Cool Southie condo tops retail space

This stylish South Boston condo isn't what you'd expect to see above a retail store, with its paneled wainscoting, sloped skylighted ceilings and private decks with panoramic city views.

The two-bedroom unit at 634 East Broadway, on the market for $629,900, is one of five condos above a former hardware store, but unlike the other condos Unit 1 has three levels and a private entrance.

The first level is the entry­way to the condo, with a marble foyer, hallway and a coat closet, and the living spaces have a reverse layout, with the living/dining/kitchen spaces on the top floor.

The unit was converted in 2005 with maple floors with cherrywood inlay, paneled wainscoting and high-end window and door moldings.

A maple staircase lined with white-paneled wainscoting leads up two flights to the main living area. The living room has paneled wainscoting and features 12-foot sloped ceilings with recessed lighting as well as speakers­ with built-in surround sound. In one corner sits a gas fireplace with a carved wood mantel and black granite hearth with a chandelier overhead. Glass doors lead out to a 200-square-foot private wooden deck with panoramic city views.

The adjacent dining/kitchen area has three skylights. The dining area also has paneled wainscoting and a chandelier and fronts on a three-part bay window. The kitchen features 22 walnut-stained cabinets and black granite counters. The General Electric refrigerator, dishwasher and gas stove are also black.

Off the living spaces is a storage closet and there's a hallway with a second closet holding a stacked GE washer/dryer and the unit's gas-fired heating and central air-conditioning system.

At the end of the hall is a half bathroom with beadboard wainscoting, a black marble floor and a pedestal sink.

Down the stairs, the second level has a step-up open-style den/home office space with maple floors and cherry­wood inlay, paneled wainscoting and crown molding. It is flanked on either side by two bedroom suites.

The rear-facing master suite features a decent-sized bedroom with recessed lighting and an overhead fan/light as well as a good-sized closet with built-in shelving. A pair of glass doors lead out to a 250-square-foot private rear deck with views of the city. The en-suite master bathroom has a marble-tile floor and ceramic tile surround for a whirlpool tub. There's a brown granite-topped wood vanity and a separate one-piece Fiberglas shower.

The second bedroom is front-facing with a three-part bay window, recessed lighting and an overhead fan/light. The en-suite bathroom has marble tile floors and walls and a brown granite-topped wood vanity. There's also a one-piece Fiberglas shower.

The unit does not come with parking, with the best option being a South Boston residential parking permit.

Home Showcase

• Address: 
624 East Broadway, Unit 1, South Boston
• Bedrooms: Two
• Bathrooms: Two full, one half
• List price: $629,900
• Square feet: 1,438
• Price per square foot: $438
• Annual taxes: $6,380
• Location: About a half mile to main South Boston retail district along West Broadway; a mile via T bus to Broadway Red Line station.
• Built In: 1899, renovated into condo 2005
• Broker: David Murdock of Campion & Co. at 617-236-0711

Pros:

• Paneled wainscoting, high-end door and window moldings
• Living room with 12-foot sloped ceilings and kitchen dining area with three skylights
• Two private decks with panoramic city views
• Both bedrooms have en-suite marble-tile bathrooms

Cons:

• Doesn't come with on-site parking space
• Bathrooms have one-piece Fiberglas showers

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LaCrosse makes play for upscale

Although the 2015 Buick LaCrosse AWD Premium 1 tips its hat to its forefathers with a thick, toothy grille and hood-mounted air vents, to steal from the
oft-quoted line: this isn't your grandfather's Buick.

Buick is making a play in the upscale full-sized car class. The simple high-waisted body cocoons you in a quiet, elegant, leather-rich interior that is trimmed in wood paneling and microsuede-draped roof pillars. At night a gentle, single blue LED marks the sweeping curve of the dash that frames the three ghostly digital gauges. Our tester was equipped with the Driver Confidence Package No. 2, which added a power moonroof with second row skylight.

The thick heated and ventilated leather seats, part of the Ultra Luxury Package, are both comfortable and handsome, particularly in the burgundy color of the tester. GM's use of the high-waist body gives the cars a powerful curb appeal and sets them apart from other manufacturers. However, I find the smaller windows as a result of the design reduce some sight lines.

