The Lede

GoRion, Aug. 22, 2017--Sam BourgiWith home costs rising across the country, mortgage lenders are making it easier to qualify for a real estate loan. However, it remains to be seen whether liberalizing lending rules can sustain the recovery, or whether it will create more problems that it tries to solve.

National Real Estate Investor, Aug. 23, 2017--Ely RazinPension funds and insurance companies were significant players in Boston's commercial real estate market in the first half of the year.

CNBC, Aug. 23, 2017--Diana Olick (MBA Mention)Mortgage application volume barely moved last week, down 0.5 percent from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Washington Post, Aug. 23, 2017--Kenneth Harney ATTOM Data Solutions found that 34 percent of all American homeowners have 100 percent equity in their properties--they have either paid off their entire mortgage debt or they never had a mortgage.

Mortgage Orb, Aug. 23, 2017--Peter G. MillerThere's constant pressure in the mortgage marketplace to make financing quicker, easier and more broadly available. After all, with reduced lending requirements, we did sell more than 7 million existing homes in 2005, which was about 1.5 million more units than we expect to market this year. Surely it would make sense to ease credit standards now to pump up home sales, right?

CNBC, Aug. 23, 2017--Michelle FoxThere may be rumblings about lowering the cap on mortgage interest rate deductions, but it would have a "rather small effect" on the housing market, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller told CNBC on Wednesday.

National Mortgage News, Aug. 23, 2017--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Reporting requirements for title insurers and agents were expanded to cover more types of high-end real estate transactions, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said.

Mortgage Daily, Aug. 23, 2017On Tuesday, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council issued HMDA examiner transaction testing guidelines to help assess the accuracy of the HMDA data reported by financial institutions.

Mortgage Daily, Aug. 23, 2017A newly released report indicates that mortgage production last year rose 15 percent from the previous year. Leading the gain was refinancing activity.

DSNews, Aug. 23, 2017--Joey PizzolatoIs it so simple that a North Dallas firm could bring artificial intelligence to the mortgage lending space?

Wall Street Journal, Aug. 24, 2017--Nick Timiraos (subscription)The prospect of a second term for Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen won't be on the agenda at the central bank's annual retreat this week at Grand Teton National Park, but the question of whether she could be asked to stay on--and whether she would accept--will be hanging over the confab.

National Mortgage News, Aug. 23, 2017--Brian Collins (subscription)The Comptroller of the Currency is proposing to nearly double the appraisal threshold for commercial real estate transactions to $400,000, from $250,000.

HousingWire, Aug. 24, 2017--Ben LaneA new report from Black Knight Financial Services shows fewer loans in foreclosure in July than in any month in more than 10 years.