The Lede

Washington Post, Feb. 28, 2019--Kathy OrtonAccording to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average was unchanged at 4.35 percent with an average 0.5 point. It was 4.43 percent a year ago.(MBA mention)

Reuters, Feb. 28, 2019--Dena AubinA federal judge in San Francisco has ruled in favor of housing finance giant Fannie Mae in a 2017 lawsuit accusing it of falsely reporting that thousands of consumers' homes had been foreclosed on.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 28, 2019--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)A strong spring home purchase season is likely to further increase mortgage loan application defect risk, which already spiked in the past two months, according to First American.

Orange County Register, Feb. 28, 2019--Jeff LazersonEven in a seller's market, smart buyers who have patience and do their homework can get good deals.

HousingWire, Mar. 1, 2019--Jacob GaffneyAt the start of the new year, Black Diamond Mortgage Owner David Boye received an email from an account executive representing one of the nation's largest lenders asking for a second chance.

HousingWire, Feb. 28, 2019--Sarah WheelerDuring the MBA's National Mortgage Servicing conference this week in Orlando, it was evident that in the current environment servicers are using the relative calm to take stock of their operations, train staff, shore up compliance and invest in technology.

National Mortgage Professional, Feb. 28, 2019--Phil HallYou can lead a Millennial into homeownership but you can't make that young person happy, according to data from a new study released by Bankrate.com.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 28, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)As lawmakers shop plans to overhaul the housing finance system, small lenders are still skeptical that any of the various legislative proposals will work for them.