The Lede

HousingWire, May 18, 2016--Lane, Ben In a week that saw mortgage interest rates hit the lowest level in three years, mortgage applications actually dropped, according to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Associated Press, May 18, 2016 Federal Reserve officials believe that an interest rate hike is likely at the central bank's next meeting in June if the economy keeps improving.

HousingWire, May 18, 2016--Swanson, Brena What's presumed to be the hottest buying season of the year isn't shaping up to that this year due to a flurry of factors that are growing into the "perfect storm" to hinder housing, said Kevin Golden, director of analytics with a la mode, at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Secondary conference in New York City.

National Real Estate Investor, May 18, 2016--Mattson-Teig, Beth Higher caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will deliver some welcome liquidity to a still booming multifamily investment market.

Forbes, May 18, 2016--Moreno, Hugo Commercial real estate executives appear relatively optimistic about the general state of
 the market in 2016, with many predicting higher than average deal volumes for their firms.

San Diego Union-Tribune, May 18, 2016--Editorial Board The cost of housing is so high in urban areas of California that paying for rent or a mortgage routinely eats up half of a household's income, or more, visiting desperation not just on the working poor but increasingly the middle class.

Wall Street Journal, May 18, 2016--Stevens, David MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, argues that traditional banks have pulled back from the mortgage lending business, primarily due to the federal government's onerous enforcement regime that is extracting hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and settlements. "Borrowers are fortunate to have well-capitalized and well-regulated independent mortgage banks ready to plug the gap," he said.

Vanity Fair, May 18, 2016--Kosoff, Maya Luxury-home sales in Silicon Valley had been propped up by tech executives flush with cash after initial public offerings, and foreign buyers. But now, in the wake of tumultuous times for global financial markets, including China's slowing economy, luxury-home sales across the country have slowed.

HousingWire, May 18, 2016--Swanson, Brena Housing is as close to solving GSE reform as it is in solving "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Bankrate.com, May 18, 2016--Lewis, Holden More mortgage borrowers are reviewing their loan disclosures before they close on their homes, according to a survey conducted by the lobbying group for the title insurance industry.

HousingWire, May 19, 2016--Ramirez, Kelsey Nearly all mortgage servicers subject to the terms of the National Mortgage Settlement achieved complete compliance with the NMS's servicing rules in the first half of 2015, according to a report from molnitor Joseph Smith.

Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2016--Adamy, Janet; Overberg, Paul Big cities across the U.S. are seeing their postrecession population surge slow as Americans uproot for new jobs and suburbs regain some of their appeal, the Census Bureau reported.

National Mortgage Professional, May 18, 2016--Hall, Phil The Federal Housing Administration is proposing a new rule that it claims will strengthen its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program.

Bloomberg, May 19, 2016--House, Billy; Cirilli, Kevin Donald Trump says he'll deliver a plan in the next two weeks to rewrite the Dodd-Frank law. Around the same time, House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling is promising to make his own proposal.