Last year proved to be an unexpectedly good year for housing in general and mortgage companies in particular. Ten years after the end of the financial crisis, low interest rates and strong home-price growth contributed to a banner year, with consumers sitting on record amounts of home equity to tap. But the ten-year mark also spawned a host of predictions for a coming recession, maybe even in 2020. Our economy operates on a cycle, and a full decade of growth seems bound to end with a downturn.