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Williston Financial Group accounted for a pandemic in business continuity plans, and it helped some, but COVID-19 was a much larger scale than it anticipated.

Brad Finkelstein is the originations editor of National Mortgage News. While he covers the entire process, Brad's specialty is loan production and its associated parts from lead development through secondary marketing.

Brad joined National Mortgage News in 1990 after working on the North Hempstead/Northeast Queens desk for This Week publications on Long Island and then as associate editor of the Airport Press, covering both passenger and cargo stations at the New York area airports. While part of the NMN family, Brad was the editor of its wholesale publications Broker Magazine and Origination News, and in those roles and now in his current role, coordinates the annual Top Producers survey. Brad is a past president of the New York Financial Writers Association.

• Awards — Among the awards he has won was as regional finalist for the Azbees in 2021 for Online - Online Breaking News Coverage for work in stories on the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the mortgage industry along with Paul Centopani and Bonnie Sinnock. The following year he was part of the regional finalist for Online - Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team for coverage of industry layoffs along with Bonnie Sinnock, Andrew Martinez and Maria Volkova.
• Education — He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Urban Studies from Queens College. He also attended the graduate journalism program at New York University..
• Experience — In 1989, Brad was a reporter on the North Hempstead/Northeast Queens desk for This Week publications on Long Island, with primary coverage of the Great Neck and Little Neck areas. Between January and May 1990, he was associate editor of the Airport Press, covering both passenger and cargo stations at the New York area airports. Brad joined National Mortgage News in May 1990.
• Journalistic affiliations — Brad is a member of the New York Financial Writers Association, where he also served on the board of directors and as an officer of the organization for four years, culminating as president in 2004. Since then he has served on a number of NYFWA committees, including membership, Financial Follies and nominations.

Twitter: @NMNBrad

Mortgage rates dropped for the second consecutive week, falling 17 basis points, but that is not attracting homebuyers back into an uncertain market, according to Freddie Mac.

Nathan Ulery is the managing director of West Monroe, a business objectives consulting firm.

Home construction in Round Rock is slowing but hasn't stopped in the wake of COVID-19, local industry leaders said this week.

Stephen Joseph is segment development manager for banking at Axis Communications.

Uri Arad is co-founder and vice president of product for Identiq.

San Diego County's home market started 2020 with prices rising more than any other West Coast market and much of the nation.

Joe Welu, CEO and founder of Total Expert, provides his perspectives on how the coronavirus pandemic impacts the mortgage industry and ways lenders can push forward.

Simply stated, the federal forbearance of mortgage payments is perhaps the largest unfunded public mandate in American history.