The Lede

UExpress, Dec. 2, 2016--Sichelman, Lew There's more to a hot market than simply a pickup in transactions.

New York Times, Dec. 2, 2016--Carrns, Ann Federal regulators have raised the amount of money that home buyers can borrow while still qualifying for more flexible mortgage terms, starting next year. The "modest" move is another recognition that housing markets have recovered from the real-estate crash, said David Stevens, chief executive of the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Dallas Morning News, Dec. 2, 2016--Brown, Steve The Mortgage Bankers Association says home purchase loan applications have fallen about 9 percent in just the last week. Most of the drop was in home refinance applications.

The Mortgage Reports, Dec. 2, 2016--Pogol, Gina Mortgage Bankers Association said lenders made $493 per loan in 205; a year later, $1,686 per loan.

National Mortgage Professional, Dec. 2, 2016--Hall, Phil The incoming Trump Administration's decision to prioritize the long-stalled reform of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) has been greeted with praise from the head of the nation's major mortgage banking trade group.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 2, 2016--Collins, Brian Employment in the nondepository mortgage lenders and brokers sector grew for the fifth straight month, according to the Bureau of Labor of Statistics.

Bloomberg, Dec. 2, 2016--Olorunnipa, Toluse Blackstone Group LP Chief Executive Officer Stephen A. Schwarzman will chair the President's Strategic and Policy Forum, which will begin meeting with Trump in February, after his inauguration, according to a statement from his private-equity firm. JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon and BlackRock Inc. Chairman and CEO Laurence Fink, major donors to Democratic politicians, will also sit on the panel.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 4, 2016--Timiraos, Nick After prices and rates dropped, regulators and lenders made it harder for borrowers to get loans. The result is that lending for housing, a pillar of the U.S. economy, has bifurcated.

Business Insider, Dec. 4, 2016--Bobkoff, Dan Michael Fratantoni, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association, said few would defend the current tax code's complexity, but "the other side of the argument is that mortgage interest deduction helps homeowners by lowering the cost of their interest on an after-tax basis," which is particularly effective for first-time buyers, he said.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 4, 2016--Tracy, Ryan; Timiraos, Nick Top contenders for a Fed bank-oversight post hold different outlooks on financial regulation.

New York Times, Dec. 2, 2016--Goldstein, Matthew; Stevenson, Alexandra The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in federal court in Michigan to require an investment firm that is a major player in the market for high-interest installment contracts for buying homes--called contracts for deed--to comply with an earlier demand for documents.

HousingWire, Dec. 2, 2016--Lane, Ben Opendoor, an online marketplace that buys homes direct from homeowners, announced plans to expand beyond the two markets where it's currently available thanks to a round of funding that reportedly values the company above $1 billion.

Mortgage Daily, Dec. 2, 2016 Growing defaults from a wave of securitized commercial real estate loans that are maturing are likely to be exacerbated by the upcoming implementation of the risk retention rule.

Mortgage Daily, Dec. 2, 2016 As expected, new home-lending activity bounced back from the holiday week. Refinance and adjustable-rate business were the biggest beneficiaries, while jumbo activity took the biggest hit.

Washington Post, Dec. 5, 2016 "I am thrilled to nominate Dr. Ben Carson as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities," the president-elect said.

Three At-Large Committee Seats To be Filled