The Lede

Washington Post, Nov. 16--Kathy Orton Mortgage rates rose this week but essentially are back to where they started a year ago. "Additional developments surrounding the Administration's tax reform plan pushed rates lower at the beginning of the week, but this was effectively offset by news of stronger economic growth in Europe," Mortgage Bankers Association Economist Joel Kan said.

Buffalo (N.Y.) News, Nov. 16, 2017--Matt Glynn KeyCorp has high hopes for growing its residential mortgage business, based in Amherst, N.Y. "If we do just one $250,000 mortgage in each of our 1,200 branches each month, we double the annual originations of that business," Key President of Banking Christopher Gorman said.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 16, 2017--Nick Timiraos (subscription)White House budget director Mick Mulvaney is expected to be tapped by the White House to serve as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when the agency's current head, Richard Cordray, resigns from his post later in November.

New York Times, Nov. 16, 2017--Thomas Kaplan; Alan RappeportThe House passed a sweeping rewrite of the tax code on Thursday by 227-205, taking a significant leap forward as Republicans seek to enact $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals and deliver the first major legislative achievement of President Trump's tenure.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 16, 2017--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)While inventory has contracted for 25 straight months in the United States as a whole, there are exceptions to the rule in parts of the South and Midwest.

HousingWire, Nov. 16, 2017--Brena SwansonWith former bank executive Joseph Otting soon to be confirmed as Comptroller of the Currency, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika submitted his resignation letter to Secretary of the Treasury Stephen Mnuchin.

Commercial Property Executive, Nov. 16, 2017--Paul FiorillaMultiple indexes measure the performance of public and private real estate, property types, different geographies and investor strategy, but none measured mezzanine debt until now. The new Giliberto‐Levy High‐Yield Real Estate Debt Index is the first third‐party measure of high‐yield commercial mortgage debt performance.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 16, 2017The economic outlook for this year's single-family loan originations has grown more optimistic. But next year's forecast is slightly more pessimistic.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 16, 2017Improvements to pricing announced by Radian Guaranty Inc. follow an easing of program requirements last month.

The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System's 2018 Streamlined Renewal Process begins November 1 and ends December 31. MBA encourages Mortgage Loan Originators to renew their licenses as soon as possible.

MBA Education and MBA Compliance Essentials announce availability of its updated CFPB Mortgage Servicing Rules Resource Guide, updated through August.