The Lede

The Lenders One Cooperative, St. Louis, said an annual poll of its membership shows information security and data protection have become a central concern.

Commercial property market supply and demand fundamentals remained relatively stable in the second quarter, reported Moody's Investors Service, New York.

House Republicans on Thursday released deals of the largest tax bill since 1986 that reduces the mortgage interest deduction and cuts corporate tax rates.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a letter yesterday to the House Ways and Means Committee, expressed concerns that key provisions of tax reform legislation could substantially affect the ability of homeowners and the overall economy to benefit.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's Accounting/Financial Management Conference 2017 takes place Nov. 13-15 at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio.

MBA Education presents the first of its popular two-part webinar series, De-Mystifying Secondary Marketing Part I on Monday, Nov. 13 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 2, 2017--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Expected losses from the recent hurricanes put a dent in Fannie Mae's third-quarter earnings and the mortgage agency is keeping a close eye on how its servicers manage the pressures of the recovery effort.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 6, 2017--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Users were having trouble accessing Freddie Mac's selling system Monday afternoon, according to an alert issued by the government-sponsored enterprise.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 6, 2017Residential endorsements jumped to the highest level in seven months at FHA, while commercial real estate activity was the highest in at least four years. Delinquency worsened, however.

Bloomberg, Nov. 6, 2017--Laura LitvanSenate tax writers are planning on keeping the mortgage interest deduction limit at $1 million, unlike the House legislation released last week that set a cap of $500,000 for new home sales.

New York Times, Nov. 4, 2017--Mary Williams WalshThe government-run National Flood Insurance Program is, for now, virtually the only source of flood insurance for more than five million households in the United States. This hurricane season, as tens of thousands of Americans seek compensation for storm-inflicted water damage, they face a problem: The flood insurance program is broke and broken.

HousingWire, Nov. 3, 2017--Ben LaneFour Equifax executives were not aware of the massive data breach at the credit reporting agency when they sold off more than $1.5 million in company stock before the breach became public knowledge, the company said Friday.

Bloomberg, Nov. 3, 2017--Alex LeondisWhite House Economic Adviser Gary Cohn said "The ability to deduct interest is a component that allows you to buy a bigger house, not what drives you to buy a house."

Mortgage News Daily, Nov. 3, 2017--Jann SwansonMBA President and CEO David Stevens said calls to simply recapitalize the GSEs and allow them to operate without structural changes are misguided. Such plans could be reversed by future FHFA directors and "likely embolden those who seek private profit at the expense of sound public policy."

Scotsman Guide, Nov. 3, 2017--Victor WhitmanThe Mortgage Bankers Association expressed reservations about how the House GOP plan addresses the mortgage-interest deduction and other housing incentives. House Republicans rolled out a sweeping bill in the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday.

HousingWire, Nov. 2, 2017--Ben LaneIt's been a rough year for Ocwen Financial, but the company's executives said Thursday that they believe they have the company pointed in the right direction.

CTPost (Conn.), Oct. 31, 2017--Alexander SouleIn September, Connecticut was the lone state in the nation to see a decline in borrowers misrepresenting facts on mortgage loan applications, according to First American Financial Corp.

HousingWire, Nov. 2, 2017--Jacob GaffneyThe largest financier of single-family homes in the nation, Fannie Mae, made $3 billion in the third quarter. That's a decrease of $177 million from the second quarter of 2017 driven primarily by hurricane-related provision for credit losses.

Washington Post, Nov. 2--Damian Paletta; Mike DeBonis House Republican leaders on Thursday proposed legislation that would overhaul the U.S. tax code, slash corporate and individual income tax rates and jettison numerous tax breaks Americans and businesses have used for years to limit their tax bills.

HousingWire, Nov. 1, 2017--Kelsey RamirezDuring a wide-ranging discussion about the government's role in housing, Vice President Mike Pence's chief economist Mark Calabria revealed Wednesday that the Trump administration is "committed" to ending the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 1, 2017--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were responsible for an increase in loan application defects during September in Texas and Florida, according to First American Financial Corp.

HousingWire, Nov. 1, 2017--Kelsey RamirezThe mortgage industry is ripe for disruption, said Fannie Mae Executive Vice President for Single-Family Business Andrew Bon Salle, referring to the need for new technology updates.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 1, 2017--John Heltman (subscription)President Trump has signed the congressional measure invalidating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's arbitration rule, killing the regulation that was unpopular with banks and other financial institutions.

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 1, 2017Ocwen Financial Corp.'s residential loan servicing subsidiary is changing its mortgage servicing system as was required by recent orders with several states.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 31, 2017Guild Mortgage Co. reported an expanded servicing portfolio and record year-to-date originations in the third quarter.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 31, 2017--Brian Collins (subscription)A private-label securities settlement, portfolio asset sales and greater interest among smaller lenders helped Freddie Mac compensate for potential losses stemming from the catastrophic hurricane season, the mortgage giant said Tuesday.