The Lede

MReport, Mar. 24, 2017--Seth WelbornOverall mortgage performance continues to improve, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Mortgage Metrics Report for Q4 2016.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 24, 2017 (subscription)Mortgage industry vendors are getting ahead of the rush of new product releases and upgrade announcements that come during the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual technology conference.

HousingWire, Mar. 24, 2017--Brena SwansonThe bureau's proposed amendments are intended to give lenders needed clarity on their obligations under the law, while promoting compliance with rules intended to ensure consumers are treated fairly.

HousingWire, Mar. 24, 2017--Kelsey RamirezThe value of the housing market hit a 10-year high in 2016 as equity reached new levels, according to the Urban Institute's latest report.

UExpress, Mar. 24, 2017--Lew SichelmanRep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., introduced a bill to extend a law that provides relief for renters whose landlords are being foreclosed on. Ellison's legislation would permanently extend the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA), which was enacted in 2009.

Associated Press, Mar. 24, 2017Greater demand for commercial aircraft helped U.S. businesses increased their orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in February, but a key category that tracks business investment plans slipped slightly.

GoRion, Mar. 24, 2017--Donna MitchellAs short-term rates increase, you could see the amount of private label securitization go up a fair amount, said MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni, especially if most mortgage loans on bank balance sheets meet the qualified residential mortgage standards for exemption from the risk-retention rules.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 24, 2017Aaron Wider of HTFC Corp. was sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraudulent loans on the secondary market.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 24, 2017--Sam GarciaA report from Stratmor Group indicates that the number of motivated, well-capitalized prospective buyers of retail origination platforms exceeds the number of sellers.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 24, 2017With jumbo loans and adjustable-rate mortgages leading the way, new business retreated on a week-over-week basis. But activity moved higher from a year ago.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 26, 2017--Laura Kusisto (subscription)The decline in homeownership rates to near 50-year lows is partly to blame for the U.S. economy's sluggish recovery from the last recession, new data suggest.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 24, 2017--Brad FinkelsteinSingle-family homes account for about 60% of the total rental market, with apartment buildings accounting for the remaining inventory, said Rodrigo Lopez, executive chairman of multifamily originator Northmarq Capital, during a residential lending panel at the Regional Conference of Mortgage Bankers Association in Atlantic City, N.J.