The Lede

National Mortgage News, Jan. 10, 2017--Finkelstein, Brad The home sales heavyweight pioneered the franchising concept for real estate brokerages in the 1970s. Now it's applying that same business model to mortgage brokering with its new brand, Motto Mortgage.

National Mortgage Professional, Jan. 10, 2017--Hall, Phil The Mortgage Bankers Association named Gene Lugat of PrimeLending Inc. as chairman of the Mortgage Action Alliance for the 2017-2018 election cycle.

CNBC, Jan. 10, 2017--Olick, Diana In the first three quarters of 2016 alone, homeowners added $837 billion in total equity. But apparently those gains are not enough to counter the negative effects of rising mortgage rates.

Dallas Morning News, Jan. 10, 2017--Brown, Steve Higher home finance costs will impact potential home sales this year. But a stronger economy and growing home construction should compensate for the increase in mortgage costs, according to the country's top housing economists.

HousingWire, Jan. 10, 2017--Swanson, Brena American Mortgage Consultants acquired a business unit from Stewart Lender Services that's responsible for residential due diligence and servicing functions at the end of last year.

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 10, 2017--Mattioli, Dana; Benoit, Dana; Cimilluca, Dana Brookdale Senior Living Inc. is in talks with private-equity firm Blackstone Group LP and other suitors about a possible sale of part or all of the company, the nation's largest operator of senior-living centers.

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 10, 2017--Davidson, Kate Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker, one of the Fed system's most outspoken advocates for higher short-term interest rates in recent years, will retire Oct. 1 after 28 years at the bank, the regional Fed bank said Tuesday.

HousingWire, Jan. 10, 2017--Ramirez, Kelsey For the first time in six months, the gap between homeowner estimates and the appraised prices widened, according to Quicken Loans' National Home Price Perception Index. 

Los Angeles Times, Jan. 10, 2017--Puzzanghera, Jim Two Republican senators are asking President-elect Donald J. Trump to quickly remove Richard Cordray, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, setting up a potential legal and political showdown over the controversial agency.

Forbes, Jan. 10, 2017--Athwal, Nav While specialized companies are often swallowed up by the larger players, real estate tech startups haven't made the headlines as often as those in other industries. Is the Floored and CBRE deal just another rare occurrence, or can we look forward to a wave of real estate tech focused acquisitions and consolidations in the near future?

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 10, 2017--Garcia, Sam Several non-bank home lenders have risen from the ashes of the financial crisis to become some of the biggest players in the nation's new mortgage banking sector.