outlook helped everyone on a daily basis, but his company is a true technology leader, providing the tools necessary for our community lending to compete against fintech.”
Andrew Cady, epic mortgage guy at
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation in Jacksonville, Fla., noted: “The value Barry Habib provides is 100 percent invaluable. On Barry’s advice, I recently locked down 13 new loans in one day in advance of the market worsening. If you are not following his MBS Highway service, are you really providing the best for your clients?”
Michelle Dugan, mortgage broker/owner of
MS Lending LLC in Madison, Miss., said: "Interest rates can be scary when you don’t understand them. As a mortgage lender, my clients rely on me to give them the best information available about interest rates. By utilizing the products that MBS Highway provides, I am able to do just that for them. Barry Habib constantly keeps me updated on what is happening in the market. Additionally, he provides this information in a way that I can then relay it to my borrower in layman’s terms. He makes me sound like a Rockstar when it comes to the MBS market which has been invaluable to my business!”
Jennifer Miller, branch manager for
Hancock Mortgage Partners in Greenville, S.C., shared: "For as long as I can remember Barry has been one of few constants in the ever-changing housing market. Day one of joining the mortgage world in 2006, I learned of Barry Habib. Over the years, I’ve looked to him for sound advice on better servicing my clients by keeping a pulse on the bond market. His accuracy is unmatched, and his ability to explain complex matters in terms that everyone can understand is a blessing!”
