The Lede

Zillow, Seattle, said the number of homeowners underwater on their mortgage continued to fall in the fourth quarter, but more than half of those who remain underwater owe at least 20 percent more than their homes are worth.

The company's 2016 Year-End U.S. Home Flipping Report said 193,009 single family homes and condos flipped in 2016, up by 3.1 percent from 2015 to the highest level since 2006.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a letter to leaders in the Senate and House, urged support for two bills that would make key adjustments to the National Flood Insurance Program.

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said U.S. homeowners with mortgages (63 percent of all homeowners) saw their collective equity increase by $783 billion in 2016, an increase of 11.7 percent.

MetaSource, Salt Lake City, said a review of its post-close quality control audits in 2016 showed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule--also known as "Know Before You Owe"--accounted for 12 of the top 15 quality control issues for mortgage lenders.

MBA Education presents its popular Advanced Servicing Workshop on Apr. 26-27 at CoreLogic offices in Irving, Texas.

The Oregoinan, Mar. 9, 2017--Gordon R. FriedmanLawmakers are looking to trim the popular mortgage interest deduction that gives more than a half-million Oregon households a break on their state income taxes.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 13, 2017A watchdog report indicates that Ginnie Mae resources are being strained by the increase in non-bank issuers.

HousingWire, Mar. 14, 2017--Brena SwansonHSBC is officially finished with its consumer relief requirement under the National Mortgage Settlement, providing more than $371 million in consumer relief, according to the latest update on the company from Joseph Smith, monitor of the NMS.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 14, 2017--Peter Grant (subscription)Wary of a commercial real-estate rally losing steam, they decide it's less riskier to be a lender than a buyer.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 13, 2017--Brian Collins (subscription)Banks are stepping up their efforts to win a key exception to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Qualified Mortgage rule.

Bloomberg BNA, Mar. 13, 2017--Chris BrucePHH Corp. March 10 asked a federal appeals court to order wholesale elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a case testing the agency's constitutionality.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 10, 2017It's been almost a year since securitizations at Ginnie Mae were as slow as they were last month.

HousingWire, Mar. 10, 2017--Sarah WheelerThe last formal session of the Ellie Mae Experience conference was also its liveliest. The compliance experts on the official panel on the podium were joined by an unofficial group of GSE leaders on the front row, who gamely jumped in when called upon.

American Banker, Mar. 10, 2017--Kate Berry (subscription)In their drive to revamp the Dodd-Frank Act, Republicans have repeatedly asserted that the 2010 financial reform law has increased the cost of consumer lending and cut off access to credit. Yet the available data indicates otherwise.

HousingWire, Mar. 10, 2017--Brena SwansonEarlier this month, the House passed (241 to 104) the "OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act," H.R. 1009, which would subject independent regulatory agencies to the regulatory review process of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget.

MarketWatch, Mar. 10, 2017--Andrea Riquier Adjustable-rate mortgages are more popular now than at any time in more than two years as interest rates start climbing, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 10, 2017--Phil HallIn a letter to leaders of the Senate and House, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced its backing of S. 563 and H.R. 1422, both named the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act.

Scotsman Guide, Mar. 7, 2017--Victor WhitmanThe Mortgage Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America and 10 other trade groups recently signed a letter in support of the bill.

GoRion, Mar. 9, 2017--Mark FogartyInvestors heaving a sigh of relief that the foreclosure crisis isn't an imminent danger to their collateral any more are mostly right.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2017--Leslie Scism; Joann S. Lublin (subscription)American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Peter Hancock, apparently having lost the faith of the insurer's directors, quit at a board meeting Wednesday where his future was being discussed.

Reuters, Mar. 9, 2017--David Lawder; Amanda BeckerPresident Donald Trump promised in a meeting with community bankers on Thursday to strip away some Dodd-Frank financial regulations and ensure they can continue giving small businesses access to capital.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 9, 2017--Rachel Witkowski (subscription)What to do about extending the National Flood Insurance Program divides Congress along regional rather than party lines.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 8, 2017--Jacob Passy (subscription)Twelve of the top 15 quality control issues in 2016, as identified by third-party mortgage compliance service provider MetaSource, were TRID-related. The findings were based on a review of thousands of post-close QC audits performed by the Utah-based company.

HousingWire, Mar. 8, 2017--Ben LaneAccording to the report from its Office of Inspector General, HUD "failed to adequately oversee" billions of dollars in loans that may have "questionable down payment assistance," thereby putting the FHA's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund at risk because of borrowers with higher than market interest rates.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 7, 2017A new report indicates loans included in residential mortgage-backed securities will benefit from digital mortgages as long as legal issues are addressed.

GoRion, Mar. 7, 2017--Sam BourgiThe Federal Reserve is on course to end reinvestments of its mortgage-backed securities (MBS) holdings next year, as policymakers attempt to shrink a balance sheet that swelled following the financial crisis, analysts at Morgan Stanley recently predicted.

HousingWire, Mar. 7, 2017--Sarah WheelerPanelists at an Ellie Mae conference said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed changes to the rule don't address two of the biggest challenges, both of which concern lenders coordinating with title and settlement services.

HousingWire, Mar. 7, 2017--Ben LaneDespite the concerted effort by members of the Republican Party to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a top Trump administration official told attendees at a conference in Washington that the embattled agency will likely survive the Trump administration.