podcast, our Data Reports, the "A Tale of Two Mortgages" webcomic, and LodeStar Report Newsletter.
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Data Reports
2026 Purchase Mortgage Closing Cost Data Report
Closing costs as a percentage of sales price hovers around 0.5% to 3%, with an average percentage of 1.04% and a median of 0.85%. Just like in 2025, Delaware leads the pack at a whopping 3.06% of the sales price.
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Full Disclosure
What Ticks Us Off the Most
Here on the Full Disclosure podcast, we try to keep things chill. But when it’s time to grind our gears… don’t even get us started.
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A Tale of Two Mortgages
CRM Revisited
Horace and Octavia continue their protracted conflict over the use of the CRM (or lack thereof).
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A Tale of Two Mortgages
Summer Slowdown
Horace wrestles with the prospect of a summer slowdown.
Full Disclosure
Wisdom for Small Business Owners
For this week’s episode of Lending Leaders, Jim interviews Michael Barnett, CEO and Founder of Loanspark, about what SMBs need to know to succeed in the world of finance and lending.
A Tale of Two Mortgages
Make Up a Number
Octavia and Horace discuss strategies for answering borrower questions.
Full Disclosure
Comics for the Mortgage Industry?!
For this week’s special episode of the Lending Leaders Podcast, Alayna Gardner chats with LodeStar’s Marketing Content Manager Tim Austen about his original webcomic, “A Tale of Two Mortgages,” the cost of content marketing, and the importance of trying new things.
A Tale of Two Mortgages
100 Weeks of “A Tale of Two Mortgages”
This is LodeStar’s 100th “A Tale of Two Mortgages” webcomic!!!
Full Disclosure
The Secret to Collaboration
LodeStar’s Jim Paolino talks with Melissa Langdale about the future of mortgage lending and what it really means to collaborate as an industry.
Full Disclosure
The Joy of Problem Solving
This week, Alayna had the pleasure of speaking with Stacy Holindrake, a veteran of the mortgage industry with a strong background in Mortgage Operations. Together they discuss new opportunities and the joy of problem solving