The Lede

The Real Deal (New York), July 1, 2016--Putzier, Konrad With average rents peaking and a growing number of stores in hot water, concerns over Manhattan's retail market are becoming palpable.

MReport, July 4, 2016--Honea, BrianHaving already fallen below the cap for 2016 only a third of the way through the year, Freddie Mac's mortgage-related investments portfolio continued to shrink at the annual rate of 27 percent in May.

USA Today, July 4, 2016--Davidson, PaulEconomic news this week features a pivotal employment report that could reveal where the labor market is headed after two dismal monthly showings. Also on tap are minutes of the Federal Reserve's June 14-15 meeting, at which  policymakers forecast a markedly slower climb in interest rates.

UExpress, July 1, 2016--Sichelman, Lew President Herbert Hoover promised "a chicken in every pot." Now, South Florida real estate developer Tim Lobanov is promising a jet with every condo. 

Washington Post, July 3, 2016--Premack, Rachel Brexit happened. And one of the biggest, and most immediate, effects on everyday Americans is how it will change mortgage interest rates. "At this point, it is unclear whether this will just be a short-term disruption, or whether it will have a longer-term impact," said Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni.

National Mortgage News, July 1, 2016--Collins, Brian The Federal Housing Finance Agency's first report on the sales of nonperforming loans owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may seem discouraging at first. Mike Fratantoni, the chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said Fannie and Freddie have achieved a number of positive results from these sales.

The Columbian (Wash.), July 4, 2016--Harney, Kenneth A coalition of 25 national housing, consumer, civil rights and mortgage groups is blowing the whistle on Fannie and Freddie, accusing them of gouging the public. In a letter to the companies' federal regulator, the groups charged that despite huge improvements in underwriting standards and sharply lower borrower defaults, Fannie's and Freddie's surcharges continue to be "excessive" and are driving "many qualified borrowers" away from conventional home loans.

National Mortgage News, July 1, 2016--Finkelstein, Brad Lenders are seeing more attempts at reverse occupancy mortgage fraud, with borrowers typically pretending that their primary residences are investment properties.

Associated Press, July 4, 2016--Crutsinger, Martin Construction spending declined 0.8 percent in May following a 2 percent tumble in April, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2016--Sussman, Anna Louie A gauge of U.S. manufacturing activity rose for the second straight month in June to its highest level since February 2015, putting the sector on stable footing for the second half of the year.

CBS News MoneyWatch, July 4, 2016--Agovino, Theresa For the quarter ended June 26, the number of contracts signed for New York City apartments selling for $4 million or more fell 15%, to 343, according to Olshan Realty, which specializes in the luxury market. It was the lowest 2nd-quarter volume since 2012.

Wall Street Journal, July 4, 2016--Ensign, Rachel Louise The jumbo mortgage business keeps getting bigger for banks. These high-dollar home loans rose to 24% of mortgage approvals at six of the largest U.S. banks in 2015 from 21% the year before, according to an analysis of federal home-loan data.

Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2016--Witkowski, Rachel The country's largest banks have dropped almost half of their mortgage servicing since the financial crisis, with some $2.5 trillion in loans largely moving into the shadow banking system, according to a regulatory report.

National Mortgage News, July 1, 2016--Wack, Kevin In the first quarter, 94.9% of the residential mortgages serviced by seven big banks were current and performing, according to a report released Friday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. That percentage compared to 94.4% in October 2007, when the OCC first reported the data.