The Lede

Top National News

New Mortgage Rules: Like Y2K Panic
CNBC, Nov. 23, 2015--Olick, Diana New rules designed to give borrowers a better understanding of their home loans are apparently not causing the widespread disruptions in the housing market that some predicted. "I think it was a Y2K analogy where expectations of the worst happening just weren't there," said David Stevens, CMB, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Full Story
Fed’s Tarullo to Biggest Banks: Stress Tests Likely Will Get Harder
Wall Street Journal, Nov. 23, 2015--Tracy, Ryan The Federal Reserve's point man on bank regulation said the central bank's annual stress tests are likely to get harder for the very largest banks. 
Full Story
Most Homeowners Who Think They Are Underwater Actually Are Not
MarketWatch, Nov. 23, 2015--Goldstein, Steve The percentage of homeowners who owe more than their home is worth stands at 8.7 percent, down from 21 percent at the end of 2011. But the percentage of homeowners who believe they are underwater is 27 percent.
Full Story
Home Sales Slump in Oct. as Prices Rise
USAToday, Nov. 23, 2015--Boak, Josh Fewer Americans bought homes in October, a sign that rising home values may be pushing more would-be buyers to the real estate market's sidelines.
Full Story
Home Buyers Smile as U.S. Mortgage Rates Stop Rising
Dayton (Ohio) Business Journal, Nov. 23, 2015 Average fixed mortgage rates in the U.S. remained largely unchanged this past week, ending two straight weeks of increases, Freddie Mac reported.
Full Story
Fed’s Williams Sees Strong Case for December Interest-Rate Hike
CNBC, Nov. 23, 2015 There is a strong case for raising interest rates when Federal Reserve policymakers meet next month as long as U.S. economic data does not disappoint, San Francisco Fed President John Williams said Saturday.
Full Story
How Reverse Mortgages Helped the FHA Fund Bounce Back
National Mortgage News, Nov. 23, 2015--Passy, Jacob FHA celebrated that its insurance fund had a capital ratio of nearly 2.1% in the recently concluded fiscal year; it was the first time the ratio had surpassed the congressionally mandated 2% level since 2008. MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, said policymakers should look into the role of reverse mortgages in the fund's value swing.
Full Story
First Bancshares Acquiring The Mortgage Connection
MortgageOrb, Nov. 23, 2015 The First Bancshares Inc., the holding company for The First, A National Banking Association, is acquiring The Mortgage Connection, a loan originator serving the Jackson, Miss., area, for an undisclosed sum.
Full Story
Google Launches Mortgage Comparison Tool with Zillow
HousingWire, Nov. 23, 2015--Lane, Ben Google is launching its own mortgage comparison tool via its Compare service.
Full Story
Rising Rates Won’t Hurt Home Prices at First
San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 23, 2015--Pender, Kathleen A one-time increase that small would have a negligible impact on mortgage rates and housing prices. Long-term rates don't always respond to changes in short-term ones, although they tend to move in the same direction. The Mortgage Bankers Association expects rates to rise by 0.8 percentage point and home price appreciation to slow to 4 percent next year from 5.1 percent this year.
Full Story
Mortgage Company to Repay Homeowners for Fees Wrongly Charged
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nov. 23, 2015--Robison, Jennifer State mortgage regulators accused Prospect Mortgage of charging "improperly disclosed and unsupported fees" through its affiliate, C2C Appraisal Services.
Full Story
Subprime Makes a Comeback, Despite Dodd-Frank’s Impediments
National Mortgage News, Nov. 23, 2015--Ornstein, Stephen In spite of impediments created by Dodd-Frank, and the unusually low interest rates that have characterized the residential loans markets in the past several years, credit demand, especially among nonprime borrowers, will swing the pendulum in favor of a more robust lending environment and will likely entail amendments to the existing Dodd-Frank regime.
Full Story
Shrinking U.S. Shopping Malls Get Makeovers
Wall Street Journal, Nov. 24, 2015--Pleven, Liam Overbuilding, e-commerce force landlords to get creative with new developments.
Full Story

Residential Finance News

Commercial/Multifamily News

MBA News