The Lede

National Real Estate Investor, Mar. 9, 2016--Bell, Diana Investors should keep the office sector on their radars, as metrics from a number of research and investment firms point to a strong performance in the years ahead.

Forbes, Mar. 9, 2016--Razin, Eli Plummeting crude oil prices--which slid more than 70 percent since June 2014--has been bad news for oil industry hotspots like Houston, where the energy industry downturn affected commercial real estate, particularly the office sector.

CNBC, Mar. 9, 2016--Olick, Diana It is fast becoming a tale of two mortgage markets, as interest rates move sideways and refinances dry up. Total mortgage application volume increased 0.2 percent last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

HousingWire, Mar. 9, 2016--Thompson, Kelsey Primary new mortgage insurance grew 5.5% from last year, inching up from $165.8 billion to $174.9 billion, MGIC Investment's February operational summery of its insurance subsidiaries for its primary mortgage insurance reported.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2016--Kusisto, Laura Renting is less and less confined to the high rises of Manhattan or brick-apartment blocks of downtown Chicago and spreading further into the single-family homes of the American suburbs.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2016--Morath, Eric Pay for workers in more than one in eight large U.S. counties rose faster than 4% in the third quarter of 2015 from a year earlier, showing pockets of the country are experiencing outsized gains amid tepid overall growth.

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 9, 2016--Hall, Phil The latest industry data offered a classic case of yin-yang, with good news and bad news in an equal balance.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 9, 2016--Peters, Andy Radian Group named Jeff Tennyson interim president for its Clayton Holdings unit after its previous president quit.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2016--Rexrode, Christina; Glazer, Emily Of $109.96 billion of federal fines related to the housing crisis since 2010, roughly $50 billion ended up with the U.S. government with little disclosure of what happened next.

Retuers, Mar. 10, 2016--Mukherjee, Aurindom California's public pension system, Calpers, said it reached a $130 million settlement with Moody's and Moody's Investors' Service to resolve a case involving inflated grades of residential mortgage deals that later faltered.

DS News, Mar. 9, 2016--Honea, Brian Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray called attention to the mortgage industry, particularly lenders, in a speech on Wednesday, where he highlighted some of the progress and pitfalls that the housing market faces.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2016--Martin, Anya As winter draws to a close, homeowners coming out of hibernation are looking for new homes. And those who sleep too late can expect to pay top dollar for the house they want.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 9, 2016--Finkelstein, Brad PHH, which lost $145 million in 2015, has hired Credit Suisse and JPMorgan to help it review all of its options, including capital allocation, to maximize shareholder value.

HousingWire, Mar. 9, 2016--Swanson, Brena The private-label securities market stands nowhere close to where it used to over the past eight years. The Urban Institute addresses in a blog what's going on in the PLS market, along with the areas that need still need a lot of groundwork in order to revive the market.

Milliman Inc., Seattle, is dedicated to delivering customized and cost-effective solutions to measuring and managing the unique risks associated with originating and servicing mortgages, providing credit enhancement and conducting risk share analytics.