The Lede

National Mortgage News, Feb. 2, 2018--Elina TarkazikisOne hot topic will be how servicers are responding to recent natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires that have affected mortgage borrowers in pockets of the country. Servicers will be looking to stay updated on natural disaster initiatives, policies and impending rule changes.

HousingWire, Feb. 2, 2018--Ben LaneThe nonbank announced late Thursday that Anthony Renzi, who took over in September 2016, is leaving the company. According to Walter, Renzi will stay on as CEO and president while the company searches for a replacement for the fifth time since October 2015.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 2, 2018--Ian McKendry (subscription)Housing finance reformers are pushing full steam ahead to get a bill introduced before the political calendar makes passage nearly impossible.

Reuters, Feb. 2, 2018--Jonathan StempelA judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a federal credit union in Manhattan that sought to block U.S. President Donald Trump from installing Mick Mulvaney as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 2, 2018--Josh Mitchell (subscription)The U.S. student-loan program is rapidly headed toward becoming a net cost to the federal government, reversing years of projected profits, according to a government report released Friday.

Mortgage Orb, Feb. 2, 2018--Patrick BarnardA bill introduced in the Senate would reverse a 2016 ruling from the Federal Housing Finance Agency to disallow captive insurance companies from membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. David Stevens, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, expressed support for the bill.

Richmond Times-Dispatch (Va.), Feb. 2, 2018--John Reid BlackwellDorinda Smith will step down as executive vice president and head of mortgage on March 31, Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks Inc. announced Friday. Succeeding her will be a newcomer to the company, Todd Chamberlain, who is joining SunTrust from Regions Bank.

Bloomberg, Feb. 4, 2018--Ros Krasny, Scott LanmanOutgoing Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said U.S. stocks and commercial real estate prices are elevated but stopped short of saying those markets are in a bubble.

New York Times, Feb. 4, 2018--Emily Flitter, Binyamin Applebaum, David EnrichAfter three weeks of frenzied negotiations, a deal was announced on Friday night that represented a milestone in the evolving relationship between regulators and banks. Wells Fargo, one of the country's largest banks, was banned from getting bigger until it can convince regulators that it has cleaned up its act.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 2, 2018In the mortgage industry, which is reported on a one-month lag, there were 341,500 non-bank jobs as of December 2017. Home-lending jobs expanded from a downwardly revised 338,800 a month earlier and a downwardly revised 333,400 a year earlier.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 2, 2018As mortgage activity increased last week, a surge was recorded for adjustable-rate mortgage business -- which leapt to the highest level in more than three years thanks to rising fixed rates.

UExpress, Feb. 2, 2018--Lew SichelmanThe rule of conveyances is fairly simple: If it is attached to the house, it is considered a fixture and it stays for the next owner. If it isn't attached, the sellers can take it with them when they move out. In other words, you can take the curtains, but not the rods. But what if the issue involves animals?