The Lede

Forbes, July 24, 2017--Mark GreeneThe reason it is seemingly so hard to get a mortgage approved when you are self-employed is actually twofold. First, the document-gathering-discovery-phase is especially rigorous and second, the evidence requirements have so many more moving parts and potential land mines.

HousingWire, July 24, 2017--Ben LaneStitt, a Republican, joins a crowded field in the gubernatorial race. A search of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission website shows that there are currently 13 candidates registered to run for the state's governorship in 2018.

National Mortgage News, July 24, 2017--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Ocwen Financial finalized the deal to sell its interests in $110 billion of nonagency mortgage servicing rights to New Residential Investment Corp. for total consideration of $400 million.

Mortgage Daily, July 24, 2017Loan originators, except those who originate jumbo mortgages, were less busy this past week with residential lending activity. Home purchase financing took the biggest hit.

Mortgage Daily, July 24, 2017In addition to lifting home lending on a quarter-over-quarter basis, Finance of America Holdings LLC managed to maintain mortgage production on a year-over-year basis.

Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2017--Laura Kusisto, Sarah Chaney (subscription)A shortage of new single-family homes across the U.S. is pushing up prices and locking many buyers out of the market. The silver lining: a boom in renovations of existing homes.

Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2017--Richard Rubin (subscription)The mortgage interest deduction, a sacred cow in the U.S. tax code, does nothing to promote homeownership, according to an academic paper released Monday, a finding that undermines one of the core justifications for the tax break.

National Mortgage News, July 24, 2017--Elina Tarkazikis (subscription)Debt collection and mortgage issues make up about half of the 1.2 million complaints reported to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since it began accepting complaints in July 2011. Of these complaints, 272,153 are mortgage related.

HousingWire, July 24, 2017--Brena SwansonA federal district court in Kentucky handed a victory to a Louisville, Kentucky law firm, Borders & Borders, after a long-standing legal battle with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over alleged Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act violations.

HousingWire, July 24, 2017--Brena SwansonAlly Home, Ally Bank's direct-to-consumer mortgage offering, is stepping up to meet its competition in the market, announcing a new Price Match Guarantee program.