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A search for a biological father, and the surprise of a lifetime
Matt Katz is a lifelong Mets fan. Playing ball with his son, Reuben, is what Father’s Day memories are made of. But growing up, Matt’s experience of Father’s Day was about as complicated as a triple play. “Did my birth father like baseball? Does he like baseball?” Katz asked. “And because I had for many years no contact with my birth father, I would wonder about little things like that.”
Matt was raised by his Jewish mother, Roberta, and Richard, his Jewish stepfather, who said, “As far as I’m concerned, he is my son.”
“His father was out of the picture, and he felt rejected,” said Roberta. “He tried to see him, but it didn’t work out.”
Richard said, “No matter how much of a dad I am, he still needed to know where he came from.”
But as a boy, Matt rarely got any answers to that question: “Why isn’t he interested in hanging out with me? Why isn’t he interested in knowing me? Where is he?”
When he was about the age his daughter Sadie is now, Matt noticed something: “I looked different from other people in my family, and also a little bit different from other people at Hebrew school. I had lighter features, redder hair.”
Family Photo
Matt’s wife, Deborah, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent; so is Matt’s mom, and so was his presumed biological father.
Deborah recalled, “My elderly grandmother was like, No, he’s not Jewish.”
So, where in the world did those fair features come from?
“I took a DNA test, as did my wife, just to see if we could, you know, figure out a little bit more about our people,” Matt said. “I was expecting to find out I was a hundred percent Jewish. Instead, I found out I was just half-Ashkenazi, Eastern European Jewish, and I was half-Irish.”
It seemed inconceivable, and yet it sort of made sense. “I would look at myself in the mirror and I’d be like, Wow, you know, holy crap, you DO look like a half-Jewish, half-Irish guy!” he laughed.
Just like a four-leaf clover, Matt’s family tree started to blossom. He found out he had three half-siblings as well. Deborah said, “It’s, like, wild to be, like, middle-aged and all of a sudden have sisters-in-law and cousins that never existed before.”
But here’s the thing: none of them knew their dad, either. But one of them knew something the others didn’t: “She tells me that she was conceived via sperm donor,” Matt said. Which likely meant he was, too.
And yes, that led to an awkward conversation with his mom. “I was very nervous about it,” he said.
We should preface what follows by saying Matt is a Peabody Award-winning journalist at WNYC Public Radio in New York City. He’s used to tracking down answers and asking tough questions … but not of his own mother.
Roberta said, “I remember sitting on the couch, and he prefaced the conversation with how much he loves me and how much he loves Richard. And then, he threw the bombshell!”
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“I said, ‘Did you ever get fertility assistance when you were trying to have me?'” Matt recalled. “She says yes, they tried to get pregnant for many years, and it was hard.”
She said they had indeed gone to a doctor, who discovered the problem wasn’t hers, but his. “I wasn’t hiding anything from anyone,” Roberta said. “The only thing I was hiding was the fact that I had artificial insemination. But I thought it was with my former husband.”
“I told her, ‘That’s not what happened – it was donor sperm that you were inseminated with,'” Matt said. “And she put her hand over her mouth, and she might have used the S-word!”
What Roberta didn’t know is that back then, doctors treating male infertility would sometimes mix a husband’s genetic material with an anonymous donor’s, ostensibly to help improve the couple’s chances.
Matt was born happy and healthy, but the secrecy of it all left him in the dark about his true dad, and his mom wondering with whom she had had a child: “I could have walked down the street, and he could have been there and, you know, I wouldn’t have known,” she said.
He was a shadow from 1970s Manhattan – a ghost who, it seemed, didn’t want to be found.
Some of Matt’s friends even questioned if Matt should keep trying.
Cowan said, “The devil you know might be better than the devil you don’t, right? You had no idea where this was going?”
“No, there’s a risk there,” said Matt. “You don’t know what you’re gonna find. You don’t know if there’s more hurt.”
