The Lede

CNBC, July 6, 2017--Diana OlickMore borrowers applied for home loans last week, even as interest rates made their largest five-day jump since just after the presidential election, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Washingon Post, July 6, 2017--Kathy OrtonAccording to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average climbed to 3.96 percent with an average 0.6 point. (MBA mention)

Reuters, July 6, 2017The Federal Reserve bought $3.683 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities in the week from Jun. 29 to Jul. 5, compared with $5.107 billion purchased the previous week, the New York Federal Reserve Bank said on Thursday.

National Mortgage News, July 6, 2017--John Heltman, Kate Berry (subscription)Federal Reserve Gov. Jerome Powell, who heads the agency's supervisory committee, called on lawmakers Thursday to move more quickly in crafting legislation to reform the government-sponsored enterprises, saying that "we're almost at a now-or-never moment here."

Mortgage Daily, July 6, 2017Compared to a month earlier, the number of consumers who resorted to bankruptcy last month was down by 4 percent.

HousingWire, July 6, 2017--Ben LaneCovered Insurance, a Denver-based startup that connects consumers and mortgage lenders to insurance providers, announced recently that it completed a seed round of funding in which the company raised $700,000.

Bloomberg, July 6, 2017--Oshrat CarmielPurchases of resale homes jumped 16 percent from a year earlier to 2,597, according to a report Thursday by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Buyer interest was fueled by average price cuts of 6.1 percent across all property types.

HousingWire, July 6, 2017--Ben LaneSeveral of the largest trade organizations in banking want to meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions to discuss how the Trump administration's approach to fair lending laws and if the current administration plans to enforce those laws any differently than the previous administration did.

Tampa Bay Times, July 6, 2017--Malena CarolloMortgage lender HSBC announced another round of significant layoffs for its Brandon office--197 employees.

Mortgage Daily, July 6, 2017Delinquency of at least 30 days on consumer credit assets that are owned by banks fell to 1.56 percent as of the first quarter.

Wall Street Journal, July 6, 2017--Justina Vasquez (subscription)Firms across the country added 158,000 workers to their ranks in June, according to payroll processor Automatic Data Processing Inc. and forecasting firm Moody's Analytics.

New in today's issue of MBA Insights:  A deep dive on GSE reform, as MBA President and CEO David Stevens makes the case for congressional action now in testimony on Capitol Hill.