Category: Top National News

CNBC, Aug. 21, 2017–Diana OlickCompetition for housing is soaring, affordability is weakening and the U.S. housing recovery is grinding to a crawl–and, in large part, the baby boom generation is to blame.

Mortgage Daily, Aug. 21, 2017–Sam GarciaReports of mortgage production continue to roll in, with some home lenders achieving new milestones, ranking at the top of their local markets–or giving up on the business.

Mortgage Daily, Aug. 21, 2017Like its secondary cousin, Fannie Mae will begin allowing some home-purchase financing loans without appraisals.

Scotsman Guide, Aug. 21, 2017–Victor WhitmanThe nation’s largest mortgage banking trade group, the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently urged its members to reach out to representatives in support of bills that would extend the program.

HousingWire, Aug. 21, 2017–Brena SwansonNearly everything about the industry’s prized digital mortgage is streamlined expect for the final, and one of the most important, steps at the end.

Wall Street Journal, Aug. 22, 2017–Craig Karmin (subscription)The Indian owners of the Plaza Hotel have hired a broker to sell the New York City landmark, a sign that a world-wide scramble among investors, celebrities and governments to acquire the property could be nearing an end.

HousingWire, Aug. 18, 2017–Kelsey RamírezFreddie Mac announced Friday it is making buying a home a better experience for lender and homebuyers–by cutting the appraiser out of the process.

Bloomberg, Aug. 18, 2017–Sarah Mulholland; Erik SchatzkerCommercial real estate prices, hovering at record highs in the U.S. following a six-year boom, are sustainable even as Chinese regulators tighten restrictions on overseas investment, according to Brookfield Property Partners LP.

Chicago Tribune, Aug. 18, 2017–Jeff OstrowskiPresident Donald Trump’s recent decision to pay off a $1.2 million loan on a home he owns in Palm Beach raises an intriguing question: why would a billionaire bother with a relatively tiny mortgage?

National Mortgage News, Aug. 18, 2017–Chris Masten (subscription)Mortgage holders could see their security interest wiped out if a borrower in Texas or Nevada gets a property tax loan where the lien has priority over the first mortgage.