The Lede

National Mortgage News, July 13, 2018--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)This year's sluggish spring home buying season led to generally softer mortgage-related second quarter results at Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and The PNC Financial Services Group, but First Republic Bank bucked the trend.

National Mortgage News, July 13, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and 24 other Senate Democrats have urged acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney to reinstate members of the agency's consumer advisory board, who were fired last month, and to provide details on the firings.

HousingWire, July 13, 2018--Kelsey RamirezA new study from Deloitte Center for Financial Services and LendIt Fintech shows nonbank online lenders are also struggling with the cost of funding a loan. The survey shows a full 77% of respondents listed the cost of funding among their top three concerns, and 38% said it was their top concern.

HousingWire, July 13, 2018--Alcynna LloydMore than 20 of the top housing trade groups [including the Mortgage Bankers Association] urged Congress to extend the National Flood Insurance Program.

New York Times, July 15, 2018--Matthew GoldsteinThe foreclosure machine that ground to a halt in Puerto Rico after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in September is slowly cranking up again. Island residents who fell behind on their payments are facing creditors ranging from Wall Street to the federal government.

Mortgage Daily, July 13, 2018During the week ended July 13, the Mortgage Daily U.S. Mortgage Market Index jumped 37 percent from the preceding seven-day period.

Des Moines Register, July 13, 2018--Kevin HardyEric Scharnhorst, author of the Mortgage Bankers Association report, says an oversupply of parking spaces means city leaders have the chance to rethink the uses for many dedicated parking areas, which are often in coveted parts of town.

Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2018--Lalita Clozel (subscription)On Monday, two trade groups representing some of the largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc., will join forces to seek regulatory relief for an industry that remains tainted by the 2008 crash and more recent sales-practice scandals at Wells Fargo & Co.

Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2018--Ruth Simon, Richard Rubin (subscription)A new Marriott hotel in the Phoenix area might seem a world apart from an affordable-housing complex in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, but both are poised to benefit from the new "opportunity zone" program created in last year's federal tax overhaul.