The Lede

Washington Post, Jan. 18, 2018--Kathy OrtonThe 30-year fixed-rate mortgage broke above the 4 percent barrier this week for the first time since July.

Bloomberg, Jan. 18, 2018--EditorialMaintaining FICO's monopoly would be convenient for regulators, who otherwise will have to manage and monitor an array of models, the editorial says. But competition is more likely to serve the interests of consumers and the economy.

HousingWire, Jan. 18, 2018--Kelsey RamirezMortgage Bankers Association Chief Operating Officer Marcia Davies took the stage, emphasizing the need to help one another. She explained that not just women, but men also need to work together to bring change to the mortgage tech industry.

National Mortgage Professional, Jan. 18, 2018--Phil HallPotential homebuyers are facing a housing market with 10 percent fewer homes to choose from than a year ago, according to new data from Zillow.

HousingWire, Jan. 18, 2018--Kelsey RamirezLike other economic forecasts about 2018, CoreLogic also predicts rates will continue rising, hitting 4.8% by the end of the year. While CoreLogic Principal Economist Molly Boesel explained these rates are still historically low, it is up 90 basis points from today's levels.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 18, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney has requested "zero" funding from the Federal Reserve in the second quarter and instead will use reserves to fund the agency.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 18, 2018--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Loan defaults associated with the three late summer hurricanes had a more immediate effect on MGIC Investment Corp.'s secondary market capital cushion than proposed changes by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 18, 2018Flagstar Bancorp Inc. has picked up some of the employees impacted by Capital One Financial Corp.'s recent decision to get out of home lending.

Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 2018--Jim PuzzangheraMick Mulvaney once called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a "joke ... in a sad, sick kind of way." Now, as its acting director, he's in a position to change it.

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 18, 2018Home lending is then expected to jump to $495 billion in the second quarter then ascend further--to $500 billion--during the following three months, said Freddie Mac.

Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 2018--James Rufus KorenDavid Eghbali said the actions that led to his firing and to a fine levied by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were part of his attempt to shield customers from fees demanded by the bank, including ones that Wells Fargo has since acknowledged were charged improperly.

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 18, 2018--Vanessa Fuhrmans (subscription)The McKinsey & Co. analysis, which examined financial data of more than 1,000 companies, found that companies with diverse executive teams posted bigger profit margins than their rivals.

The Mortgage Bankers Association and MBA Insights are accepting nominations for the MBA Insights 2018 Tech All-Star Awards. Nominations will be accepted through today, Jan. 19.  

The Mortgage Bankers Association and MBA Insights are accepting nominations for the MBA Insights 2018 Tech All-Star Awards. Nominations will be accepted through today, Jan. 19.  

The Mortgage Bankers Association and MBA Insights are accepting nominations for the MBA Insights 2018 Tech All-Star Awards. Nominations will be accepted through today, Jan. 19.