Category: Top National News

Washington Post, Mar. 4, 2019–Tracy JanHousing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson says he intends to leave his post at the end of President Trump’s first term.

HousingWire, Mar. 4, 2019–Ben LaneGoldman Sachs recently surpassed the $1.25 billion mark in the $1.8 billion in customer relief the company is required to provide as part of its $5 billion settlement reached in April 2016 over toxic mortgage bonds.

Reuters, Mar. 4, 2019–Lucia MutikaniU.S. construction spending unexpectedly fell in December as investment in both private and public projects dropped, leading economists to expect that the government will trim its economic growth estimate for the fourth quarter.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2019–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)The conventional market recaptured a lot of the first-time homebuyers it lost during the financial crisis, but servicemembers instead have increasingly stuck with loans insured by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 1, 2019–Phil HallJust because house flipping looks like fun on HGTV doesn’t mean the actual process is a breezy escapade. According to a new study from Porch.com, would-be flippers often flop when it comes to strategy planning.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2019–Elina Tarkaziks, Austin Kilgore (free article)Innovating for the borrower was a consistent theme during the MBA’s 2019 Mortgage Servicing Conference in Orlando, Fla. Whether through greater investments in technology and talent, or streamlining back-end processes to improve the consistency and speed of the decision-making process, servicers are doing more to prioritize borrowers in their businesses.

HousingWire, Mar. 1, 2019–Alcynna LloydThis year’s mortgage market is projected to grow modestly, as both mortgage and interest rates slide further, according to Freddie Mac’s February Forecast.

American Banker, Mar. 3, 2019–Victoria Finkle (subscription)The data breach at Equifax and Facebook’s scandals have made data privacy a big issue to state and federal lawmakers. Here’s why banks need to be worried.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 1, 2019–Sharon Nunn (subscription)U. S. consumer sentiment fell at the end of February. The University of Michigan on Friday said its consumer sentiment index declined to 93.8 in late February from 95.5 earlier in the month.

Washington Post, Feb. 28, 2019–Kathy OrtonAccording to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average was unchanged at 4.35 percent with an average 0.5 point. It was 4.43 percent a year ago.(MBA mention)