Inside this month's Scotsman Guide

Geary Britton-Simmons, chairman of the board

As published in Scotsman Guide's Residential Edition, January 2006.

As the calendar flips to 2006, we remember the past year as one of transition.

Rumors of real estate bubbles rose to the surface as increasing interest rates and housing prices loomed above stagnating incomes. Long-awaited changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act drew attention across the board. Hurricane Katrina presented new challenges for mortgage professionals on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere.

This past summer, Scotsman Guide began a shift of its own. According to the "Mortgage Brokers 2004 Survey" by Wholesale Access, an independent research and publishing firm, Scotsman Guide is the most read publication in the mortgage-origination industry. When it comes to publications that connect brokers with wholesalers, the survey said, "no one else comes close."

It's a tremendous honor. And with that comes tremendous responsibility.

As "The Leading Resource for Mortgage Originators," we've considered it Scotsman Guide's duty to change when the industry changes. So we have.

Nontraditional Alt-A products and lenders gained popularity, and in June, they received their own Scotsman Guide matrix -- now searchable on the newly relaunched scotsmanguide.com. You told us that the term "nonprime" was the new "subprime," and the August Scotsman Guide reflected it. We also revised and consolidated our prime-product matrixes for easier use.

Since 2004, we've also doubled the number of educational articles per issue. This has meant more information, more voices and more reasons to keep the magazine on your desk. With this issue, we'd like to take that even further. After our Lead Article -- the top submission we've received this month -- you'll find our new Departments. They're smaller, quick-hit ways to catch up on the past month's headlines and to hear more from your peers. Our new Q&A feature also quizzes the industry's movers and shakers -- this month, National Association of Mortgage Brokers Chairman Jim Nabors checks in.

Our other submitted articles take on a new look, too, with pieces in our new Tools & Tips section detailing sales, training and general business techniques. Rounding out the magazine are the directories and trade-show capsules we will continue to compile. Of course, all updates and changes -- and then some -- are available at scotsmanguide.com.

Consider us your door into the mortgage-origination industry. And consider it open, always.

articles@scotsmanguide.com