With the Driver Confidence Package, the LaCrosse is a well-armed machine for all driving conditions. Lane departure, blind-spot monitors, cross- traffic alerts, in-town auto braking and adaptive cruise control all help keep you and your LaCrosse in the best motoring posture.

This full-sized cruiser is powered by a 304-horsepower 3.6-liter V­6 that turns the 19-inch wheels through a six-speed automatic. I would have loved more gears like many of its classmates to make the shifts silky smooth. The ride itself is all American. Front and rear MacPherson struts absorb bumps and on the highway the hefty Buick really holds the road and refuses to quiver when a truck swoops by. The all-wheel-drive system gives you a feeling of complete command.

Around town the LaCrosse is nimble enough to joust in the supermarket parking lot and tucks into parking spaces quite deftly. The backup camera projects on the 8-inch LCD screen and overlays a grid showing how close you are, and audible tones remind you you've gone far enough.

In addition to the huge list of safety features, the OnStar-based hotspot lets you stay connected. Bluetooth wireless for the phone and music players rounds out the connectivity and the Bose surround-sound stereo is concert quality.

The LaCrosse MSRP is $40,500, and with three different upgrade packages our tester quotes out at $49,475. Gas mileage is rated at 17 in the city and 26 on the highway and my mostly local driving netted about 22 on average.

So Buick has a player in the large car market and this was an easy and relaxing car to drive. If you are shopping the Toyota Avalon, Chrysler 300, Hyundai Genesis, Ford Taurus and even its stablemate the Chevy Impala, the excellent ride and rich feature options are good reasons to consider the Buick.

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Software license to cut wait times at registry

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles branches are notorious for their wait times, but how customers wait could soon change.

Pasadena, Calif.-based QLess won the bid to provide a software platform that would let customers enter virtual RMV lines via on-site kiosks or their mobile devices or computers, and get real-time updates on estimated wait times. Customers would be texted a few minutes before they're at the front of the line, preventing the need to wait around an RMV office.

"We give people three freedoms that they didn't have before — freedom to wait anywhere they want, freedom to join the line from anywhere they want and freedom to choose when to get served," QLess co-founder and CEO Alex Backer said. "The results are a dramatic reduction in walkouts or no-shows. Some people have more patience to wait when they have the freedom to wait anywhere."

QLess and the RMV now have to negotiate a contract to provide the service.

The RMV in November released a "10-Point Promise" to improve service, including reducing branch wait times by 20 percent. The average wait time at its 30 branches was 22 minutes and 42 seconds in December, according to the RMV, which has set a 15-minute goal.

Under the current system, customers are told estimated wait times, but never are informed when they change. Branch wait times posted on the RMV website also are inaccurate.

RMV spokeswoman Sara Lavoie said: "We want to make the wait-time experience more predictable."

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Chamber of Commerce to focus on technology companies

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce is turning over a new leaf, planning to focus on the technology sector and innovation economy as it outlines its priorities in the coming year.

"We need to do more to continue to accelerate innovation and promote innovation everywhere," Jim Klocke, chamber executive vice president, said. "(It's) critical. We have a lot of talent around here, we have a lot of innovation."

The new focus comes as the chamber searches for a leader to replace longtime president and chief executive Paul Guzzi, who announced his retirement in September.

John Fish, who was head of the search committee until he recently stepped down, has said the chamber is looking for someone who could strengthen its connection with innovation businesses.

In outlining its 2015 agenda, the chamber also is emphasizing increasing STEM education and improving entrepreneurial freedom for independent contractors — policies that weren't a priority last year.

"Massachusetts should adopt the federal standard for independent contractors," Klocke said.

"We're going to see more people starting small business, we're going to see more creativity and startups."

The chamber and Boston-based startup incubator MassChallenge also have been working together to increase engagement with fledgling Hub businesses.

C.A. Webb, executive director of the New England Venture Capital Association, said the chamber's agenda for the year represents a good step.

"It's a comprehensive and thoughtful plan that reflects even more of an innovation orientation than last year's agenda," she said. "I'm really supportive of the agenda and look forward to collaborating with them."

