The Lede

HousingWire, Jan. 20, 2016--Swanson, Brena Mortgage applications managed to post another increase as more people choose to refinance their homes. Applications grew 9% from one week earlier, according the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Fox News, Jan. 20, 2016 When it comes to tax perks, the mortgage interest deduction is the third rail -- typically, no one wants to touch it. But Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is doing the politically unthinkable and openly talking about getting rid of homeowners' favorite tax favor. And a handful of other candidates are at least talking about making tweaks to the system.

Forbes, Jan. 20, 2016--Rao, Leena Blend wants to help lenders and big banks process mortgages faster. Its pitch is that it can complete the process in a matter of minutes, not weeks. The company, which launched in 2012, goes up against the traditional mortgage process, which evaluates loans via paperwork and traditional methods.

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 20, 2016--Zeng, Min The global scramble to snap up safer assets intensified Wednesday, sending the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note below 2% and restoring an unusual situation in which investors willingly pay more for longer-term bonds than for an equivalent series of shorter-term securities.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 20, 2016--Witkowski, Rachel Overlapping missions and jurisdictions are fueling competition between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, according to former officials at both agencies.

Reuters, Jan. 20, 2016--Mutikani, Lucia U.S. consumer prices unexpectedly fell in December as the cost of gasoline dropped and rents rose moderately, signs of weak inflation that further diminish expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in March.

Housing Wire, Jan. 20, 2016--Lane, Ben The economy will continue growing, mortgage lending standards will ease and household income will rise in 2016, but housing affordability will continue be a challenge thanks to the continued increase in house prices, Fannie Mae said in a new report.

New York Law Journal, Jan. 20, 2016--Reilly Jr., Richard; Steiner, Jeffrey Beginning in 2014, collateralized loan obligation transactions consisting of underlying pools of commercial real estate mortgage loans re-emerged as a financing alternative for sponsors of platforms that originate CRE loans.

Bloomberg, Jan. 21, 2016--Perlberg, Heather Mortgage-REIT executives are uniquely positioned when their firms fall on hard times. Unlike at hedge funds and other firms where managers' pay is tied to performance, most mortgage-REIT executives are compensated based on the size of their publicly traded companies, and receive a percentage of total shareholder equity whether they win or lose.

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 20, 2016--Patnaude, Art Demand for high-end homes in London, New York slows as market turmoil hits global investors.

Registration is now open for the Mortgage Bankers Association's Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo, Where Market Makers Meet, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.