The Lede

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., never wanted to know as much about housing finance as he does now.

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said mortgage credit risk ticked up slightly in the first quarter but noted it remains at "normal" baselines for such risk.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--If the political atmosphere here in Washington seems a bit fractious, that's because it is. But it doesn't mean things are at a standstill.

Commercial mortgage-backed securities lenders are shifting their attention--and their capital--to some alternative U.S. markets, reported Trepp, New York.

Real estate investment trust executives cited access to capital, competition for fully priced assets, possible tax reform and likely interest rate hikes as significant risks this year, reported BDO USA, Chicago.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed 49,104 foreclosure prevention actions in the first quarter, bringing the total number of troubled homeowners helped since conservatorships to nearly 3.9 million.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., never wanted to know as much about housing finance as he does now.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--If the political atmosphere here in Washington seems a bit fractious, that's because it is. But it doesn't mean things are at a standstill.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., never wanted to know as much about housing finance as he does now.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--If the political atmosphere here in Washington seems a bit fractious, that's because it is. But it doesn't mean things are at a standstill.

Mortgage Daily, June 22, 2017Over at Caliber Home Loans Inc., staffing has expanded by more than 1,500 employees during the past 12 months.

MBA Servicing NewsLink will not publish on Tuesday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. The next issue will push forward to Wednesday, July 5. On behalf of MBA officers and staff, have a safe and happy holiday.

Mortgage Daily, June 26, 2017Senior mortgage banking executives expect demand for non-agency programs will intensify. At the same time, the group expects requirements on such programs to ease.

National Mortgage News, June 26, 2017--Kevin Wack (subscription)Banks and other lenders say they can be unfairly maligned by consumers whose grievances that have not been vetted for accuracy. Industry groups also chafe at how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cites numbers from the database without some of the relevant context.

Scotsman Guide, June 26, 2017--Victor WhitmanMost of the nation's largest trade groups, including the Mortgage Bankers Associaton, signed onto a letter recently sent to leaders of the U.S. Senate and House appropriations committees to make the case that Congress should restructure the CFPB as a five-panel bipartisan commission.

Bloomberg, June 27, 2017--Joe LightThe proposal by Tennessee Republican Bob Corker and Virginia Democrat Mark Warner would attempt to foster competition in the secondary mortgage market, where loans are packaged into bonds and sold off to investors. Warner said last week at a Mortgage Bankers Association conference that he and Corker had found consensus on a number of issues.

Bloomberg, June 23, 2017--Oshrat CarmielAnother luxury condo at Manhattan's One57 is scheduled for a foreclosure auction--the second time in a month that a property seizure is being sought at the Billionaires' Row tower following a mortgage default. And it might be the biggest in New York City residential history.

Fortune, June 23, 2017--Phil WahbaYou can add another 20 Sears and Kmart stores to retail's graveyard.

Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2017--Ryan Tracy (subscription)The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will release the final results of this year's tests, which probe firms' ability to withstand a severe financial shock. Officials made the tests easier for some banks this year, and for the next time around they are preparing to further change the exams in fundamental ways.

Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2017--Justin Lahart (subscription)Americans' finances are in the best shape they have been in years. As a group, U.S. households' debt-to-income and debt-to-asset ratios in the first quarter fell to their lowest levels since the early 2000s.

Wall Street Journal, June 22, 2017--Ryan Tracy, Telis Demos (subscription)The largest U.S. banks survived a hypothetical "stress test" and could continue lending even during a deep recession, the Federal Reserve said, a strong report card that could bolster the industry's case for cutting back regulation.

Mortgage Daily, June 20, 2017Nearly $300 million in re-performing and moderately delinquent single-family mortgages have been sold with a securitization to follow.

Mortgage Daily, June 22, 2017Residential loan delinquency again turned lower at Freddie Mac, this time to the lowest level in nearly a decade.

National Mortgage News, June 22, 2017--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Black Knight Financial Services reported 1.93 million properties where the borrower was at least 30 days late with their mortgage payment, down 145,000 from April.

Mortgage Daily, June 21, 2017The loan sale, which was initially marketed beginning on May 10, includes 123 mortgages that have a collective unpaid principal balance of $32 million.

HousingWire, June 21, 2017--Ben LaneNationstar Mortgage announced Wednesday it is bringing its customer service operations back to the U.S. According to the company, the move is driven by its transition into becoming Mr. Cooper, which first began back in 2015.

Mortgage Daily, June 21, 2017In all, the Fort Washington, Pa.-based firm is transferring servicing on 3,020 HELOCs that are part of three residential mortgage-backed securities.

National Mortgage News, June 21, 2017--Brian Collins (subscription)One bill (H.R. 2246) would allow commercial firms and small businesses to opt-out of buying policies from the National Flood Insurance Program.

American Banker, June 21, 2017--Ian McKendry (subscription)"I think the stars may align--where you could actually see housing finance reform happen ahead of some of the Dodd-Frank reforms, because I think there is more consensus here," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said during a Mortgage Bankers Association conference this week.

Washington Examiner, June 21, 2017--Joseph LawlerAppearing at a meeting of the Mortgage Bankers Association Wednesday morning in downtown Washington, the conservative chairman of the House Financial Services Committee said his 2013 bill "still represents the best vehicle for reform."

Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2017--Richard Rubin (subscription)House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., expressed confidence Tuesday that Republicans can "fix this nation's tax code, once and for all" this year despite a long row of hurdles in front of them.

National Real Estate Investor, June 20, 2017--Bendix AndersonFreddie Mac issued hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds secured by loans to affordable housing properties, upping the ante on its securitization programs.