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The Ticker

Super Bowl ads
 won't offend

Super Bowl advertisers are being careful not to offend. GoDaddy decided not to run an ad that showed a dog being sold online so as not to offend dog lovers. The Victoria's Secret angels are fully clothed in its teaser spot, at least, although they reveal more in their actual Super Bowl ad. And an anti-domestic abuse commercial will have a high profile-spot during the game after a year of domestic violence scandals in the NFL.

Facebook beats revenue forecasts

For the seventh quarter in a row Facebook beat profit and revenue forecasts, continuing to win more mobile advertising revenue as most users shift to using the site on smartphones and other portable devices.

The world's biggest online social network said yesterday that advertising revenue jumped 
53 percent to $3.59 billion for the fourth quarter — with mobile ad revenue representing
69 percent of the total.

Fed to be patient on raising rates

The Federal Reserve reiterated yesterday that it will be "patient" in raising interest rates from record lows even as the U.S. economy moves steadily closer to full health. The Fed said it thinks inflation will decline further before eventually reaching the central bank's 2 percent target rate.

TODAY

 Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.

 Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.

 National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for December.

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Charlie Baker to Keolis: Get on track

Keolis, the French company hired last year to run commuter rail lines, struggled mightily to rebound from the blizzard, canceling 28 trains during yesterday's morning rush hour, sparking a warning from the Baker administration to deliver on their "no-excuses" contract.

The company reported an on-time early-day performance of 36 percent, greatly below its average of 89 percent. The delays left some passengers waiting for more than an hour.

Yesterday's failures to get the commuter rail lines running efficiently after a storm that dropped up to three feet of powdery, dry snow in some areas prompted Gov. Charlie Baker's newly appointed Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to single out the company.

"We understand the challenges that our operator Keolis faces in operating the system. They signed on to a no-excuses contract and we're going to be looking for a better performance this afternoon and on an ongoing basis over that contract," Pollack said.

Baker was quick to back her up, adding, "I think Secretary Pollack's comments speak for the administration on that one."

Keolis spokesman Mac Daniel said mechanical problems with aging locomotives — from stalled engines to malfunctioning air compressors — were to blame and that snow-covered rails or weather-related track switch issues were not factors in the scuttled trains.

Daniel said 22 of the usual 196 inbound trains heading to North Station during yesterday's morning rush hour had to be canceled, including two disabled trains on the Fitchburg line, which resulted in passengers having to get off one train and reboard another. South Station bound trains fared better, with six of 302 trains getting scratched.

Passengers on the Newburyport-Rockport line endured the longest delay of 74 minutes while waiting for a replacement train sent from Boston to reach the Clipper City after the original train broke down.

Keolis has been hampered by failures with 40 of the new locomotives the MBTA shelled out 
$222 million for being taken off line for major repairs to fix faulty traction motor bearings.

As of 7 last night, Keolis reported it was on time for only 40 percent of the day's runs.

The MBTA has already slapped Keolis with an $804,000 fine in November in part because of a poor on-time record that dropped to 
85 percent in October, as well as unclean trains, and other problems.

Laurel J. Sweet contributed to this report.

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The Ticker

Apple has huge quarter from holiday iPhone sales

Apple had another blowout quarter thanks to its new plus-sized iPhones, which helped the company smash sales records for the holiday season.

Apple said yesterday that it sold 74.5 million iPhones during the three months that ended Dec. 31, beating analysts' expectations for the latest models of Apple's most popular gadget, introduced in September.

The surge in iPhone sales drove the company's total revenue to $74.6 billion, up 30 percent from a year earlier. CEO Tim Cook said on a call with analysts that demand for the phones was "staggering," and noted that results would have been even higher if not for the impact of the strong dollar on overseas sales.

Stocks slide on disappointing outlooks

U.S. stocks closed lower yesterday after disappointing outlooks from Caterpillar and Microsoft raised worries about future profit growth at companies.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 291.49 points, or 1.7 percent, to close at 17,387.21 yesterday. The blue-chip average dropped as much as 390 points earlier. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slid 27.54 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,029.55 The Nasdaq composite tumbled 90.26 points, or 1.9 percent, to 4,681.50.

