The Lede

CNBC, Nov. 4, 2015--Olick, Diana Mortgage interest rates rose to the highest level in a month, pouring cold water on applications. Total volume fell 0.8 percent last week from the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Atlanta Business Chronicle, Nov. 4, 2015 Data from the latest Equifax National Consumer Credit Trends Report show total mortgage originations rose to $1.2 trillion through the first nine months of 2015--up 63 percent over the same period a year ago. But at the same time, total mortgage and home equity balances were $8.84 trillion at the end of September--virtually flat with figures from the past 18 months.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 4, 2015--Leubsdorf, Ben Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the U.S. central bank may raise short-term interest rates at its mid-December meeting, but emphasized no decision has yet been made.

HousingWire, Nov. 4, 2015--Swanson, Brena Distressed sales and short sales accounted for 9.3% of total home sales nationally in August, down 2.3 percentage points from a year ago and down 0.4 percentage points from July, said CoreLogic.

Bloomberg, Nov. 4, 2015--Robinson, Blaise So far, about three-quarters of the S&P 500 have reported results, with profits down 3.1 percent on a share-weighted basis, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. This would be the biggest quarterly drop in earnings since third quarter 2009.

Reuters, Nov. 4, 2015--Campos, Rodrigo The Institute for Supply Management said its non-manufacturing index rose to 59.1 last month from 56.9 in September.

Associated Press, Nov. 4, 2015--Crutsinger, Martin The U.S. trade deficit declined in September to the lowest level in seven months as exports rebounded while imports shrank, reflecting the smallest monthly foreign oil bill in more than a decade.

U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 4, 2015--Soergel, Andrew The ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday showed the private sector of the labor market expanded by 182,000 jobs last month, down from September's revised 190,000 additions. Small businesses with less than 50 employees led job gains, adding 90,000 positions and accounting for nearly half of October's growth total. Such firms nearly doubled the 47,000 additions they posted in September.

HousingWire, Nov. 4, 2015--Swanson, Brena Impac Mortgage Holdings's total originations soared 150% from a year ago, according to the lender's third-quarter earnings.

Palm Beach Post (Fla.), Nov. 5, 2015--Ostrowski, Jeff As lenders loosen the purse strings, it's easier to get a mortgage in South Florida for all racial groups except African-Americans. That's according to research released Thursday by Zillow.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reminds state-licensed mortgage loan originators that they must complete eight hours of continuing education annually.