The Lede

National Mortgage News, Sept. 24, 2019--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Commercial and multifamily mortgage delinquency rates should stay at historically low levels in the near future even as economic uncertainty over trade affects U.S. businesses, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Wall Street Journal, Sept. 24, 2019--AnnaMaria Andriotis (subscription)An effort underway at housing-finance giant Freddie Mac could increase mortgage approvals for borrowers who might otherwise be shut out of home buying. Freddie Mac has been testing underwriting software that could make mortgages more available for certain applicants including first-time home buyers and minorities.

The Mortgage Reports, Sept. 24, 2019--Aly J. YaleHome prices might be up, but American mortgage payments are actually falling. In fact, according to new data, the average monthly mortgage payment has dipped over 6 percent in just the last year.

HousingWire, Sept. 24, 2019--Alcynna LloydSingle-family house prices rose 5% in July from a year earlier, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. It was the second-smallest annual gain in more than four years, following June's 4.9% pace.

American Banker, Sept. 24, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)The effects of that rule, which requires lenders to verify borrowers' ability to repay and provides legal protection for "qualified mortgages" with low debt-to-income ratios, so far has been limited, because of the GSE "patch." (MBA mention)

National Mortgage News, Sept. 24, 2019--Andy Peters (subscription)Banks have been ceding market share in home lending to nonbank lenders for years, but that could change under a Treasury Department proposal to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship.

HousingWire, Sept. 24, 2019--Kathleen HowleyThe cheapest mortgage rates since 2016 will push U.S. mortgage originations to a three year-high this year, according to a forecast by Mortgage Bankers Association.

Reuters, Sept. 24, 2019--Howard SchneiderU.S. consumer confidence fell by the most in nine months in September, far more than expected, as Americans' economic outlooks darkened in the face of the U.S.-China trade war, according to The Conference Board.

In support of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, Better.com launched a "Lender Challenge," asking companies to join them in donating $10 per loan closed, each month for six months.