The Lede

Mortgage News Daily, Sept. 14, 2018--Jann SwansonWhile applications for financing new home purchases declined in August, the Mortgage Bankers Association is predicting a bump in the month's new home sales.

MarketWatch, Sept. 14, 2018--Andrea RiquierAmerican homeowners have amassed a record $6 trillion in equity in their properties, a figure boosted by surging home prices and a trend of owners staying put longer. But rising interest rates and caution resulting from the housing troubles of a decade ago are limiting how much of that equity is getting tapped. (MBA mention)

New York Times, Sept. 14, 2018--Ronda KaysenBrokers say that Zestimates can be off base, but that doesn't stop sellers from obsessing over what the website says their home is worth.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 14, 2018--Paul Centopani (subscription)To aid those affected and help curb delinquencies, many servicers are rolling out emergency assistance initiatives for the areas hit by the storm--including temporary reductions or moratoriums on mortgage payments without penalty.

Reuters, Sept. 14, 2018--Jonathan StempelMaria Vullo, superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services, called the July 31 decision by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to let financial technology companies, or fintech firms, obtain charters "lawless, ill-conceived, and destabilizing of financial markets."

American Banker, Sept. 14, 2018--John Reosti (subscription)Mark W. Olson, 75, who served as a community bank CEO, president of the American Bankers Association, member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board during a 50-year career in financial services, died Wednesday after a long illness.

Mortgage Daily Sept. 14, 2018On Thursday the House Financial Services Committee approved House Bill H.R. 5534, the Give Useful Information to Define Effective Compliance Act, by a 34-17 vote.

Mortgage Daily, Sept. 14, 2018Bradley Shuster will relinquish his CEO role at the end of this year. He'll stay on as executive chairman, though. Claudia Merkle will take the reins from Shuster on Jan. 1, 2019. She'll also join the board of directors.

American Banker, Sept. 14, 2018--Victoria Finkle (subscription)It's not exactly news that banks have seen their reputation with the public tumble since the financial crisis, but what gets talked about less frequently is what's at risk for the industry if it can't turn public opinion around.

UExpress, Sept. 14, 2018--Lew SichelmanThese arrangements rarely work out for the wannabe owners, but they are windfalls for the seller-landlords. Granted, some rent-to-own contracts are fair and equitable. But most are just backdoor deals that often prey on people who don't have a big enough nest egg, or a high enough credit score, to meet normal lending standards.