The Lede

CNBC, Mar. 7, 2018--Diana OlickThe start of the spring housing market has yet to energize the mortgage market, the latest numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association show.

Huffington Post, Mar. 7, 2018--Angie Terkel Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is changing the mission statement of his agency, removing promises of inclusive and discrimination-free communities.

Bloomberg, Mar. 7, 2018--Erik Larson, Greg FarrellRoyal Bank of Scotland Group Plc agreed to pay $500 million to settle New York's probe into its marketing of toxic mortgage-backed securities that triggered the financial crisis, moving the government-owned lender a step closer to resolving a series of costly U.S. investigations.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 7, 2018--Laura Kusisto (subscription)The culprits: rising mortgage rates, a tax bill that reduces the incentives for homeownership and a growing weariness among first-buyers being priced out of the market-all of which are expected to damp demand for homes this year.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 7, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)If acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney has his way, his agency would effectively become a backup regulator, ceding authority over virtually every firm for which it has jurisdiction to other state and federal authorities.

HousingWire, Mar. 7, 2018--Kelsey RamirezEmployment is set to increase in February as the hot job market threatens to overheat, according to the ADP and Moody's Analytics National Employment Report.

Los Angeles Times, Mar. 7, 2018--Jim PuzzangheraNearly a decade after the crisis, some Democrats are ready to revise Dodd-Frank after years of complaints from bankers in their states.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 7, 2018--Sam GarciaIn addition to two private-lending conferences, people in the mortgage industry will also be attending a credit risk workshop and a technology convention over the next 90 days.

Mortgage Professional America, Mar. 8, 2018--Francis MonfortThe five largest investor groups saw continuously low delinquency rates for commercial and multifamily mortgage loans in the fourth quarter, with rates remaining relatively flat from the third quarter, according to the Commercial/Multifamily Delinquency Report released by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 7, 2018--Sharon Nunn, Sarah Chaney (subscription)Employers across the U.S. said wage growth picked up since the beginning of the year, according to a Federal Reserve report released Wednesday, signaling the tight labor market may be forcing employers to beef up paychecks to compete for workers.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 7, 2018--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)The success of the government-sponsored enterprises' credit risk transfer programs shows that they can be the basis for housing finance reform. But there are still steps that can be taken to maximize secondary market liquidity and broaden the investor bases, according to a paper co-written by Annaly Capital Management and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

HousingWire, Mar. 7, 2018--Jacob GaffneyFirst Guaranty is said to be shutting down one or more of its lending divisions, according to sources.

Multi-Housing News, Mar. 7, 2018--Paul FiorillaAt a time when optimism is rampant in the real estate industry and the stock market is near record highs after a massive run-up, economists lived up to their billing as dismal scientists at the National Association of Business Economists annual policy conference in Washington, D.C., last week.