The Lede

Yahoo! Finance, Dec. 17, 2018--Amanda Fung"A couple of years of home prices running twice the rate of home income growth leads to affordability challenges," said Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni. "If you're a buyer in 2019, you won't see home price running away from you at the same speed in 2018."

National Mortgage Professional, Dec. 17, 2018--Phil HallA coalition of industry trade organizations is calling on the U.S. Senate to speed the confirmation of Seth Appleton's as the next Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at HUD. (MBA mention)

CNBC, Dec. 17, 2018--Emmie MartinCheck out a breakdown of the median home value for 2017 in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia, as well as how much homeowners with a mortgage pay per month to cover housing expenses.

American Banker, Dec. 17, 2018--Hannah Lang (subscription)Recent steps allowing more lenders to skip outside appraisals are seen as removing a key hurdle to closings, but appraisers say they could be collateral damage from the deregulatory policies.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 17, 2018--Hannah Lang (subscription)Brian Montgomery, commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, will serve as the acting No. 2 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development following the resignation of Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude.

The Urban Institute, Dec. 17, 2018--Karan Kaul, Laurie Goodman, Jun ZhuAlthough self-employed households continue to earn higher incomes than salaried households, this brief shows that they were hit harder by the housing crisis and have been slower to recover.

HousingWire, Dec. 17, 2018--Jessica GuerinCertain dynamics shaping the housing market have led the occasional forecaster to predict a pending boom home equity lending.