u/gofardeep

Wondering if anyone on the sub knows if these companies are still letting workers go / keeping things tight or if we may be starting to see the end of the tunnel. Long story short, I used to work at one of these firms back in the day and wanted to return back into the mortgage finance business. I had tried to get back in these firms after spending a long time with them in 2023 and 2024 but failed both years. Back in 2022, I recall I would get an interview request by just applying on their website for roles that loosely matched my background but now, it's all silence. Not one call or email from the HR or anybody at the firm. Even the folks I know are still there aren't responding like they used to.

Any pointers / insights will be appreciated. Thank you.

The NPS website shows Bumpass Hell trail is still closed and ice/snowy patches requiring caution on Lassen Peak trail. Does anyone know from speaking to park rangers when Bumpass Hell trail may open? We are scheduled to go July 4th weekend, wondering if that's too early now. I was optimistic that both would be snow free as the road to Lassen had opened by Memorial Day weekend.

Also, if anyone has been up Lassen Peak how bad are the snowy patches?

I used to be employed at one of the mortgage giants (GSEs) during the Great Recession and had a solid 5 years under my belt working in the mortgage product line. For reasons unrelated to my career progression at that time, I had to move outside the firm and I did several roles in smaller regional banks in retail lending (consumer indirect or mortgage mostly) in Credit Risk related analytical / modeling roles. My most recent work experience is in Indirect lending (about 6+ years total in this line of products).

I have come to realize through my former contacts (indirectly of course) that had I been able to stay through the crisis and emerge on the other side of the post-Covid world, I would potentially be at a greater seniority level today. Along with more long-term growth, a reason why I am looking to move back into mortgage is that it's an essential product, meaning there will always be a demand for it. A bank facing liquidity or capital constraints can stop Indirect Lending at any time, but they will never shutdown offering mortgages unless they plan on shutting down altogether.

Is my wish list of moving back to mortgages still realistic given today's market and hiring trends? Or should I look for other product lines to move into?

I used to be employed at one of the mortgage giants (GSEs) during the Great Recession and had a solid 5 years under my belt working in the mortgage product line. For reasons unrelated to my career progression at that time, I had to move outside the firm and I did several roles in smaller regional banks in retail lending (consumer indirect or mortgage mostly) in Credit Risk related analytical / modeling roles. My most recent work experience is in Indirect lending (about 6+ years total in this line of products).

I have come to realize through my former contacts (indirectly of course) that had I been able to stay through the crisis and emerge on the other side of the post-Covid world, I would potentially be at a greater seniority level today. While I understand that one should always be open to opportunities of any type as needs are constantly changing, many of my former colleagues have been growing in the same company for 20+ years without needing to move anywhere. The positives as I can tell have been stability during the low years, and modest growth in boom years. Also, the mortgage product is usually the most important / biggest product a retail consumer takes on their lives and as such, tends to be less cyclical than working in say a recreational lending product. A bank would never stop offering mortgages to their customers, but Indirect product lines can be shut down if the bank faces liquidity or capital constraints (like Truist recently).

With many years of experience in other consumer product lines (such as Auto/RVs/small business etc), my work history isn't "mortgage only" anymore. Is my goal of trying to return to the GSEs still realistic? Or is it just deja vu of the past? It may be noted that my former coworkers who I was in regular touch with for many years are no longer responding to my messages as none of them are in hiring mode like in previous years.

I am trying to book a condo for a family of four in Kauai but there is still some uncertainty if we can make that plan and if we do, how many of us will join. I have booked airfares already, with the option to change without penalties. Rental car bookings can be cancelled. However, it seems whenever I look for condo rentals, especially in the Poipu area - most of them require a 30 day notice to cancel. That seems too far out to know for sure. I would be okay with a 7-day cancellation window but other than Waimea Plantation cottages - I haven't found any others. I am okay booking this one too, but my first preference was the Poipu area given the beach and being a bit closer to the North Shore to do a road trip on one of the days we were there.

Also, I have never used travel insurance before and I have read most recommend purchasing CFAR insurance to deal with this. But I would much rather opt to rent something with a flexible cancellation policy if I can find one than going down the insurance path as that feels much more straightforward. Does anyone have any ideas on where and what I can book? Are hotels my only option?

Will be visiting with a 9 year old and my mother who is little over 70. My mother will be visiting Hawaiian islands for the first trip and had been wanting to see them for a long time. Finally, looks like there is a chance to make that plan come to fruition.

We have been to Oahu and Maui previously. Can't say to have seen everything there in our 4 and 5 day visits respectively, but enough to get a flavor of both islands. Feel like Oahu will offer a good mix of places to visit for my mother which includes history as well as some nature along with the opportunity to see a big city in the middle of the Pacific. However, the rest of us have been to Oahu and feel like we could use the opportunity to visit a neighboring island which I have heard a lot of for natural beauty, Kauai. I have specifically wanted to see the Waimea Canyon. I am okay only getting a glimpse of the Na Pali coast or not being able to see it as I don't see us hiking a lot or taking expensive boat/helicopter tours of visit the Na Pali Coast.

The other reason to limit the entire trip to under a week was budget constraints. Is it practically doable to add a 2-day stay in Kauai just to see the Waimea Canyon and experience some of the beaches on the South Shore? We would spend the remaining 3/4 days of our trip in Oahu. I did check that the airfare prices would be roughly similar as inter-island flights are relatively cheap - the main increase in cost would come from adding the 1-2 days in the trip for lodging and rental car in Kauai.

To be clear, I doubt we would get bored in Oahu as there is plenty of stuff remaining for all of us to see. And spots I wouldn't mind visiting again. Just wondering how practical it would be to land first in Kauai just to visit Waimea Canyon as that's been a bucket list thing for me.