The Lede

Forbes, Oct. 4, 2019--Aly J. YaleFreddie Mac reported an average 3.65% rate on 30-year, fixed-rate loans-a whopping 1.06% downslide since just one year ago. Looking at forecasts from the company, as well as from economists at Fannie Mae and the Mortgage Bankers Association, it appears low mortgage rates will persist.

National Mortgage Professional, Oct. 4, 2019--Phil HallCredit unions accounted for 7.1 percent of the nation's total mortgage origination during 2018, according to a new data analysis released by Callahan & Associates.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 4, 2019--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Nondepositories in the mortgage business added 1,800 employees to their payrolls in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That makes August the strongest hiring month this year, even when accounting for upward revisions to the previous two months' numbers.

American Banker, Oct. 4, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)The recent announcement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be allowed to keep profits for the first time since 2012 was seen as a crucial early step in reforming the mortgage giants. But the news immediately shifted focus to a bigger question about their financial standing.

DS News, Oct. 4, 2019--Anita ScottThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) provides resources to help mortgage and real estate finance professionals lean in to D&I. They offer a list of tactics and themes rather than prescriptions because, as MBA says, "There is no single right way to develop your D&I program."

UExpress, Oct. 4, 2019--Lew SichelmanIt's the time of year for good cheer. It's also the time of year when many sellers take their homes off the market, or wait until January to list them. But the smart money says they're wrong to do so.

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.