The Lede

Washington Post, Dec. 20, 2018--Kathy OrtonMortgage rates continued their retreat, helped by volatility in the financial markets and weakened inflation expectations. (MBA mention)

HousingWire, Dec. 20, 2018--Kelsey RamirezNew items on the Scorecard include preparing for the end of LIBOR, which is set to phase out at the end of next year, and assessing its impact and perform industry outreach to inform policy and implementation plans.

American Banker, Dec. 12, 2018--John Reosti (subscription)The Financial Stability Oversight Council discussed the pending Current Expected Credit Loss standard, widely known as CECL, in a closed-door executive session Wednesday that ran significantly longer than its scheduled 45 minutes.

The Urban Institute, Dec. 20, 2018--Jim ParrottThe most important question in housing policy heading into the new year has nothing to do with interest rates, housing supply, or home sales. It's what kind of director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Mark Calabria will be.

Politico, Dec. 20, 2018--Sarah Ferris, John BresnahanHouse Republicans passed a stop-gap spending bill on Thursday that delivers $5 billion for President Donald Trump's border wall, setting up a standoff with the Senate that drastically raises the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.

American Banker, Dec. 20, 2018--Neil Haggergy (subscription)House Democrats are warning Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney that he may be called to testify in the next Congress on the actions he took as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Orange County Register, Dec. 20, 2018--Jeff LazersonDodd-Frank empowered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to create loan officer compensation rules. The biggest symbiotic blessing for consumers and mortgage brokers is the requirement that mortgage brokers must disclose all back-end lender rebates.

MBA Education presents its popular Advanced Risk Management for Mortgage Pros Workshop, in conjunction with the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, in Washington, D.C. June 3-5.

Since 1998, the Mortgage Bankers Association and STRATMOR Group have jointly conducted the Peer Group Survey and Roundtable Program. Launch date for the next program (data through Dec. 31, 2018) is Jan. 15, 2019.