The Lede

Wall Street Journal, Sept. 21, 2018--Aaron Back (subscription)Signs are stacking up that Wells Fargo & Co. is shrinking, even as rivals are in growth mode.

HousingWire, Sept. 21, 2018--Ben LaneGoing forward, consumers can freeze their credit for free at Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. A credit freeze prevents lenders or other credit providers from opening a new account without a consumer unfreezing their credit.

American Banker, Sept. 21, 2018--Kate Berry (subscription)On one hand, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants more data as it conducts fair-lending exams of small-business lenders to assess redlining risks. Yet the Equal Credit Opportunity Act's prohibition on collecting race and gender information from small businesses has made it difficult for the bureau to write rules on what data to collect.

UExpress, Sept. 21, 2018--Lew SichelmanMichael Brown and his company, the Credit Bureau Center, ran fake property ads on Craigslist and, with the promise of "free" credit reports, tricked people into enrolling in costly credit-monitoring services.

Mortgage Daily, Sept. 21, 2018--Sam GarciaIn addition to some of the high-profile rounds of mortgage layoffs previously reported, a stream of less prominent staff reductions are beginning to add up for the industry.

Mortgage Daily, Sept. 21, 2018Among the hundred best jobs in the nation are several that are found at home lenders--including positions in compliance and technology. Also making the list were loan originators.

Associated Press, Sept. 22, 2018--Alex VeigaHomebuyers face more hurdles qualifying for a mortgage than they did in the housing-boom years. But the loans are safer, more transparent and actually take into account whether a borrower can afford to keep up with payments.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 21, 2018--Neil Haggerty (subscription)The Federal Reserve is proposing to repeal mortgage loan originator licensing and registration requirements, as the Dodd-Frank Act transferred rulemaking authority to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

American Banker, Sept. 21, 2018--Hannah Lang (subscription)Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt and Fannie Mae CEO Timothy Mayopoulos will both testify [this] week at a House Financial Services Committee hearing to look into the FHFA's role as conservator of the government-sponsored enterprises, a committee spokesperson said Friday.