Microsoft shares slid 9 percent, the biggest fall among S&P 500 stocks. The company noted in its quarterly results that licensing revenue for Windows fell, and it warned that a strong dollar will dent revenue.

Caterpillar's stock fell 7 percent after the heavy equipment maker was hurt in the fourth quarter by restructuring costs, and issued a weak outlook.

Obama floats Atlantic drilling lease plan

The Obama administration floated a plan yesterday that for the first time would open up a broad swath of the Atlantic Coast to drilling, even as it moved to restrict drilling indefinitely in environmentally sensitive areas off Alaska.

The proposal envisions auctioning areas located more than 50 miles off Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia to oil companies no earlier than 2021, long after President Obama leaves office. For decades, oil companies have been barred from drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, where a moratorium was in place up until 2008.

Today

• Federal Reserve policymakers meet to set interest rates and release statements.

TOMORROW

• Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.
• Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.
• National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for December.
• Lockton, the world's largest privately held insurance broker, has promoted Chip Manozzi to executive vice president and leader of its Boston office. Manozzi has worked in risk management and commercial insurance for more than 30 years.

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Some Boston spots brave blizzard

The blizzard of 2015 didn't dampen Bostonians' appetites to venture out yesterday in search of restaurants that were open to serve their snowbound neighbors.

Barracuda Tavern in Downtown Crossing had put up six workers at the Nine Zero Hotel and Omni Parker House on Monday night so it could open at its normal 11 a.m. yesterday.

"We have two hotels right across the street from us, so it's a no-brainer," said chef/owner Luka Stipanov, who counted city workers as well as hotel guests as customers yesterday. "We're staying open until 2 a.m. and serving food until 1:30 a.m. — the full menu."

For Jacqueline Church, founder of private cooking class company Kitchen Confidence, the storm was a chance for a lunch date with her husband, an "essential" state employee who was working in Boston yesterday instead of his usual Danvers. The Leather District couple met at Gourmet Dumpling House in Chinatown.

"There was only a handful of people walking around out there," Church said. "Usually there's a line because it's so popular, but today, we walked right in and got a table."

Church saw only one other restaurant open.

"I was surprised," she said. "Chinatown usually is always the last to close."

Manager PJ Crowley shoveled a path through a 3-foot snowdrift to the door of Battery Park to open the Financial District bar and lounge for drinks -- with discounts equal to the amount of snow, which was 20 inches by mid-afternoon.

"It's a little tough, especially being in the area where we are," Crowley said. "But we had a lot of fun on Twitter yesterday and were committed to it, so we just wanted to follow through. Even after the (marathon) bombings we were open ... so we felt a snowstorm — being from New England -- wasn't really a big deal."

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New AG may block Partners merger

Attorney General Maura Healey, in a surprise break with her former boss just days after taking office, threatened to terminate ex-Attorney General Martha Coakley's deal with Partners HealthCare over a proposed merger with three other hospitals.

In a filing yesterday, Healey threatened to sue to block the agreement — which allows Partners to merge with South Shore, Lawrence Memorial and Melrose-Wakefield hospitals — if Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders rejects the deal.

"One of the greatest challenges for our Commonwealth is controlling health costs while promoting quality and access, and I evaluated this issue with that goal in mind," said Healey in a statement. "Should the Court decline to enter the settlement, my office will exercise its right to void the agreement with Partners. I anticipate we then would litigate to enjoin Partners' proposed acquisition of South Shore Hospital."

Sanders has expressed skepticism about the agreement in court proceedings, including one last November in which Coakley herself defended the agreement just days after losing the gubernatorial race to Charlie Baker.

Noting the agreement allows Partners to grow but only on the promise of future price restrictions, Healey said she wants Partners to demonstrate an ability to control health care costs first before it strives to become bigger. She also claimed that certain limitations on how fast Partners can grow — including the number of doctors hired and price caps — could lead to even more Partners growth after the restrictions expire. But Healey said she would enforce the agreement if Sanders approves it.

Healey was sworn into office to replace Coakley last Wednesday evening, making this one of her first acts as attorney general.

"We remain deeply committed to working with South Shore Hospital and Hallmark Health to deliver more coordinated care to the patients in those communities at lower costs," said Partners spokesman Rich Copp.