But Matt and his half-siblings doubled down. A professional DNA sleuth was brought in, and eventually, a picture turned up of a man with the same long face, same eyes, same hairline, as all of them. His name was Vincent McNally.
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But Matt needed more proof. “He had to have been in New York City on the day I was conceived,” Matt said.
Sure enough, in an old 1976 New York City phone book, a Vincent McNally was listed with an address on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. It was just brick and mortar, but to Matt it was gold. Standing outside the building, Matt said, “I feel it in my body, I do, I feel like a sensation; he was here, and he was in my presence in some way.”
Turns out Vincent McNally was a professional stage actor; he donated sperm as a way to earn extra money. Matt found pictures of him, theater reviews, and Playbills, including an eerie description of one of his final performances, in “A Sea of White Horses.” “One of those plays, his estranged children, adult children, come back and find him,” Matt said.
But the ghost Matt has been chasing all his life eluded him one final time. Just before Matt was going to call him to tell him the news, he found a death notice. Vincent McNally had passed away just four years prior.
“Maybe we were never supposed to meet in person,” he said.
Just yesterday, Matt celebrated his daughter’s bat mitzvah. Two of his three half-siblings were there, too – a blending of a now-extended family, long overdue.
Family photo
His smile makes clear Matt has finally made peace with his past, in part, he believes, because talking about it has been healthy. He turned his journey into a podcast, “Inconceivable Truth,” that has found an audience of other people whose ancestry search is still ongoing.
For Matt, he’s just thankful for the stepdad that he’s celebrating on this Father’s Day – the only man in Matt’s life, it turns out, truly worthy of the title Dad.
Cowan said, “You don’t need to keep searching anymore.”
“I don’t,” Matt said, “but I can keep telling the story, because it’s a cool story!”
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Story produced by Wonbo Woo. Editor: Steven Tyler.
Washington — A long-brewing legal standoff over the popular video-sharing app TikTok gets underway on Monday, with arguments in the challenge against a possible ban kicking off.
TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been under fire by U.S. officials for years over warnings that China’s government could gain access to users’ data and use it to manipulate or spy on Americans. But a renewed push against the app gained momentum in Congress earlier this year, as lawmakers approved a foreign aid package that included provisions requiring it to be sold or be banned from U.S. app stores. President Biden signed the legislation into law in April, teeing up a countdown for TikTok’s sale.
TikTok and ByteDance filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department in May over the law, arguing that it violates First Amendment rights of users, among other claims. With the petition, the parties asked the court to block enforcement of the legislation, which they said would force a shutdown of the app by early next year, arguing that the sale of the app is untenable before then.
Given the timeline, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit fast-tracked oral arguments. The parties are appearing in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday, where TikTok will ask for a preliminary injunction against the law.
The video-sharing app will argue that Congress passed the law “hastily” under a “closed-door” legislative process, multiple sources told CBS News, while making the case that it’s the government’s burden, not TikTok’s, to prove that the speech restrictions further a compelling interest — and are tailored to achieve the interest. It will also argue that there’s “no information” that China has manipulated information Americans receive on TikTok.
TikTok has argued that the potential ban would be a “radical departure” from the U.S. supporting an open internet, while setting a “dangerous precedent.” Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers and security experts stress that the Chinese government could tap TikTok’s trove of personal data from millions of U.S. users.
In a July filing, the Justice Department outlined that the concern “is grounded in the actions ByteDance and TikTok have already taken overseas, and in the PRC’s malign activities in the United States that, while not reliant on ByteDance and TikTok to date, demonstrate its capability and intent to engage in malign foreign influence and theft of sensitive data.”
On Monday, TikTok and the Justice Department will each get 25 minutes to present their case.
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Homebuyers have faced a myriad of challenges that have persisted over the past few years, including elevated mortgage interest rates, scarce home inventory and high home prices. The combination of negative forces has priced many buyers out of the market and left their hopes of homeownership in doubt.
