The Lede

California Mortgage Bankers Association, Aug. 27, 2019Podcast features Krystal Thomas, Government Program Specialist with Residential Policy and Member Engagement at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Wall Street Journal, Aug. 27, 2019--Yuka Hayashi (subscription)The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking for workers again, following departures during a hiring freeze and budget cuts by Trump administration officials that took over the agency in late 2017.

National Mortgage Professional, Aug. 27, 2019--Phil HallA new survey conducted by MagnifyMoney has found more than half of homeowners are making an early withdrawal into their retirement savings funds to pay down housing and personal debt.

HousingWire, Aug. 27, 2019--Kathleen HowleyThe share of first-time homebuyers using conventional mortgages that require private mortgage insurance, or PMI, to compensate for low down payments increased in the second quarter while the use of FHA loans fell, said Genworth.

Bloomberg, Aug. 27, 2019--Steve MatthewsA former top Federal Reserve official suggested the central bank reject interest-rate cuts that would help Donald Trump's 2020 reelection prospects, drawing swift criticism that such an approach would jeopardize the independence of a Fed already under fierce attack from the U.S. president.

Reuters, Aug. 27, 2019--Richard LeongThe U.S. yield curve inversion deepened on Tuesday to levels not seen since 2007, rekindling fears of a looming recession that spurred a sell-off on Wall Street and stoked even more safe-haven demand for government bonds.

Washington Post, Aug. 28, 2019--Michele LernerThe 30-year fixed-rate home mortgage dominates the housing market, but many lenders also offer loan terms of 10 or 20 years. Sometimes lenders even offer a personalized term chosen by the borrower.

Wall Street Journal, Aug. 27, 2019--Nick Timiraos (subscription)The Federal Reserve said it rejected political considerations in its policy-making after one of its former top officials called for the central bank to consider the economic risks of President Trump's re-election when setting interest rates.

American Banker, Aug. 28, 2019--Kate Berry (subscription)Though advocates and industry are rarely aligned, they are starting to coalesce around a plan that would call for the elimination of the CFPB's 43% debt-to-income limit as part of its qualified mortgage rule.

MBA Education presents a half-day workshop, Fundamentals and Best Practices in Mortgage Accounting, at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in conjunction with the MBA Accounting and Financial Management Conference.

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced scholarships awarded under its popular Path to Diversity (P2D) Scholarship Program can now also be used towards six upcoming MBA conferences where attendees can obtain Continuing Professional Education (CPE), Continuing Legal Education (CLE) or Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) credits. The scholarships were previously only available for courses offered by MBA Education.