The Lede

HousingWire, Apr. 20, 2017--David Stevens, CMBMBA President and CEO outlines details of association's proposal for future of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, secondary mortgage market.

Reuters, Apr. 20, 2017--Jason Lange, Lindsay DunsmuirThe Trump administration will unveil a tax reform plan very soon, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday.

Bloomberg, Apr. 20, 2017--David McLaughlin, Dan WilchinsA group of state mortgage regulators blocked Ocwen Financial Corp. from acquiring new business and said the company's financial condition is significantly deteriorating, the North Carolina bank regulator said Thursday.

Consumer Affairs, Apr. 20, 2017--Mark HuffmanIn recent weeks, mortgage rates started trending down again. In part, you can thank rising tensions in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.

Washington Post, Apr. 20, 2017--Kathy OrtonAccording to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average tumbled to 3.97 percent with an average 0.5 point.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 20, 2017--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)MGIC Investment Corp. had net income of $89.8 million for the first quarter, an increase of nearly 30% over the same period last year of $69.2 million.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 20, 2017--Bonnie McGeer (subscription)First-quarter earnings at Umpqua Holdings slipped 3% from a year earlier, to $46 million, despite the loan growth that it highlighted as a bright spot.

GoRion, apr. 20, 2017--Sam BourgiWhen it comes to real estate, Millennials have been the perpetual under-class. But recent evidence suggests this cohort may be finally settling down and buying homes.

Bloomberg, Apr. 20, 2017--Joe LightThe Mortgage Bankers Association proposal released Thursday calls for the U.S. government to remain involved in the housing market, putting its guarantee behind mortgage-backed securities that the firms issue but no longer backstopping the companies themselves.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 20, 2017--Brian Collins (subscription)"It provides a clear road map that first prepares the regulatory foundation that will create the infrastructure necessary to implement GSE reform and then transforms the GSEs to guarantors under new charters," said Rodrigo Lopez, the group's chairman.

Mortgage Daily, Apr. 20, 2017A quarter-over-quarter decline was recorded for mortgage originations and assets at Huntington Bancshares Inc. But the firm boosted the size of its servicing portfolio.

Mortgage Daily, Apr. 20, 2017--Sam GarciaAfter falling to the lowest levels this year, fixed mortgage rates further retreated. The outlook for the next interest rate report is for no further declines.

Mortgage Daily, Apr. 20, 2017Ocwen Financial Corp. Thursday was hit with multiple government lawsuits and regulatory orders issued by more than 20 states over its servicing practices and handling of escrow accounts. Ocwen issued a statement "strongly" disputing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's claim and calling the Bureau's suit "flawed."

HousingWire, Apr. 20, 2017--Brena SwansonNearly eight years of conservatorship has turned talks of reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a myth that the industry might discuss but doesn't believe will actually happen. MBA could have the solution. A big portion of the MBA's white paper, "GSE Reform: Creating a Sustainable, More Vibrant Secondary Mortgage Market," addresses what the GSE reform process will look like.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 21, 2017--Aaron Back (subscription)Regional banks are seeing both optimism and angst in the American heartland, reporting that their customers are waiting for clues from Washington before taking action.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference takes place May 7-10 in Miami.

MBA Education presents Part I of a two-part webinar series, De-Mystifying Secondary Marketing, on Monday, May 8 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET.

In this week's issue of MBA Insights: Burton Embry of Primary Residential Mortgage says in a period of declining volume, secondary market strategy becomes vitally important to ensuring adequate liquidity, and nothing can derail a sale to the secondary market faster than loan defects.

MBA Education presents its popular Advanced Servicing Workshop on Apr. 26-27 at CoreLogic offices in Irving, Texas.