The Lede

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 10, 2017--Phil HallIn a letter to leaders of the Senate and House, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced its backing of S. 563 and H.R. 1422, both named the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act.

HousingWire, Mar. 10, 2017--Ben LaneA consortium of the housing industry's top trade organizations [including the Mortgage Bankers Association] declared their collective support for an ongoing effort in Congress to permanently bar the use of funds raised from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's guarantee fees to cover federal spending in areas not related to mortgages.

MarketWatch, Mar. 10, 2017--Andrea Riquier Adjustable-rate mortgages are more popular now than at any time in more than two years as interest rates start climbing, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 10, 2017--Jacob Passy (subscription)Sixty percent of executives said that millennial talent acquisition was among their top priorities, representing the most common trend found in a survey mortgage industry leadership conducted by mortgage hiring firm Rick Glass Executive Search. But hiring within this demographic can pose some challenges.

HousingWire, Mar. 10, 2017--Sarah WheelerThe last formal session of the Ellie Mae Experience conference was also its liveliest. The compliance experts on the official panel on the podium were joined by an unofficial group of GSE leaders on the front row, who gamely jumped in when called upon.

American Banker, Mar. 10, 2017--Kate Berry (subscription)In their drive to revamp the Dodd-Frank Act, Republicans have repeatedly asserted that the 2010 financial reform law has increased the cost of consumer lending and cut off access to credit. Yet the available data indicates otherwise.

Washington Post, Mar. 10, 2017--Thomas HeathFor decades, department stores such as Macy's and Sears have anchored sprawling suburban malls. Now as their business has languished and they board up shop, another sort of tenant is trying its luck in their place: grocers.

HousingWire, Mar. 10, 2017--Brena SwansonEarlier this month, the House passed (241 to 104) the "OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act," H.R. 1009, which would subject independent regulatory agencies to the regulatory review process of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget.

Fox47News (Detroit), Mar. 10, 2017--Jim KiertznerQuicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson is firing back at the feds who allege Quicken Loans knowingly violated FHA rules when it made bad loans from 2007 to 2011. Quicken has scored two victories - getting the case moved from Washington, DC to its hometown, Detroit, and getting a judge Thursday to dismiss part of the federal case.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 10, 2017A sharp week-over-week increase in new purchase financing activity drove overall mortgage business higher this past week. But jumbo activity turned significantly lower.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 10, 2017It's been almost a year since securitizations at Ginnie Mae were as slow as they were last month.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 10, 2017Alpine Bank & Trust Co., Rockford, Ill., settled allegations of racial discrimination against people who applied for residential loans.

UExpress, Mar. 10, 2017--Lew SichelmanFloor plans, or the far more detailed drawings called blueprints, have a language all their own.

The first MBA Mortgage Action Alliance Quarterly Advocacy Update Webinar of 2017 will take place Thursday, March 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET.