Category: Top National News

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 1, 2017–Jeffrey Sparshott (subscription)The U.S. economy continued its slow, steady advance and businesses remained broadly optimistic early in 2017, despite some difficulty finding workers and political uncertainty coming from Washington, the Federal Reserve said.

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 1, 2017–Phil HallIn a new data analysis released by WalletHub, Hawaii was identified as the state with the lowest real-estate tax: a 0.27 percent rate, with $487 in annual taxes on a $179,000 home.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2017–Ian McKendry (subscription)A vote on a House plan to replace the Dodd-Frank Act may not happen as quickly as originally anticipated due to limited floor time and other legislative priorities such as health care reform likely to take precedent.

HousingWire, Mar. 1, 2017–Brena SwansonChicago-based Guaranteed Rate is slated to significantly expand its mortgage operations this year as it looks to create approximately 280 new positions for its Liftoff loan origination training program.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 1, 2017Issuance of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities on behalf of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae was $94.316 billion in February. That turned out to be the slowest month for securitizations of agency home loans since February 2016.

Reuters, Mar. 1, 2017–Eric BeechU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday the Trump administration’s tax reform plan will not change the deductibility of mortgage interest and charitable contributions.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 1, 2017–Robyn A. Friedman (subscription)Many homeowners took out home-equity lines of credit during the housing boom, when property values soared. Now the typical 10-year term on these loans is expiring, and many people will be surprised that their monthly payments are about to go up-some, substantially.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2017–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)It’s been almost two years since Dallas-based Wingspan declared bankruptcy and the case has yet to be fully resolved. Now, with interest rates and home prices on the rise, the market is shifting yet again. What could be fixed at Wingspan–and what couldn’t–remain good object lessons about the opportunities and risks that surface when economic cycles turn.

HousingWire, Mar. 1, 2017–Ben LaneFor the second time in less than a year, Caliber Home Loans, an Irving, Texas-based residential mortgage origination and servicing company, is acquiring a regional residential mortgage lender that focuses on the Western part of the country.

HousingWire, Mar. 1, 2017–Brena SwansonThe Senate floor is set to vote on the nomination of Ben Carson as HUD secretary on Thursday, following a Senate vote (62-37) Wednesday morning.