The Lede

Washington Post, May 3, 2019--Kathy OrtonMortgage rates are at their lowest levels in 16 months after five weeks of declines. But despite falling rates, mortgage applications pulled back, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Bloomberg, May 30, 2019--Christopher MaloneyWashington says a major change in the mortgage-backed securities market could make home loans more affordable nationwide. Not everyone on Wall Street is so sure.

Multi-Housing News, May 30, 2019--Jeffrey SteeleAccording to the Mortgage Bankers Association, a record $574 billion of commercial real estate and multifamily mortgages were closed in 2018. Of that total, commercial bank and savings institutions made up the largest investor group, responsible for $174 billion. That activity surpassed, in order, the GSEs, CMBS, CDO and ABS issuers, life insurance companies and pension funds.

Orange County Register, May 30, 2019--Jeff LazersonAfter coming within an eyelash of hitting 5%, 30-year rates have dropped almost a full percentage point since November. (MBA mention)

Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2019--Nick Timiraos (subscription)Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said the U.S. economy is in good shape but that central bank officials would consider interest-rate cuts should economic data reveal a material risk of a sharper slowdown than they currently expect.

HousingWire, May 30, 2019--Ben LaneOpen Mortgage, an Austin, Texas-based lender that operates forward and reverse mortgage operations, announced Thursday that is hiring 50 of Live Well Financial's former employees, including three of the company's top executives.

Mortgage Media, May 30, 2019Rick Hill, vice president of industry technology with the Mortgage Bankers Association, talked with Mortgage Media's Dave Matthews at the recent MBA technology conference.

HousingWire, May 30, 2019--Jessica GuerinThe Department of Justice recently sent a letter to CoreLogic requesting access to its MLS data regarding buyer broker compensation, a clear sign that the federal authorities are actively investigating allegations of antitrust violations among multiple listing service providers.

American Banker, May 30, 2019--Neil Haggerty (subscription)As House Democrats seek to reverse Trump administration efforts to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the industry's hopes of replacing the bureau's single-director leadership structure with a five-member commission are quickly fading, at least in the short term.

Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2019--Katy McLaughlin (subscription)Banks and lenders are reckoning with "the sandwich generation" as more aging parents and adult children move in together and need mortgages on their shared space.