The Lede

HousingWire, June 3, 2019Amber Lawrence is associate director of education operations and programming at the Mortgage Bankers Association. As a core member of the organization's education leadership team, Lawrence manages its professional certification and designation programs. Working alongside the CMB Leadership Society, Lawrence currently oversees the curriculum of more than 730 active CMBs.

MReport, June 3, 2019--Seth WellbornOn Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac marked completion of their Single-Security Initiative with launch of the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security .

National Mortgage News, June 3, 2019--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Mortgage company merger and acquisition activity, on the upswing over the past three years, is expected to intensify as originations stay flat and production costs rise.

American Banker, June 3, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria blamed "burdensome" homebuilding regulations at the local level for helping to drive up housing costs nationwide.

Inman.com, June 4, 2019--Lew SichelmanThe prediction is more of the same, says Mike Frantantoni, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Hill, June 3, 2019--Juliegrace BrufkeThe House on Monday passed a $19.1 billion disaster relief package, finally sending legislation to the White House that had been repeatedly blocked by conservatives over the Memorial Day recess.

Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2019--Nick Timiraos (subscription)President Trump has pursued tariffs and wants the Federal Reserve to cut rates. Economists are projecting that uncertainty created by the administration's actions on the former will prompt the Fed to deliver the latter later this year.

Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2019--Elizabeth Winkler (subscription)Mall-based retailers reported dismal earnings last week, reminding investors of the sector's fundamental problems.