Stephen Micham NMLS # 140175

09/24/2026

Appraisal changes are coming November 2! 🏡

New requirements will call for more detailed property information, including updates, renovations, and features like solar panels, generators, and storm shutters. Providing clear, specific details can help everyone navigate the process.

Have questions about what’s changing? Let’s connect and get ready! 📋

09/22/2026

If you're going through a divorce, protecting your credit and your identity is easy to overlook while so much else is changing. These four steps are worth saving.

Two points stand out to me as a Certified Divorce Lending Professional.

Your divorce decree divides responsibility between you and your spouse, but it does not change your contract with a lender. If your name is on a joint account, the lender can still collect from you.

And after years together, your spouse likely knows your passwords and the answers to your security questions. Updating those protections is a routine step, not an accusation.

Here is where to start: check your credit reports for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com, freeze your credit at all three bureaus, change your passwords, PINs, and security questions, and report any account you did not open at IdentityTheft.gov.

If you plan to buy or refinance, keep in mind that a credit freeze must be lifted before a lender can review your credit. Just as important, talk with a Certified Divorce Lending Professional before you apply. As a CDLP®, I am trained specifically in how the terms of a divorce, from joint debts to the timing of your settlement, can affect your mortgage options.

Contact me directly to start your Divorce Mortgage Plan.

09/19/2026

We’ve moved!

If you’re in the Maumee area, come check out our new Union Home Mortgage office this Tuesday, October 6th from 12–2 PM!

Stop by, see the new space, meet the team, grab a bite, and enter our drawing. We’d love to see some familiar faces and welcome you to our new location!

📍 1745 Indian Wood Circle, Suite 130
Maumee, OH 43537

Hope to see you there!

09/19/2026

Sometimes the easiest path isn’t the safest one. It’s common for divorcing couples to consider assuming the existing mortgage to avoid the costs of refinancing and to keep a low rate and payment. But what starts as a quick solution can lead to financial strain later if the full mortgage picture isn’t reviewed first.

As a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®), my role is to evaluate every option, including loan assumptions, and provide a Divorce Mortgage Planning and Analysis that helps both parties move forward with clarity and confidence.

You deserve a plan that supports your next chapter, not just the next payment.

09/17/2026

The Fed raised rates… so mortgage rates went up too, right? Not necessarily!

Here’s the important part: the Federal Funds Rate and mortgage rates are not the same thing. While Fed decisions can influence the overall economy, mortgage rates are driven by several factors, including inflation, the bond market, and broader economic conditions.

For homebuyers: Don’t let a headline make you think you need to put your plans on hold.
For our Realtor partners: This is a great reminder that every market creates opportunities—and having the right lending partner can help your clients understand their options.

Have questions about what’s happening with mortgage rates? Talk to your local UHM Loan Officer. We’re here to help make sense of the market!

09/17/2026

Where do divorce settlements go wrong?

Not in the courtroom—
In the blind spots.

Real property decisions are often made based on assumptions:

“They’ll refinance later”
“The income will qualify”
“The structure works”

But without validating those assumptions against lending reality, many agreements become unworkable after they’re signed.

This creates unnecessary risk—for both the client and the professionals involved.

A CDLP® brings financial clarity into the process before decisions are finalized—so the outcome is not just agreed upon, but executable.

If you’re advising clients on real estate in divorce, this is a critical perspective: https://bit.ly/41mKzaj

09/15/2026

Two appellate decisions, nearly identical facts, opposite results. The Divorce Lending Association's article on what a decree can compel walks through both, and the difference came down to a single drafting choice.

In the first, the agreement made the transfer of the departing spouse's interest conditional on the refinance closing. The refinance never closed, the parties were still co-tenants, and partition was available.

In the second, the agreement granted exclusive possession and required only that the parties cooperate with a refinance. The transfer was not conditioned on anything. When the loan did not happen, the court found no enforceable obligation to sell.

Same fact pattern. Same failed refinance. One party had a remedy and the other did not, and it was decided at signing rather than at the hearing.

The article also explains the distinction underneath both outcomes: a court can execute a deed, but it cannot execute a loan approval. Refusal it can reach through Rule 70, an elisor, or contempt. Inability it cannot reach at all.

https://divorcebriefings.com/4xn4raE

I am a Certified Divorce Lending Professional. Reviewing this language while it can still be changed is the work I do with counsel, and I am glad to look at a provision with you.

09/12/2026

What’s often overlooked can cause the biggest setbacks. Loan assumptions made during divorce may seem like an easy fix, but hidden financial and legal risks can create long-term consequences, delaying settlements or endangering homeownership.

As a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®), I work to identify these risks early and structure mortgage solutions that protect both parties’ financial futures.

Read more: https://divorcebriefings.com/4qF3V5S

09/11/2026