Commercial Property Executive, Aug. 10, 2017–Chris Nebenzahl Major diversified real estate firms led the 2017 Top 50 Property Management Firms ranking, as Colliers International, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE Group and JLL took the top spots.
Category: Top National News

Mortgage Rates Slide to 6-Week Low as North Korea Worries Drive Bond Rally
MarketWatch, Aug. 10, 2017–Andrea RiquierRates for home loans slid to a 6-week low as mounting geopolitical worries drove investors into safe-haven bonds, mortgage provider Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Amazon and Whole Foods: What’s Next?
Dow Jones Newswires, Aug. 10, 2017–Laura Stevens Beyond simple cross-selling opportunities, a big question in the $13.7 billion deal is: How deeply will the online retail giant integrate its new brick-and-mortar subsidiary?

Fannie and Freddie Will Stick With FICO Formula for at Least Two More Years
Washington Post, Aug. 10, 2017–Kenneth HarneyThere will be no modernization of the mortgage giants’ controversial scoring systems before mid-2019 at the earliest, according to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s top government regulator.

Blackstone, Starwood to Merge Rental-Home Businessses in Bet to be America’s Biggest Home Landlord
Wall Street Journal, Aug. 10, 2017–Ryan Dezember (subscription)Two of the country’s largest single-famly rental-home owners, Blackstone Group LP’s Invitation Homes and Starwood Waypoint Homes, agreed to merge in a deal that would create a giant landlord with roughly 82,000 homes in 17 metro areas.

Walter Investment Warns About Ongoing Viability
Mortgage Daily, Aug. 10, 2017As losses continued at Walter Investment Management Corp., the company warned about its ongoing viability and restated income for prior period. Home lending tumbled.

Social Media Mortgage Compliance Tool Launched
Mortgage Daily, Aug. 10, 2017A new tool helps mortgage-banking firms with the daunting task of monitoring their loan origination staffs’ use of social media and regulatory compliance.

Mortgage Rates Drop, Even Bigger Decline Likely
Mortgage Daily, Aug. 10, 2017–Sam GarciaA modest reduction in rates for single-family loans was made this week. Next week’s report is likely to reflect an even bigger improvement.

MBA: Housing Shortage Boosts Demand for New Home Purchases
HousingWire, Aug. 10, 2017–Brena SwansonThe demand from consumers who are looking to buy an existing home is spilling over into new home purchases, according to a new report from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Fed Taper Brings Risk to Mortgage Bonds Unseen in Treasuries
Bloomberg, Aug. 10, 2017–Wes Goodman and Liz McCormickFor all the talk that Janet Yellen’s plan to shrink the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet will hurt Treasuries, U.S. mortgage bonds face a bigger test.