USA Today, Nathan Bomey, Charisse JonesThe parent company of the two chains, Sears Holdings, announced Thursday that it would close about 5 percent of its remaining stores, all of which it said were losing money, totaling 46 stores.
Category: Top National News

Steady Interest Rates Bring Mortgage Volume Back to Life
CNBC, Aug. 22, 2018–Diana OlickTotal mortgage application volume rose 4.2 percent last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted report. Volume was still 15 percent lower compared with the same week one year ago.

Mortgage Net Branches Back?
Mortgage Daily, Aug. 22, 2018Net branches are a structure that’s long been abandoned as a result of regulatory scrutiny. But one mortgage banking firm is making a go of it again with some huge incentives.

Mortgage Defaults Improved but Originations Still Down from Crisis
National Mortgage News, Aug. 22, 2018–Elina Tarkazikis (subscription)Better consumer credit quality helped push the serious mortgage delinquency rate to its lowest level since the Great Recession, but originations remain low due to a combination of tighter underwriting standards and eroding homebuyer affordability, according to TransUnion.

Buoyed by Court’s Decision, HUD Vows to Continue Altering Obama Fair Housing Rule
HousingWire, Aug. 22, 2018–Ben LaneHUD said Wednesday that it will continue moving forward in its effort to change a controversial Obama-era fair housing rule now that a federal court has struck down a challenge to the Trump administration’s moves.

They’re Baaaack: Big Banks Flexing their Lobbying Muscle
American Banker, Aug. 22, 2018–Victoria Finkle (subscription)Congress checked regulatory relief off its list earlier this year, delivering key reforms to community and regional banks. But now, attention in Washington is beginning to shift to another segment of the industry known more perennially for its lobbying prowess.

Freddie Securitizing Re-Performing Mortgages
Mortgage Daily, Aug. 22, 2018More than a billion dollars in single-family loans that were previously non-performing are being moved from Freddie Mac’s balance sheet to a securitized trust.

Robert Broeksmit Officially Takes Over as MBA CEO
HousingWire, Aug. 22, 2018–Ben LaneThe Mortgage Bankers Association is now under new leadership.

Quicken Loans: United Wholesale Workers are Subverting our Mortgage Lending Operations
HousingWire, Aug. 22, 2018–Jacob GaffneyWhat started as a simple announcement early last week that C2 Financial would discontinue offering Quicken Loans’ products via its mortgage broker channel escalated quickly in to a war of words between top lenders.

Facebook Cuts Thousands of Ad Targeting Options after HUD’s Housing Discrimination Allegation
HousingWire, Aug. 22, 2018–Ben LaneIn the wake of being accused of allowing landlords and homeowners to discriminate against prospective renters and buyers, Facebook is making changes to its advertising policies to remove thousands of targeting options that may have been used to engage in discriminatory advertising.