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Business Protocol: Attacks on Brady don’t pass sports rules of etiquette

The New England Patriots have been so good for so long that it seems fans are bored and the competition is jealous!

What happened to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty? Behavior as of late is reminiscent of the Salem witch trials. And it seems the press would rather exploit minutiae than focus on 'just another Super Bowl' … adding the suffix "gate" — implying scandal or, at least, underhandedness.

All this is not Golden Rule behavior, something upon which even sports etiquette is based. Moreover, the upshot of this debacle threatens to cut at the core of fundamental qualities of integrity and trust — upon which personal, business and sports relationships should be based. Tom Brady has denied any knowledge of impropriety and I believe him.

Even if air pressure was altered, this clearly did not affect Brady's performance as the Patriots scored 28 points during the second half against Indianapolis with a fully inflated ball versus 17 points with a less-inflated ball. Velocity is also reduced with an underinflated, heavy, wet ball … so much for the integrity of the ball.

The Patriots are a true dynasty team. Tom Brady could be the best quarterback of all time and Bill Belichick one of the best coaches. Brady and the Patriots are professional, world-class athletes who have earned titles and trophies not by individual accomplishment, but by shared achievement. They have played and won consistently, as true gentlemen warriors. Individually and collectively, they have demonstrated that treating others with respect is contagious and key to winning.

Tom Brady is a leader who works for his wins, studies and prepares. His confidence and sense of authority come from exhaustive preparation. He is known to watch every frame of every defensive play of the season at least once and memorize every twitch and tic of every cornerback and safety. He gets briefed and briefs himself on strengths and weaknesses of his opponents including their habits, tendencies and vulnerabilities. Teammates admire his presence and personality, his work ethic, selflessness, humility and show of respect toward everyone.

Let not hearsay, innuendo and vicious rumors tarnish the hard-fought, well-earned reputation of one of the greatest quarterbacks in history.

Tom Brady doesn't need to cheat to win.

Judith Bowman is president and founder of Protocol Consultants International and author of "Don't Take the Last Donut: New rules of Business Etiquette" and "How to Stand Apart @ Work … Transforming "Fine" to Fabulous!" Email her at Judith@protocolconsultants.com.

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Answers to common questions about cars in winter

There have been numerous articles recently about warming up vehicles before driving in the winter. I understand doing so makes problems for the environment and is not necessary. The best way is to just drive them. But what about folks who only drive three miles to work? My '08 Hyundai Sonata barely gets heat by the time I get to work if I don't at least let it run for a couple minutes. By letting it run, I am allowing the natural moisture in the air in my engine to evaporate due to heat to prevent further problems down the road. Is there any validity to allow the moisture to evaporate?

Absolutely. Short drives in cold weather leave significant moisture condensed into water and not evaporated from the engine crankcase and exhaust system. From a mechanical and environmental perspective, no significant stationary warm-up/idle period is necessary. In fact, engines and components come up to temperature more quickly, producing better fuel economy and lower emissions when driven gently up to temperature.

There are two scenarios where an extended warm-up prior to driving is useful — at the start of a short drive as you've described or due to a medical/age necessity. Both are completely valid reasons to let a car warm up before driving, and will not harm the vehicle.

One option for you is to plan a 20-minute drive at least once a week to completely evaporate any moisture from the engine and exhaust. This will help prolong the life of exhaust system components and the positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV).

On the subject of longevity, why not plan a round trip to the car wash once a week or so (except in subfreezing temperatures) to not only to bring the vehicle up to full operating temperature, but also to remove the ice and salt from the chassis to reduce the potential for rust?

Is it OK to store a car over the winter while connected to a battery tender with the battery not disconnected?

The benefit to leaving the battery connected is no loss of on-board computer memories — radio presets, seat position, HVAC settings, idle learn, etc. All these are quickly re-established once the vehicle is put back in service.

The only potential downside, in my opinion, is the risk of fire due to some type of electrical problem/short circuit.

Is the use of a 9-volt dry cell battery plugged into the cigarette lighter or charging outlet OK when changing the battery? Is it necessary?

Why bother? When power is reconnected, the computer systems re-learn very quickly.

