The Lede

Mortgage Orb, Aug. 15, 2019--Patrick BarnardApplications for mortgages for new home purchases increased 11% in July compared with June and were up 31.2% compared with July 2018, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association Builder Application Survey.

Washington Post, Aug. 15, 2019--Kathy OrtonAccording to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, the market composite index increased 21.7 percent from a week earlier. The refinance index jumped 37 percent from the previous week, while the purchase index rose 2 percent.

Wall Street Journal, Aug. 15, 2019--Beth DeCarbo (subscription)Real estate wire transfer fraud cost 11,300 victims nearly $150 million last year, according to the FBI. These firms want to do something about it.

National Mortgage News, Aug. 15, 2019--Kate Berry (subscription)Lenders have long worried that borrowers would use the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's mortgage underwriting rule to fight foreclosure in court. But the outcome of the first known legal attempt may discourage others from trying.

HousingWire, Aug. 15, 2019--Kathleen HowleyFlyhomes, the four-year-old real estate startup that lets people make cash offers on homes while they work to secure a mortgage, announced a new round of funding and a new service for buyers on Thursday.

San Bernardino Sun, Aug. 15, 2019--Jeff LazersonStarting Oct. 15, individual borrowers will be able to get Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgages for condos in complexes lacking FHA certification. (MBA mention)

CT Mirror, Aug. 15, 2019--Mark PazniokasAccused by banking regulators of improperly using unlicensed call-center employees to help negotiate loans, 1st Alliance not only has defended itself with lawyers, but the company has waged a campaign managed by one of Connecticut's leading political operatives, Roy Occhiogrosso.

American Banker, Aug. 15, 2019--Andy Peters (subscription)Mortgage refinancing activity is back from the dead thanks to declining interest rates, and that's good news for banks that will be starved for additional revenue as lending margins keep tightening. But as with many good things, there's a catch. (MBA mention)

Bloomberg, Aug. 15, 2019--Emily BarrettThe global rally in bonds on Thursday drove the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury below 1.5% for the first time since August 2016.

mPowering You: MBA's Summit For Women in Real Estate Finance, takes place Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

MBA Education presents its popular School of Mortgage Banking Course II in several locations this summer and fall.

mPowering You: MBA's Summit For Women in Real Estate Finance, takes place Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

mPowering You: MBA's Summit For Women in Real Estate Finance, takes place Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.