Category: Top National News

Reuters, Apr. 28, 2017–Lucia MutikaniGross domestic product increased at a 0.7 percent annual rate also as the government cut back on defense spending, the Commerce Department said on Friday. That was the weakest performance since the first quarter of 2014.

Washington Post Writers Group, Apr. 30, 2017–George WillThe deductibility of mortgage interest payments, by which the government will forgo collecting nearly $1 trillion in the next decade, is treated as a categorical imperative graven on the heart of humanity by the finger of God because it is a pleasure enjoyed primarily by the wealthy.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 30, 2017–Leslie Scism (subscription)Hail, tornadoes and an ice storm turned the first three months of 2017 into the most expensive first quarter in more than 20 years for U.S. insurers.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 28, 2017–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Foreclosure activity continues to subside and most of the regulatory reforms created to protect distressed borrowers have been implemented. Yet mortgage servicers still haven’t fully resolved the operational challenges facing their business.

HousingWire, Apr. 30, 2017–Sarah WheelerThe economic and political stars have aligned to make GSE reform a real possibility, and the Mortgage Bankers Association is not letting the opportunity go to waste.

Washington Post, Apr. 27, 2017–Dion HaynesAfter steadily decreasing for much of April, mortgage rates ticked up last week largely following a rise in Treasury bond yields.

MarketWatch, Apr. 27, 2017–Jacob PassyThe mortgage-interest deduction has withstood years of criticism, despite the fact that middle-class Americans aren’t the ones getting the tax break. It’s really popular with existing homeowners. And the real-estate industry has been successful in uniting in its defense.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 27, 2017–Brad Finkelstein (subscription)The Hamilton, Bermuda-based holding company had first-quarter net income of $241.9 million, compared with $149.3 million a year ago.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 27, 2017–Allison Bisbey (subscription)The bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., and Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., would clarify rules that critics say have caused banks to pull back from construction lending, hurting credit availability and driving loans into risky, unregulated sectors.

HousingWire, Apr. 27, 2017–Brena SwansonTax reform, including housing-related tax reform, still has a long road ahead despite Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief Economic Advisor Gary Cohn revealing the Trump administration’s tax plan on Wednesday.