The Lede

HousingWire, Feb. 1, 2017--Ben LaneOn Tuesday, Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced a bill that would replace the single director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with a five-member bipartisan committee, a change the Republican Party has long pushed for.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 1, 2017In addition to boosting its annual home-lending volume by more than half, Movement Mortgage LLC added nearly a thousand employees last year.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 1, 2017After soaring in the final month of last year, securitizations at Fannie Mae sank in the first month of this year -- leading overall agency issuance lower.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 1, 2017--Sam GarciaTopics to be covered at several upcoming events tied to home lending include mortgage servicing rights, reverse mortgages and social media. Compliance is also on the agenda.

HousingWire, Feb. 1, 2017--Lane, BenJPMorgan Chase disclosed Wednesday that it reached a final settlement agreement with Lehman Brothers, ending the failed investment bank's lawsuit over claims that JPMorgan illegally siphoned billions of dollars from Lehman before its collapse.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 1, 2017--Brad FinkelsteinThe title insurance business of Fidelity National Financial earned $231 million in the fourth quarter, up 60% year over year.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 2, 2017--Ben Eisen; Min ZengFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says declining maturity of portfolio has same impact as two rate increases in 2017.

Bloomberg, Feb. 1, 2017--James Tarmy; Kartikay MehrotaThe Millennium Tower is still sinking, and residents might be stuck paying for the fixes themselves.

HousingWire, Feb. 1, 2017--Kelsey RamirezPrivate-sector employment is set to increase by 246,000 from December to January on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the report. This is significantly above December's increase of 156,000 jobs.

CNBC, Feb. 1, 2017--Diana OlickA plunge in applications for government-insured loans was behind a drop in overall mortgage volume last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported. "Following the decision to suspend a proposed decrease in the FHA mortgage insurance premium, FHA refinance applications dropped more than 25 percent, while FHA purchase applications fell almost 6 percent," MBA Chief Economist Michael Fratantoni said.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 1, 2017--Ian McKendryThe Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin 14-0 on Wednesday after changing the rules to allow Republicans to vote without any Democrats present.

National Mortgage Professional, Feb. 1, 2017--Phil HallWhile the homeownership rate barely seemed to move, it appears that potential homeowners are on the hunt for a new residence.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 1, 2017--Robyn A. FriedmanUntil recently, home flippers-investors who buy houses to improve and resell for a quick profit-had few options for financing. Now, traditional lenders and crowdfunding firms are increasingly willing to put up the money.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 1, 2017--Jeffrey SparshottThe Institute for Supply Management on Wednesday said its purchasing managers index rose to 56.0 in January from 54.5 in December, the highest since November 2014.

The Street, Feb. 1, 2017--Ellen ChangMortgage rates have risen steadily since the presidential election but have pulled back in recent weeks and are predicted to increase slightly this year.

The Real Deal (N.Y.), Feb. 1, 2017--Konrad PutzierMark Zandi, chief economist with Moody's Analytics, picked multifamily lending as one of the two greatest near-term risks to U.S. financial institutions (along with automobile loans). And Zandi isn't alone.

National Real Estate Investor, Feb. 1, 2017--Beth Mattson-TeigBuyers vying for net lease investment properties have been paying top dollar to win deals. But an increase in interest rates is already causing cap rates to creep higher and there could be more price adjustments ahead for 2017.