The Lede

Bloomberg, Apr. 1, 2016--Fickling, David; Gopalon, Nisha Get over your shock that Anbang Insurance dropped its $14 billion takeover offer for Starwood Hotels. It's more surprising that the proposal got so far in the first place.

World Property Journal, Apr. 1, 2016--Rachid, Monsef According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest Commercial/Multifamily DataBook, the fourth quarter was the fourth highest quarter for borrowing and lending on record.

Reuters, Apr. 1, 2016--Wiltermuth, Joy Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan stripped out non-bank collateral on their latest commercial mortgage bond before it was sold to investors, winning favor with the simpler structure in a market scarred by volatility and regulatory pressures.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 1, 2016--Morath, Eric Consumer sentiment fell slightly in March suggesting some caution on the part of Americans facing better job prospects but a still uncertain global economy.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 1, 2016--Collins, Brian Nonbank mortgage lenders and brokers cut 2,200 full-time employees from their payrolls in February, following a layoff of 2,000 workers in the prior month.

HousingWire, Apr. 1, 2016--Swanson, Brena First American Mortgage Solutions, a subsidiary of First American Financial Corp., acquired Forsythe Appraisals, supplementing its existing valuation capabilities.

Bloomberg, Apr. 1, 2016--Levine, Matt The MetLife decision counts as a loss for the post-crisis system of trying to create systemic stability by prudentially regulating (and/or shrinking) too-big-to-fail firms. The GE application surely counts as a victory.

CNBC, Apr. 1, 2016--Frank, Robert Reports of the demise of luxury real estate in Manhattan may have been greatly exaggerated--or perhaps just early.

Associated Press, Apr. 1, 2016--Boak, Josh The Institute for Supply Management said Friday that its manufacturing index rose to 51.8 last month from 49.5 in February.

Associated Press, Apr. 1, 2016--Crutsinger, Martin U.S. construction spending fell in February by the largest amount in three months. Weakness in nonresidential construction and government offset the strongest month for home construction in more than eight years.

Buffalo News (N.Y.), Apr. 2, 2016--Glynn, Matt The state Department of Financial Services found delays at different steps of the legal process, with each side blaming the other for repeated postponements. New York, like about half of all states, has a judicial process for foreclosures, meaning the cases wind through court, with a judge overseeing the proceedings.

HousingWire, Apr. 1, 2016--Lane, Ben One of the most contentious fights in the history of real estate listings is going nuclear, thanks to a "staggering" claim of damages from Move in its trade secret theft lawsuit against Zillow.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's annual National Advocacy Conference takes place Apr. 12-13 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. 

MBA Education, the education arm of the Mortgage Bankers Association, presents Introduction to Mortgage Banking, an overview of the residential real estate finance industry as a career development tool for college students and those interested in changing careers, and as a training tool for interns and new hires. 

For more than a decade, the Mortgage Bankers Association has recommended participating in its annual Residential Mortgage Banking Compensation Survey Program.