The Lede

National Mortgage News, Nov. 30, 2016--Sinnock, Bonnie Removing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control, as Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin would like to, could mean the two entities will do more to compete for lenders' loans. "Private companies can be more innovative and they can compete more for customer service, potentially, if we do this right," said Mortgage Bankers Association CEO David Stevens.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 30, 2016--Jamerson, Joshua Private payrolls across the nation rose by 216,000 from October to November, said payroll processor Automatic Data Processing Inc. and forecasting firm Moody's Analytics, exceeding the 170,000 expected by economists.

Reuters, Dec. 1, 2016--Saphir, Ann Borrowing by small U.S. firms slipped in October to the lowest since January, and the percentage of firms late on repaying existing loans rose to its highest in nearly four years, data released on Thursday showed.

HousingWire, Dec. 1, 2016--Swanson, Brena loanDepot announced two major acquisitions on Thursday, adding Closing USA, a national title, escrow and settlement company, and its affiliate, American Coast Title, to the company.

HousingWire, Nov. 30, 2016--Lane, Ben With just a few words uttered Wednesday during an interview on Fox Business, Steve Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of the Treasury, sent the stocks of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac soaring to heights not seen since June 2014.

Washington Post, Nov. 30, 2016--O'Connell, Jonathan Japanese home-building giant Sekisui House announced Wednesday that it is buying the main Fannie Mae headquarters building on Wisconsin Avenue NW in an $89 million deal for one of the largest development sites in the District.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 30, 2016--Carney, John Steven Mnuchin is a stranger to government, but President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury secretary certainly has experience in the mortgage market-and he appears intent on rapidly changing housing finance policy.

HousingWire, Nov. 30, 2016--Swanson, Brena Genworth survey of attendees at MBA Annual Convention shows industry making progress in compliance and access to credit, but headwinds persist.

The Street, Nov. 30, 2016--Ragusa, Gina Rising mortgage rates and an uncertain financial future is prompting house hunters to seek a low down payment mortgage option as finding an affordably priced home remains arduous. MBA President and CEO David Stevens noted investor expectations are driving jump in mortgage rates.

National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 30, 2016--Bell, Diana The rise in the 10-year Treasury rate could hinder some fourth-quarter transactions, which could have 2016 close out at about 10 percent down compared to last year's sales volume.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 30, 2016 Serious residential loan delinquency at Fannie Mae dropped to the lowest level since it fell into conservatorship.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 30, 2016 Moody's Investors Service says residential loans which are underwritten using alternative documentation are more susceptible to fraud.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 30, 2016 Freddie Mac, which made the predictions in its November 2016 Economic & Housing Market Forecast, cut its first-quarter 2017 forecast from $340 billion projected last month.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 30, 2016 Wilbur Ross, Trump's choice as Commerce Secretary, owned Homeward Residential Holdings Inc., which Ocwen Financial Corp. acquired in 2012.

GoRion, Nov. 29, 2016--Bourgi, Sam With Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, talks about ending the conservatorship are resurfacing. After all, it was never meant to last this long.

CNBC, Nov. 30, 2016--Olick, Diana The highest interest rates in well over a year are putting a dent in the mortgage business, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

New Hampshire Business Review, Nov. 30, 2016--Norwood, Chris  Tax cuts, simplification, deregulation and monetary policy are all on the agenda.

Washington Post, Nov. 30, 2016--Harney, Kenneth R. The two behemoths of the mortgage business--Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--continue to use a credit-scoring model that even its developer, FICO, says is not as "predictive" as its much newer models. Michael Fratantoni, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association, said "by sticking to old models we are disadvantaging" sizable numbers of consumers.

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