The Lede

CNBC, Dec. 5, 2018--Diana OlickTotal mortgage application volume rose 2 percent last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. Volume was nearly 19 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

HousingWire, Dec. 5, 2018--Kelsey RamirezThe Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently released a proposal that would increase the appraisal requirement from $250,000 to $400,000, meaning that certain home sales of $400,000 and below would no longer require an appraisal. This would be the first increase to the threshold since 1994.

DS News, Dec. 5, 2018--Radhika OjhaA number of factors drive default rates in mortgage, but a new study by Collateral Analytics has found that price uncertainty and actual and expected home equity are important drivers.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 6, 2018--Nick Timiraos (subscription)President Trump's attacks against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell have failed so far to gain traction with an important constituency: Congress.

National Mortgage Professional, Dec. 5, 2018--Phil HallA global network of digital miscreants has reportedly created a list of 50,000 executives at banks and mortgage companies to target for online scams.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 5, 2018--Lynn M. Fisher, Edward J. Pinto (subscription)American Enterprise Institute economists warn if the economy were to experience a downturn or worse in the next few years, home prices, which have boomed over the last six years, will surely realize a price correction and foreclosure rates could increase "dramatically."

American Banker, Dec. 5, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)There is already intense focus on how the Democratic-run House Financial Services Committee may shine a spotlight on Trump administration-appointed regulators. But that light might shine brightest on one agency in particular: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.