MBA Newslinks Archive

“In isolation, we would fight against modification to the mortgage interest deduction very hard. [But]we want to remain open-minded and involved in those proposals. If there’s a trade-off that gets you ultimately to the same outcome, we’re open to it.”–MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, to Politico.

“We firmly believe that Congress and the administration have a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to overhaul the tax code in a manner that will spur long-term economic growth, create jobs and place more money in the pockets of hard-working Americans.”–MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, in a letter to House, Senate and Administration leaders.

“The commercial and multifamily real estate industry makes a significant contribution to the nation’s economy–contributing to America’s gross domestic product, employing millions of people and producing a significant amount of the taxes raised by local governments for essential public services. Without adequate credit capacity for this important sector, jobs and tax revenue will be lost.”–from an MBA/trade group letter supporting legislation that would improve the High Volatility Commercial Real Estate bank capital rule.

“Data released last week, on balance, suggested continued strong economic growth. In combination with hawkish comments from some Fed officials, this pushed rates up.”–MBA Associate Vice President for Industry Surveys and Forecasting Joel Kan.

“Mortgage credit availability increased in September due to continuing updates to conforming loan programs as well as agency jumbo programs that have been phased in over the last few months. For the year to date, the supply of credit has increased only modestly in the non-jumbo space while it has expanded significantly among jumbo programs.”–MBA Vice President of Research and Economics Lynn Fisher.

“Falling interest rates in the third quarter provided enough of a cushion to counteract rising home prices in most U.S. markets and provide at least some temporary relief for the home affordability crunch. More sustainable relief for the affordability crunch, however, will need to be some combination of slowing home price appreciation and accelerating wage growth.” –Daren Blomquist, senior vice president with ATTOM Data Solutions.

“Hacking is easy. Personal information is cheap and you don’t even have to go on the Dark Web to buy it.”–Christa Lynn Greco, intelligence analyst in the criminal investigative division with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Where it was once was decades for things to change, the electronic age allows change in days. Historically, fraud and misrepresentations were slow to evolve; today, they happen in a flash.”–Patti Duranty-Robbins, associate vice president and strategy and planning specialist with the enterprise fraud group at PNC Bank, Downers Grove, Ill.

“The ability to stay relevant and keep up with the threats are happening–what do we do to ‘boil the ocean’ and still manage risk effectively. We’re looking to put stronger controls in place but also handle things that go wrong–and things will go wrong–so that we can identify threats and react accordingly.”–Mihir Patel, executive vice president and chief risk officer with Mr. Cooper (formerly Nationstar), Dallas.

“We’re going to see loans continue to be processed the traditional way, but we’re also going to increasingly see use of these new methods, because it’s what lenders and customers are demanding.”–Jude Landis, vice president of credit policy and risk management with Fannie Mae, Washington, D.C.