Category: Top National News

Reuters, July 27, 2018–Lucia MutikaniThe U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in nearly four years in the second quarter as consumers boosted spending and farmers rushed shipments of soybeans to China to beat retaliatory trade tariffs before they took effect in early July.

Newsday (N.Y.), July 29, 2018–Sheryl Nance-NashThere’s much buzz about how young people are graduating with so much student loan debt that they are foregoing rites of passage like moving out and buying cars. But some are marching forward with mortgages.

Politico, July 27, 2018–Victoria Guida, Katy O’Donnell, Lorraine WoellertA Federal Housing Finance Agency staffer accused FHFA Director Melvin Watt of repeatedly making inappropriate sexual advances when she tried to discuss career and salary concerns.

Forbes, July 27, 2018–Camilo MaldonadoNew research by the Urban Institute shows that unless you have a high-credit-profile, the chance of being rejected for a mortgage is nearly one in three.

National Mortgage News, July 27, 2018–Hannah Long (subscription)Mel Watt, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, on Friday decried the disclosure of an investigation of sexual harassment allegations made by an agency employee, and suggested the leak was politically motivated.

HousingWire, July 27, 2018–Kelsey RamirezA joint survey conducted by HousingWire and Maxwell, showed that nearly 57% of lenders said implementing their technology went slower than expected. Another 32% said it went faster than they expected while 11% said it went as expected.

Reuters, July 29, 2018–Lindsay DunsmuirU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that he believes the quickening pace of growth in the nation’s economy in the second quarter will persist for the next few years.

UExpress, July 27, 2018–Lew SichelmanZillow bills itself as “the largest, most trusted and vibrant home-related marketplace in the world.” But in early 2016, the Seattle-based company quietly stopped publishing listings from some of the country’s largest builders unless it was paid by the builders to add them.

American Banker, July 30, 2018–Victoria Finkle (subscription)Ten years after the financial crisis, the regulatory pendulum appears to have swung firmly in banks’ direction. But scratch beneath the surface and the crisis remains surprisingly relevant in the national political debate today–and the memory of the damage it did poses a greater threat than many bankers would like to admit.

Washington Post, July 26, 2018–Kathy Orton Mortgage rates, which have been in a rut the past couple months, began moving higher this week. (MBA mention)