By Paul Muolo

I’m not one to spout out Pollyanna hope to readers when there is none. Friday’s job figures from Uncle Sam was a blow to the gut, the only good news being that it could’ve been worse. Here’s one ray of hope: the mortgage brokerage segment added jobs for the first time since October 2010. Maybe former NAMB chief Marc Savitt is right – that brokers may have a brighter future than most think. Meanwhile we continue to hear reports of firms hiring – while others cut back. Why are they hiring? It’s simple: low rates are spurring more refinancings. (At press time the 10-year Treasury was yielding 1.99%. Will we see a 3% FRM?) One thing that might ‘save’ small and medium-size lenders is the fact that Bank of America is getting out of the mortgage business. The bank says that it will remain in retail lending but most folks in the industry I’ve talked to think it’s just a matter of time before they outsource the origination function to someone like PHH Mortgage. Meanwhile, there is one bit of good news I can offer readers: with B of A on the way out, all that market share is up for grabs. Now go get it…

So, what are the chances of B of A actually selling its correspondent business instead of just winding it down? The full story is in the Monday weekly edition of NMN. (To subscribe call: 800-221-1809.) Sources tell us at least one Texas-based firm is talking to the bank about a deal. The identity of that potential buyer may surprise you…

As for B of A’s warehouse business, most managers I spoke with say it’s up for grabs too. (Again, see our Monday story.) If you’re looking for a ranking of the nation’s top correspondent buyers and warehouse lenders, drop a line to: Dearta.Todd@SourceMedia.com and ask about the Quarterly Data Report, which also ranks the nation’s top 100 lenders and servicers with complete channel breakdowns and subservicing info…

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kislak & Co. has pulled the plug on its re-entry into mortgage banking. NMN broke the news on its website this week. Everbank took over the branches…

MORTGAGE MEDIA NOTES: Congrats to NMN‘s Brian Collins who broke the news about the Obama refinancing program. His reporting was cited in two analyst reports…

ONE THEORY ABOUT THE POOR EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS: Business leaders aren’t hiring because they dislike President Obama so much — and they want him out of office. They figure they’d be in much better shape under President Romney…

THE STATE OF THE LOAN MODIFICATION BUSINESS: One loan officer who specializes in mods told us that at his company homeowners “are still being asked to send pay stubs instead of money and then being turned down for a mod for the smallest item”…

SMARTING: PIMCO chief Bill Gross admitted this past week that betting against U.S. Treasuries was a mistake. Gross is not wrong very often…

WASHINGTON NEWS: The Federal Housing Finance Agency is on the verge of filing a barrage of civil claims against investment banking firms that packaged nonprime loans into MBS (while misrepresenting their quality) and then sold the garbage to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I guess the obvious question for FHFA chief Ed DeMarco is this: what took you so long?

MORTGAGE PEOPLE: Stearns Mortgage chief financial officer Bob Telles recently stepped down from the company, parting on good terms. We recently called Bob for an update but haven’t yet heard back from him.

MUST ATTEND MORTGAGE CONFERENCES: On September 19 – 20 NMN and SourceMedia will hold its ‘Mortgage Regulatory Forum’ show at the Washington Marriott in the nation’s capital. Speakers include OCC chief John Walsh, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, and some Congressman from Massachusetts whose last name is Frank. More info visit: http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/conferences/mr/

IMPORTANT DATA STUFF: MortgageStats.com is alive and well. This exclusive only data website has been updated to include not only full year 2010 figures but first and second quarter 2011 information as well. MortgageStats boasts the nation’s top 400 lenders and servicers, including hard volume numbers and contact information. It also includes exclusive monthly analysis from me. (You can’t get this information anywhere else.) For more information drop an email to: Deartra.Todd@SourceMedia.com…

I’m on Twitter, discussing mortgage matters, soccer, the New York Giants, and the best farm stands in South Jersey. We picked up this amazing blueberry pie right outside of Bridgetown…     

THE LAST WORD: ‘Sons of Anarchy‘ returns Tuesday night. I’ve been watching the show for two years. After each episode I feel like I’ve done something wrong and should be locked up. It’s that good. Of course, it’s just a TV show.