My 2013 Chrysler minivan calls for 35 psi cold tire pressure. A week before Thanksgiving I added air due to a large drop in temp. I watched tire pressure increase from 35 psi to 45 psi as I drove south for the holiday. Back north the tire pressure was back to 35 psi. I would like to know what rule of thumb one should use for an upper limit on tire pressure.

Having raced on high performance street tires for decades, I can tell you there is no risk to a passenger car tire operating at even 50 psi. So, no worries. The short period of higher cold tire pressures theoretically may cause a slightly higher wear rate on the center of the tread, but that is far less of a concern than operating the tire well below its specified pressure due to lower ambient air temperatures.

The rule of thumb is a 1- to 2-pound loss of pressure for every 10-degree F. drop in air temperature.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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Consumer agency gets an incomplete on mortgage advice

WASHINGTON — When the federal government's consumer protection agency for financial matters tells you how to shop for a good deal on a home mortgage, you should follow the advice, right?

Maybe some of it. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created in the backwash of the worst national mortgage disaster since the Great Depression, went online with a new interactive mortgage tool last week. The CFPB's site (www.consumerfinance.gov) offers helpful tips on shopping and has a guide to loan alternatives, closing costs and a "rate checker" feature.

At first glance, the rate checker appears to be a quick way to research prevailing mortgage interest rates in your area. Here's how it works: You enter the state where you want to apply, a FICO credit score estimate, your desired loan amount and the loan term. The rate checker then displays the local daily rate quotes collected from banks and credit unions by its data vendor, Informa Research Services Inc. of Calabasas, Calif.

Say you live in Virginia or California and want to see what rate you might get on a $400,000 house purchase with a $40,000 down payment. You input your estimated credit score. Say you've got a FICO 680. In Virginia, according to the rate checker readout Jan.16, "most lenders" in the survey would quote you 3.875 percent or less for a 30-year fixed-rate loan. Two lenders offered 3.625 percent and six quoted between 4 percent and 4.375 percent.

In California, most lenders also quoted 3.875 percent or less, one quoted 3.75 percent and five came in between 4 and 4.375 percent. None went as low as 3.625 percent.

But something important is missing here: The various fees and charges that the CFPB itself requires lenders to disclose as part of any mortgage quote to a consumer. As regulator of the Truth in Lending Act, CFPB regulations mandate precise disclosures of loan discount fees or "points" and lender closing charges among others. (A point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.) These are included in the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) — the effective rate applicants will be paying over the life of the loan.

When lenders advertise their rates, they must include the APR along with the base interest rate. There may be other charges that come into the total cost picture as well, such as lender-paid mortgage insurance and investor "overlay" add-ons.

So how big a deal could it be when only the interest rate is provided? In a statement for this column, Quicken Loans, the second largest retail lender in the country, said that quoting a rate alone, with no reference to specific points, fees and the APR, "will deliver a cost estimate that greatly differs from what is accurate." Steve Stamets, senior mortgage banker for Apex Home Loans, Rockville, Md., told me "it's inherently misleading because you're not getting all the potential charges" you're going to have to pay.

For example, said Stamets, a loan officer might violate CFPB rules by quoting a 
3 percent rate on a hypothetical $400,000 loan to pull in customers, but not mention that to obtain that rate they will need to pay 5 points — $20,000. Those points could be paid at settlement or financed and included in the interest rate. In the latter case, using one rule of thumb measure, the effective rate on the loan might jump to 
4.25 percent, not the 3 percent advertised.

David Stevens, CEO and president of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said in an interview that CFPB's rate checker's failure to disclose full costs "violates everything a lender must do" to quote rates to borrowers in compliance with the agency's own rules. "It's just a bad idea," he said. "It needs to come down."

But the CFPB shows no signs of yielding to critics. In a statement for this column, the agency said the rates quoted "assume" discount points ranging between one half a point to minus one half a point "and a 60-day rate lock," but do not include lender closing charges. Dave Hershman, a nationally known trainer and author who helps mortgage companies comply with the rules, scoffed at the CFPB's defense: "Could you imagine (the bureau) allowing a mortgage company to be that nebulous? And to quote rates without an APR?"

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