The Lede

The Mortgage Bankers Association released a new MBANow video on YouTube featuring MBA Chairman Rodrigo Lopez, CMB, who discusses the new MBA paper, GSE Reform Principles and Guardrails.

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., said the share of distressed single-family home and condo sales fell in 2016 to the lowest level in nine years.

Commercial property market supply-demand fundamentals held steady in the third quarter, reported Moody's Investors Service, New York.

Getting a refund leads to fantasies about a vacation, a newer vehicle, some household purchases. But for others, a refund is a means of getting current on their mortgage.

Attendees of the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo are invited to a special Women's Networking Event: Identifying Unconscious Bias in the Workplace, on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Attendees of the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo are invited to a special Women's Networking Event: Identifying Unconscious Bias in the Workplace, on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Attendees of the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo are invited to a special Women's Networking Event: Identifying Unconscious Bias in the Workplace, on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

American Banker, Feb. 2, 2017--John HeltmanRep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C, vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee is calling on the Federal Reserve to unilaterally disengage from the Financial Stability Board and Basel Committee on Banking Supervision until President Trump has installed his nominees on the Fed board.

National Real Estate Investor, Feb. 6, 2017--Elaine MisonzhnikAll types of capital providers-banks, insurance companies, conduit lenders and private equity funds-are actively looking for deals, and loan terms continue to be attractive, even if loan-to-value ratios have not moved much above 65 percent.

Cato Institute, Feb. 6, 2017--Mark A. CalabriaAuthor says Treasury Secretary designate Steven Mnuchin should strongly consider reviving a plan developed by his predecessor, John Snow. That plan would take advantage of the Treasury's authority to place limits on Fannie and Freddie's debt issuance to reduce those agencies' indebtedness. The reduction can and should be done in a controlled manner that could be easily reversed if necessary.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 6, 2017Despite slowing loan production at Guild Mortgage Co., the company experienced growth in its servicing portfolio and its staffing.

HousingWire, Feb. 6, 2017--Kelsey RamirezDBRS said the persistently low interest rate environment rendered securitization uneconomical for many issuers. However, as interest rates begin to rise, the RMBS market is beginning to change.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 3, 2017A concurrent flow servicing offering could work out to mortgage servicing rights on as much as $2.250 billion in government-sponsored enterprise loans.

Bloomberg, Feb. 6, 2017--Liz McCormick; Matt ScullyAlmost a decade after it all began, the Federal Reserve is finally talking about unwinding its grand experiment in monetary policy. And when it happens, the knock-on effects in the bond market could pose a threat to the U.S. housing recovery.

CNBC, Feb. 5, 2017--Trent GilliesMore than 6 percent of home sales last year were "flips", according to a new report from Trulia. The real estate data website defines a flip as the selling of a home at least twice within a year. That's the highest number in a decade.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 5, 2017--Telis Demos; Peter RudegeairThe six biggest U.S. banks could potentially return more than $100 billion in capital to investors over time through dividends and share buybacks if the Trump administration succeeds in a push to loosen bank regulation.

Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2017--Renae Merle"We expect to be cutting a lot out of Dodd-Frank," Trump said during a meeting with business leaders Friday morning. "Because frankly, I have so many people, friends of mine, that had nice businesses, they just can't borrow money ... because the banks just won't let them borrow because of the rules and regulations in Dodd-Frank."

Washington Examiner, Feb. 6, 2017--Joseph LawlerThe Mortgage Bankers Association, a key housing industry trade group, plans to lobby Congress and the Trump administration to effectively turn Fannie and Freddie into private utilities and to allow new entrants to compete with them on the same terms.

Mortgage Daily, Feb. 2, 2017During the first month of the new year, endorsements of home-equity conversion mortgages by the Federal Housing Administration came to 4,578 units.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 2, 2017--Brian CollinsA federal appeals court ruling has opened the door for litigants to challenge a 2012 decision by the U.S. government to sweep all of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's profits into the coffers of the Treasury Department.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 31, 2017--Rodrigo Lopez, CMBMBA Chairman advocates new model for reforming the secondary mortgage market.

HousingWire, Feb. 2, 2017--Ben LaneWhile Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin's comments made it clear that the Trump administration views housing finance reform as a high priority, the question is how the Trump administration would go about reforming the complex world of housing finance.

The Hill, Feb. 2, 2017--Ian KatzThe author, with Capital Alpha Partners, says the problem for Trump is that he can't do it through an executive order. He can use the bully pulpit, but to amend the law he has to go through lawmakers. "There's no quick fix."

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 2, 2017--Ben Eisen; Min ZengFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says declining maturity of portfolio has same impact as two rate increases in 2017.

Bloomberg, Feb. 1, 2017--James Tarmy; Kartikay MehrotaThe Millennium Tower is still sinking, and residents might be stuck paying for the fixes themselves.

HousingWire, Feb. 1, 2017--Lane, BenJPMorgan Chase disclosed Wednesday that it reached a final settlement agreement with Lehman Brothers, ending the failed investment bank's lawsuit over claims that JPMorgan illegally siphoned billions of dollars from Lehman before its collapse.

HousingWire, Feb. 1, 2017--Ben LaneOn Tuesday, Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced a bill that would replace the single director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with a five-member bipartisan committee, a change the Republican Party has long pushed for.

Bloomberg, Jan. 31, 2017--Patrick ClarkHousing advocates in New York have been lobbying the city government to set aside millions of dollars to pay attorneys' fees for tenants facing eviction, arguing that providing legal aid to a poor renter is cheaper than paying for a bed in a homeless shelter.

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 31, 2017Monthly residential Federal Housing Administration business was little changed, as was its book of business. But deterioration was reported in the rate of single-family delinquency.

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 31, 2017Policy updates and clarifications made by Fannie Mae will make appraisal reports easier to complete.

HousingWire, Jan. 31, 2017--Jacob GaffneyS&P Global Ratings just published its 2017 outlook for U.S. private mortgage insurers. It's pretty good news, too.

American Banker, Jan. 31, 2017--Ian McKendryThe trade group released a paper Tuesday outlining a new plan designed to resolve the fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which would call for creating several smaller public utilities that would buy federal insurance from the government for securities they issue.

HousingWire, Jan. 31, 2017--Brena SwansonThe largest trade group in the mortgage finance space, the Mortgage Bankers Association, released its initial plans for its recommended approach for secondary mortgage market reform, unveiling the first product from its recently formed "task force," which is made up of some of the top lenders and insurers in the industry.

Bloomberg, Jan. 31, 2017--Joe LightThe Mortgage Bankers Association, a powerful housing trade group, is wasting no time in pushing the Trump administration and Republican-led Congress to address one of the last unresolved issues from the financial crisis, outlining a proposal Tuesday to overhaul mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Hill, Feb. 3, 2017--John AgostinelliSen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who led the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has vowed to fight any changes to the regulator. David Stevens, CEO and president of the Mortgage Bankers Association said, "We are now in an environment in which the pendulum has clearly swung too far and created the most extraordinary regulatory framework that has ever existed in the nation.