The Lede

HousingWire, Mar. 8, 2019--Ben LaneAccording to newly released data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, delinquency rates on commercial and multifamily mortgages remained near historic lows during the fourth quarter, just as they did all year.

CNN Business, Mar. 8, 2019The reason for the wild monthly volatility is anyone's guess," said MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni. "A lot of fingers are being pointed to the government shutdown. We don't know exactly why we're seeing this crazy swing. But it reinforces why you can't focus on one data point alone."

The Mortgage Leader, Mar. 8, 2019The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index decreased 0.4 points in February to 84.3, reversing some of the increase seen in January. The HPSI is down 1.5 points compared with the same time last year.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2019--Ben Eisen (subscription)Private investors are directly buying a small but growing share of loans that have long been the domain of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a sign of the changing dynamics in the $11 trillion mortgage industry.

New York Times, Mar. 9, 2019--Emily Flitter, Stacy CowleyWells Fargo workers say they remain under heavy pressure to squeeze extra money out of customers. Some have witnessed colleagues bending or breaking internal rules to meet ambitious performance goals, according to interviews with 17 current and former employees and internal documents.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 10, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)Despite recent speculation that the White House and Federal Housing Finance Agency were planning a dramatic shake-up of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, observers say the nominee poised to run the FHFA will have a more targeted agenda on the job.

UExpress, Mar. 8, 2019--Lew SichelmanThe names Samantha Keithley, Orlando Martinez and Steven Wilson probably don't mean anything to you. But they are the names of three real estate agents killed in the line of duty in just the last six months of 2018.