Chief economist Frank Nothaft passes away

Nothaft offered MPA his brand of dispassionate analysis. While a seasoned – but far from hardened – industry veteran, he was nonetheless not immune to expressing shock and awe over current developments in the mortgage industry like everyone else. “We’ve had, as you know, a very large increase in home prices – 18% in one year,” he said in one of his final interviews with MPA. “It’s the largest 12-month increase in home prices in our national index that we have measured in the CoreLogic Home Price Index.”

Mark Fratantoni, senior vice president and chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association, added his voice in condolence. “MBA is shocked and saddened by this news,” he wrote in an email to Mortgage Professional America. “For decades, Frank has been a key voice for the mortgage industry – at Freddie Mac and then at CoreLogic. He was the best housing market analyst in the business, able to clearly and concisely convey information that helped our industry understand the current market and make decisions to prepare for the future. Frank had an inimitable style, both in terms of his presentations and his ever-present bow tie. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

The Housing Policy Council (HPC) also expressed condolences: “The Housing Policy Council team is heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of longtime CoreLogic Chief Economist, Dr. Frank Nothaft,” HPC’s president Ed DeMarco wrote in a statement sent to MPA. “We are keeping Frank’s family, friends, loved ones, and colleagues in our thoughts at this difficult time. It was clear to everyone who worked with Frank that he was an outstanding economist, but his exceptionally engaging style and plain-English explanations also kept him in high-demand as a speaker and public commentator. In the more than two decades that I have known him, however, I have probably most appreciated his genuine warmth and friendliness. Frank was an all-around wonderful human being. He will be missed.”

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Nothaft has served as senior vice president and chief economist for CoreLogic since January 2015, according to his LinkedIn bio. CoreLogic is a provider of advanced property and ownership information, analytics and data-enabled services for which Nothaft oversaw analytics, commentary and forecasting trends in global real estate, insurance and the mortgage industry.