Thankfully, the housing market is starting to turn the corner, with good news sprinkling into the sector. Inflation is cooling, and the Federal Reserve is expected to begin cutting rates this week. These developments could result in more favorable home loan rates.
If you’re in the market for a new mortgage loan, take the time to research the best mortgage lenders. Below, we’ve detailed our best picks for the top lenders that could benefit you, depending on your situation.
Start by seeing how low of a mortgage interest rate you could secure here today.
Best mortgage lenders 2024
Here are six of the best mortgage lenders on the market now, broken down into six different categories:
Best overall: Veterans United Home Loans
Low rates are great, but finding the best balance of competitive rates, favorable terms, quick preapproval and exceptional customer service wins the day. Veterans United Home Loans checks all the boxes and is our choice for the best overall mortgage lender. As its name suggests, Veterans United specializes in Veterans Affairs (VA) loans but also offers conventional loans—with down payments as low as 3%—and other government-backed mortgages including FHA and USDA mortgages. Veterans United boasts a 4.8 rating (out of 5) on its website with nearly 400,000 customer reviews.
Learn more about Veterans United Home Loans here.
Best for first-time homebuyers: PenFed Credit Union
PenFed Credit Union is an excellent option for first-time buyers as it offers rates on conventional loans as low as 5.5% and low or no down payment options, depending on your loan type. The credit union also offers a First Time Home Buyer Advantage mortgage with a 3% down payment option and no income limits.
Qualified borrowers may secure a conventional mortgage loan with a 3% down payment, an FHA loan with 3.5% down or a VA loan with no down payment at all. PenFed also offers jumbo loans, home equity lines of credit and refinances.
If you’re interested in a PenFed mortgage, you must become a member to qualify. Fortunately, the credit union is open to anyone who wishes to join.
Best for good credit: U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank is a large bank available to borrowers nationwide. You may prefer this bank if you like the idea of applying for a loan in person at a local branch. The bank also offers an online application process with a shorter approval time. U.S. Bank offers competitive rates for borrowers with a minimum credit score of 620, but higher scores may lead to a lower rate.
In 2023, U.S. Bank launched the Access Home Loan program to improve homeownership opportunities for communities of color. This Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP) provides eligible buyers with up to $12,500 in down payment assistance and $5,000 lender credit.
Best for bad credit: New American Funding
New American Funding offers three government-backed mortgage programs: FHA, VA and USDA. These programs provide affordable mortgage options for homebuyers who might have trouble qualifying for a conventional loan.
With a 10% down payment, you may be eligible for an FHA loan with a 500 minimum credit score. With a smaller down payment of only 3.5%, you may qualify with a 580 or greater score.
If you’re looking for more than government-backed loans, New American Funding provides a wide range of options, with over 16 different mortgage products to choose from.
Get started with New American Funding online today.
Best for fast funding: Better
Better’s One-Day Mortgage option may be worth considering if you need a fast closing or quick rate lock. This program gives qualified borrowers a rate and loan commitment letter within 24 hours, instead of the days or weeks many traditional banks require. Better also claims to close mortgages up to 17 days faster than the industry average. And if you find a lower rate with another lender, Better will match it. However, this option is not available for FHA and VA loans. Better enjoys a 4.4 rating on Trustpilot with over 1,700 reviews, 76% of which gave the lender a 5-star rating.
Best for low fees or closing costs: Alliant Credit Union
Alliant is a popular credit union that provides low and no-down payment options to help borrowers achieve the dream of homeownership. Alliant offers a large portfolio of mortgage options, including purchase, refinance and construction loans. As a credit union, rates are often lower than its traditional bank counterparts. Alliant’s website is also a cut-above the competition, making it easy to explore your options, estimate your payment or get preapproved in minutes.
The bottom line
Mortgage rates and terms vary from one lender to another, so it pays to get multiple quotes to find the best offer. Most lenders allow you to prequalify in minutes without affecting your credit score, so you can see the loan amount and mortgage rates you might qualify for.
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