The Lede

NBC News, Dec. 30, 2015--White, Martha C. Would-be homebuyers--especially first-timers--had an uphill climb in 2015, with tight lending standards, high rents and down payment requirements keeping many on the sidelines. Unfortunately, experts say, it's not going to get any easier next year.

CNBC, Jan. 3, 2015--Gillies, Trent In the shadow of the Fed's modest tightening of monetary policy, mortgage rates have risen as borrowers seek to refinance before interest rates jump in earnest. In the immediate aftermath of the Fed's decision, mortgage applications and refinancings jumped, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Reuters, Dec. 31, 2015--Lange, Jason The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose sharply last week, a potential signal the job market was losing steam although some of the increase might be attributed to temporary holiday factors.

Bloomberg, Dec. 31, 2015--Onaran, Yalman Staff reductions at some of the world's biggest banks are far from over. Deutsche Bank AG, which has held employment close to its 2010 peak, plans to slash 26,000 positions by 2018, following a trend that began with the financial crisis.

HousingWire, Dec. 30, 2015--Swanson, Brena Housing markets across the country are steadily making their way into the stable range, according to Freddie Mac's latest Multi-Indicator Market Index.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 31, 2015--Witkowski, Rachel The Dodd-Frank Act is a burden on community banks and credit unions but regulators are struggling to quantify the costs, according to a report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 31, 2015 Mortgage lenders on both the residential and commercial sides of the business will have to deal with a different lending environment in 2016. These include enforcement of TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure violations plus rising interest rates and the impact on origination volumes.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 30, 2015--Rudegeair, Peter; Simon, Ruth; Glazer, Emily J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. spent about $8 billion this year on technology. But when it came to developing a new online loan for small business, the bank turned to an unlikely outsider. Early next year, J.P. Morgan will start using online lender On Deck Capital Inc. to help make loans to some of the bank's roughly four million small-business customers.

The Columbian (Wash.), Dec. 28, 2015--Harney, Kenneth R. Homeowners and mortgage borrowers also count as special interests on Capitol Hill, and this year's Christmas tree is sprinkled with tax benefits for them as well. Some could even lower your next tax bill.

HousingWire, Dec. 29, 2015--Swanson, Brena After a recent letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Mortgage Bankers Association released a response from CFPB Director Richard Cordray that should bring some much-needed clarity to the industry on the current expectations for lenders in implementing the new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule.

Los Angeles Times, Dec. 29, 2015--Koren, James Rufus Nearly a decade later, fallout from the housing crash continues to dog big banks, including San Francisco lending giant Wells Fargo, which is facing a new lawsuit from an investor that took huge losses on mortgage-backed securities that went bust.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 29, 2015--Light, Joe Beginning in 2016, the two government-controlled housing giants will ramp up sales of a new type of security that will transfer most of the cost of defaults on all but their safest mortgages to private investors.

Sun Sentinel (Fla.), Dec. 30, 2015--Hurtibise, Ron The tri-county region's high percentage of investor-owned properties is a likely reason for South Florida's high defect rating, said the study's author, Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American Financial Corporation, which compiles the monthly Loan Application Defect Index, second only to McAllen, Texas.

NASDAQ, Dec. 31, 2015--Probasco, Jim A space shuttle reaches orbit just eight minutes after launch. Now, in that same eight minutes, a Quicken Loans Rocket Mortgage client can obtain full approval for a mortgage loan or refinance.

Forbes, Dec. 31, 2015--Woellert, Lorraine Rates have had nowhere to go but up for a very long time, and they'll probably continue to rise. A gradual increase shouldn't have a serious impact on the housing market, though it could affect house hunters struggling with affordability, such as lower-income and first-time buyers.

Washington Post, Dec. 31, 2015--Orton, Kathy Mortgage rates ended the year higher, according to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac.

National Mortgage Professional, Dec. 29, 2015--Lykken, David Independent mortgage bankers have become a critical component representing the interests of the industry. According to Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, IMBs are more important than ever-and their importance is continually growing.

MarketWatch, Dec. 31, 2015--Goldstein, Daniel The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gave lenders a post-holiday present--telling anxious bankers that they wouldn't be held liable for most minor errors in loan processing and paperwork under the new "Know Before You Owe" rule.