The Lede

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 6, 2016--Nassauer, Sarah The mega-retailer plans slow new store openings, accelerate remodels and invest in e-commerce.

GoRion, Oct. 6, 2016--Fogarty, Mark Federal programs can reduce lender and investor risk on affordable housing loans.

HousingWire, Oct. 6, 2016--Ramirez, Kelsey The National Weather Service said the path, which will run from Florida to the bottom tip of North Carolina, will also likely be the strongest storm in recent decades.

Washington Post, Oct. 6, 2016--Orton, Kathy Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni said purchase application volume changed little from previous week.

HousingWire, Oct. 6, 2016--Lane, Ben Strong 3rd quarter expected to push total originations above $2 trillion.

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 6, 2016--Zumbrun, Josh A growing but aging country will likely swell the number even if action's taken to boost participation.

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 6, 2016--Rockoff, Jonathan D. Pfizer Inc., one of the world's biggest drug companies by sales, has told employees that it will leave its longtime headquarters and look for a new office building in Manhattan, a spokeswoman said.

National Mortgage Professional, Oct. 6, 2016--Hall, Phil The latest Mortgage Credit Availability Index, a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, found the index up 1.4 percent to 167.0 in September.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 6, 2016--Sinnock, Bonnie Today, lenders, investors and servicers are more concerned that they have accurate analytics to help them measure the potential for more localized bubbles that could affect their portfolios.

American Banker, Oct. 6, 2016--Casper, David Banks without a workforce that reflects their customer base are at a strategic disadvantage.

Reuters, Oct. 6, 2016--Dunsmuir, Lindsay Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week to near a 43-year low, an indication of firmness in the labor market which may support an interest rate increase by the U.S. Federal Reserve this year.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 6, 2016 Credit conditions in the residential lending business are more lax now than they have been at any time since the financial crisis erupted, Mortgage Bankers Association said. 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 6, Ove, Torsten James Nassida founded Century III Home Equity.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 6, 2016--Collins, Brian Former Federal Housing Finance Agency head Ed DeMarco favors abanondoning GSE common securitization platform to use Ginnie Mae platform instead; MBA President and CEO David Stevens said proposal "broadens the debate as new Congress, Administration comes on board in January.

HousingWire, Oct. 6, 2016--Swanson, Brena Levels the playing field as customers demand pure-mobile mortgages.

Reuters, Oct. 6, 2016 U.S. central bank has been using funds from principal payments on the agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, or MBS, it holds to reinvest in agency MBS.

Understand, Implement Stress-Testing Strategies for Your Company

(One in a continuing series of Premier Members of the Mortgage Bankers Association.)