Category: Top National News

National Real Estate Investor, July 12, 2017–Eli RazinOn the heels of Amazon’s recently announced acquisition of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, owners and lenders of Whole Foods-anchored properties are waiting to see what Amazon will do with the latest purchase the e-commerce giant has placed in its shopping cart.

CNBC, July 12, 2017–Diana OlickMortgage rates just saw their biggest jump since the presidential election, and that took a heavy toll on demand for home loans, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

HousingWire, July 12, 2017–Kelsey RamirezThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asked earlier this year for comments from the real estate finance industry on the effectiveness of its 2013 Mortgage Servicing Rule. This week, the Mortgage Bankers Association responded to the request.

Reuters, July 12, 2017–Andrew MacAskill, Jonathan StempelThe Edinburgh-based lender on Wednesday said it agreed to settle the lawsuit with the Federal Housing Finance Agency that accuses it of mis-selling $32 billion of mortgage-backed securities before the global financial crisis.

U.S. News & World Report, July 12, 2017–Devon ThorsbyLenders are beginning to embrace more new technology, and new lenders are even entering the game based around an automated platform.

Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2017–Nick Timiraos (subscription)Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen, seeking to address a recent puzzling slowdown in global inflation, said she expects forces holding down consumer prices to fade in the months ahead, allowing the central bank to stick to its plans for gradual interest-rate increases.

National Mortgage News, July 12, 2017–Brian Collins (subscription)New data shows large commercial banks are increasing their originations of single-family construction loans, but these loans still represent a small percentage of their total assets.

HousingWire, July 12, 2017–Kelsey RamirezMillennials are entering the housing market, many for the first time, and fighting over the limited housing inventory available, according to May’s Millennial Tracker report from Ellie Mae. However, the reasons they are buying homes are not from the usual motivation: Starting a family.

Mortgage Orb, July 12, 2017–Jason NadeauThere’s a reason that so few people have a firm grasp on what blockchain technology is and does. It’s because it is not just one thing, and understanding its different uses can be complicated.

Housing Wire, July 12, 2017–Brena Swanson As shoppers scoured Amazon’s website on Tuesday for its annual Prime day deals, the online shopping giant quietly disclosed a new service coming soon to its users, which would embark into the world of real estate and turn it into a competitor with Zillow and Redfin.