The Lede

HousingWire, Apr. 14, 2017--Kelsey RamirezConsumers grew more optimistic about their present situation than at any point since 2000, according to the Survey of Consumers conducted by the University of Michigan.

UExpress, Apr. 14, 2017--Lew SichelmanWomen have broken through the "glass ceiling" in the homeowners association field. But in at least nine major cities, according to a new report, they are all but shut out from buying homes themselves.

Washington Post, Apr. 14, 2017--Kenneth R. HarneyThey're either a valuable financial tool for homeowners or a harbinger of trouble on the horizon: Cash-out refinancings, which were wildly popular during the housing boom years and contributed to the severity of the crash, are on the rise again.

Reuters, Apr. 14, 2017--Lucia MutikaniU.S. retail sales fell for a second straight month in March and consumer prices dropped for the first time in just over a year, supporting views that the economy lost significant momentum in the first quarter.

Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Apr. 16, 2017--Jim WeikerWith President Donald Trump's pledge for comprehensive tax reform, voices from across the political spectrum are saying it's time to examine the mortgage interest deduction.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 16, 2017--Nick Timiraos (subscription)The Federal Reserve is moving quickly to fill in the details of how it will wind down its securities holdings in the years ahead, a process that could start this year and become the next big challenge for investors grown accustomed to easy money from the world's most important central bank.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 15, 2017--Laura Kusisto (subscription)Since Hannah Toth set out a few months ago to move out of her parents' home in suburban Pittsburgh, she has seen plenty of airy apartments of up to 900 square feet. What caught her eye is a 360-square-foot studio roughly the size of her childhood bedroom.

HousingWire, Apr. 14, 2017--Ben LaneAccording to details published Friday by iStar, a real estate investment trust, the Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision in the lawsuit that stemmed from a soured land deal from more than a decade ago.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 16, 2017--Peter Grant (subscription)Sale of stake in WiredScore is part of effort to divest himself of many business ties.

Reuters, Apr. 14, 2017--David HenryAfter having to stomach $31 billion worth of bitter mortgage settlements with government agencies a few years ago, JPMorgan Chase swore off a huge swath of the home loan market. Now, the bank's management team, led by Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, is working fiercely to change course--hoping to not only bring back customers, but influence what could be a reshaping of U.S. mortgage finance policy for the first time in a generation.

Mortgage Daily, Apr. 14, 2017An investment banking firm has won its bid to acquire more than $1.6 billion in reperforming government-sponsored enterprise mortgages.

Mortgage Daily, Apr. 14, 2017Refinances of mortgages backed by the government-sponsored enterprises plummeted to the lowest level during the past 12 months.

Mortgage Daily, Apr. 14, 2017VA's Loan Guaranty Service is reviewing its regulations governing the allowable expenses that a veteran can pay or be charged in connection with obtaining a VA-guaranteed mortgage.

CNN Money, Apr. 14, 2017--Kathryn VaselHome mortgage rates tend to move more in line with the 10-year Treasury note, issued by the U.S. government and viewed as one of the safest investments in the world.

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 16, 2017--Emily Glazer; Joann S. Lublin (subscription)Wells Fargo & Co. faces something few other big banks have dealt with since the financial crisis: a serious effort to vote out most of its directors.