The Lede

Total volume fell 6.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending September 4 versus the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Everybody knows how important credit scores are to obtaining a home mortgage. But are lenders lately playing a numbers game with consumers - claiming they're willing to accept lower scores while actually approving applicants with higher scores on average than they did last year or even earlier this year?

Nearly 20 trade groups representing lenders, banks, credit unions, title companies and others are urging federal regulators to provide guidance on how they plan to enforce a new mortgage disclosure regime that goes into effect Oct. 3.

Traditional bank mortgages are losing ground to nonbank lenders, especially in cities with a hot housing market.

According to a bulletin sent by Freddie Mac to its servicers on Wednesday, Freddie Mac is making several changes to its guidelines for standard and streamlined modifications.

Federal Reserve officials aren't near an agreement to begin raising short-term interest rates heading into a crucial week of private discussions before their Sept. 16-17 policy meeting, according to their recent comments.

Primary new mortgage insurance slipped to $4 billion, according to MGIC Investment's August operational summary of its insurance subsidiaries for its primary mortgage insurance slightly down from $4.5 billion in July and June.

After last week's disappointing jobs report, there's some good news on the employment front. Job openings hit a new record high of 5.75 million in July, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.