The Lede

Ahead of debate this week on a Senate bill aimed at providing broad regulatory relief, the Mortgage Bankers Association's grassroots advocacy arm, the Mortgage Action Alliance, issued a Call to Action urging its members to contact their senators to support the bill.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate dropped again in February, marking the eighth consecutive month of improvement, reported Trepp, New York.

Black Knight, Jacksonville, Fla., said homes in the lowest-priced tiers have seen greatest price appreciation, putting pressure on lower-income buyers as affordability tightens.

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., said its monthly Loan Application Defect Index held steady in January, but was nearly 14 percent higher than a year ago.

Since 2000, homeownership has declined in a vast majority of America's biggest cities, said Trulia, San Francisco.

The Federal Housing Administration yesterday announced an extension of its 180-day foreclosure moratorium for FHA-insured homeowners for an additional 60 days due to the extensive damage and continuing needs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Homeownership Collaborative, a coalition of real estate trade associations and nonprofit housing counseling providers, yesterday released its first report on steps that can be taken to increase use of homeownership education and housing counseling services available nationwide.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 5, 2018--Sam GarciaMortgage service providers are helping home lenders with quality control and complying with the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the TILA-RESPA Integrated disclosures. One product is targeting California per-diem restrictions, while another addresses New York's new security requirements.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 5, 2018--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)"Many market participants believe that increased conduit leverage is required for the CMBS market to effectively compete for future commercial real estate loans and maintain CMBS conduit issuance at sustainable levels," Fitch Ratings analysts wrote in a report.

HousingWire, Mar. 5, 2018--Ben LaneThe lines of support are very clearly drawn in the battle over who should serve as interim director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Mortgage Professional America, Mar. 5, 2018--Francis MonfortMost homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages could experience their first interest rate increase if the low-interest-rate environment ends, according to survey results released by HSBC.

MarketWatch, Mar. 5, 2018--Andrea RiquierIndustry participants believe many Americans are rushing to get ahead of rates that are only expected to go higher from here. (MBA mention)

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 3, 2018--Melanie Grayce West (subscription)New Jersey's foreclosure crisis is hitting a peak, and that could be a boon for the state's housing market.

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 2, 2018--Phil HallThe delinquency rate has been in a free-fall for eight consecutive months, a 124 bps drop, and Trepp forecasts that "it is now possible that the rate could break the post-crisis low from February 2016 over the next few months."

The Real Deal (N.Y.), Mar. 2, 2018--Konrad PutzierMention the term "collateralized debt obligation" and financial watchdogs immediately seize up. But now they are staging a comeback under a new name: collateralized loan obligation, or CLO.

HousingWire, Mar. 2, 2018--Kelsey RamirezThe bill, S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, contains policies which would roll back or eliminate key parts from the Dodd-Frank Act.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2018--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)The servicing business drove Nationstar Mortgage Holdings' fourth-quarter profitability and will be a major factor going forward after the company is acquired by WMIH.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 1, 2018Last month's volume turned out to be the lowest level of monthly agency securitizations since February 2016.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2018--Bonnie Sinnock, Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Ocwen Financial Corp.'s $360 million bid to buy PHH Corp. is intended to alleviate a multitude of regulatory and financial strains that have plagued both companies for years. But the deal also raises a number of questions for investors, borrowers and regulators.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)Mick Mulvaney, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said Thursday the agency may allow prudential regulators to take the lead on more supervisory matters to cut down on duplication and ease the burden of exams on financial firms.

Bloomberg, Mar. 1, 2018--Prashant GopalAn increase in U.S. mortgage interest rates is throwing ice water on the great American refi -- and choking off business for lenders. Refinancings as a share of home loan applications fell to 41.8 percent last week. With a couple of exceptions, that's the lowest level since the financial crisis in 2008, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 28, 2018Ginnie Mae II loans account 2,426 of the units, while Fannie Mae A/A mortgages make up 1,504 units, and Freddie Mac ARC loans number just 36.

MReport, Feb. 28, 2018--Radhika OjhaIn its filing to the court, the bank had said that the parties deserved clarity from the Ninth Circuit and should not be required to engage in unnecessary and expensive work that might be undone.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 28, 2018--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Ocwen Financial Corp.'s $360 million acquisition of PHH Corp. presents an opportunity for the nonbank servicer to rebuild scale that's been diminished by years of regulatory restrictions and the decline in distressed mortgage volume brought about by improvements in the overall housing market.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 28, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)Mick Mulvaney, acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has made clear his desire to slash the agency's budget, but what he plans to cut to meet his spending goals is more of a mystery.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 1, 2018--Andrew Ackerman, Christina Rexrode (subscription)The bipartisan legislation, supported by the Trump administration and top Federal Reserve officials, would relax dozens of rules for small to medium-size banks, shaking up the banking sector with policy changes that could encourage deal-making and make it easier for banks to expand.

Banker & Tradesman (Mass.), Feb. 28, 2018A coalition of real estate trade associations and nonprofit housing counseling providers released its findings on steps that can be taken to increase the utilization of nationwide homeownership education and housing counseling services. (MBA mention)

National Mortgage News, Feb. 27, 2018--Ian McKendry (subscription)Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Tuesday that he is hopeful that a bipartisan deal to roll back Dodd-Frank Act regulations will be able to get a floor vote as soon as next week.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 27, 2018--Yuka Hayashi (subscription)The business cost of complying with rules will receive increased attention at a consumer-finance regulator, the agency's acting director said, faulting the Obama administration for not giving enough consideration to such factors.