Measures taken to contain coronavirus harmed the retail sector, but the pandemic might re-shape retail in positive ways, said Wells Fargo Securities, Charlotte, N.C.

The latest Fannie Mae Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey found mortgage lenders’ profit margin outlook for the next three months fell slightly but remained positive due to strong reported refinance demand.

(One of a continuing series of profiles of participants in the MBA Education Path to Diversity (P2D) Scholarship Program, which enables employees from diverse backgrounds to advance their professional growth and career development.)

Over the past 10 years, Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuits have almost quadrupled from some 1,350 cases in 2010 to 5,000 in 2019. FCRA allows plaintiffs to recover attorney fees, which may explain the increase.

Banking was a “contact” industry—prior to the Great Recession. With the loss of 12,000 branches in the past decade and consumers now doing over 90% of their transactions digitally, public health implications and social unrest, if sustained, may be the catalysts for closing many more branches by 2022.

Our industry’s reliance on technology is deepening every day as never-before-experienced demands emerge. For example, in a world that demands distance, the ability to perform an eClosing has evolved from nice-to-have to “essential worker” status. Lenders entering this uncharted territory may find setting internal and external eClosing protocols daunting. Whether you adopt a hybrid process or go fully digital, there are best practices consistent for each option that can ensure your successful eClosing implementation.

Fantini & Gorga, Boston, arranged $33.5 million in construction financing and equity for One Wall Street Residences, a planned 136-unit transit-oriented development in Attleboro, Mass.

Sixteen industry trade organizations joined the Mortgage Bankers Association in a letter this week to HUD, expressing concerns with a recently announced FHA policy requiring lenders to provide 20 percent indemnification of the original loan amount for up to two years in relation to borrowers who enter into forbearance due to COVID19-related hardship after closing and prior to FHA insuring their loan.