The Lede

Equifax, New York, said total first mortgages through the third quarter rose to 4.85 million, a year-over-year increase of 9.9 percent.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate continues to decline--largely due to strong new issuance, continued resolution activity and the slowing pace of new delinquencies--reported Fitch Ratings, New York.

Zillow Inc., Seattle, said buyers paid more than the asking price in 24 percent of U.S. home sales in 2017, netting sellers an additional $7,000 each on average.

Six months after devastating hurricanes hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, homeowners, mortgage lenders and servicers continue to feel residual effects.

Reuters, Jan. 12, 2018--Pete SchroederThe Federal Reserve announced the fines against Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley, CIT Group, U.S. Bancorp , and PNC Financial as part of a broader effort to terminate enforcement actions begun in 2011 and 2012 against large banks for mortgage servicing shortcomings.

National Mortgage Professional, Jan. 12, 2018--Phil HallAccording to the senators, the new bill is designed to address the issue of "churning," a process that results in repeated home loan refinancing that generates fees and profits for lenders at the direct expense of veterans and their families, often without their knowledge.

UExpress, Jan. 12, 2018--Lew SichelmanGinnie Mae--which packages government loans into securities for sale to investors in much the same way Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do with conventional loans--said it had restricted how often a lender is permitted to place a mortgage to the same borrower whose initial mortgage is in a Ginnie Mae loan bond.

Reverse Mortgage Daily, Jan. 15, 2018--Alex SpankoCount Carol Galante among the growing chorus of housing experts who believe the federally backed reverse mortgage program should be separate from the Federal Housing Administration's other loans.

Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2018The bill's sponsors--Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.--said Thursday the goal is to protect veterans, particularly those who purchase homes through a U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs home loan program.

Huffington Post, Jan. 11, 2018--Jack GuttentagOne intriguing approach has been suggested by Wayne Passmore and Alexander H. von Haften, economists at the Federal Reserve Board. Their central idea for encouraging more rapid equity growth is to trade off the borrower's right to refinance when interest rates fall, which imposes a heavy cost on lenders, for larger principal payments.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 11, 2018--Brian Collins (subscription)Adolfo Marzol, a top official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is optimistic that technological improvements and other changes can help draw Federal Housing Administration lenders back to the fold.

Mortgage Orb, Jan. 10,2018--Mark CollinsMortgage servicers have set up a very complicated system that attempts to get taxes paid on time and allows them time to perform research on exceptions. This fragile system of timing tax payments has now collided with the new tax laws introduced just before the end of 2017, which threw a wrinkle into this already delicate framework.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 10, 2018--John Heltman (subscription)The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent freeze on collecting any personally identifiable information from companies it supervises is slowing investigations and could ultimately cripple the agency's enforcement function--and that may be the point, according to former agency and law enforcement officials.

HousingWire, Jan. 10, 2018--Ben Lane Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced a bill that would increase oversight of credit reporting agencies and allow the government to impose financial penalties on the agencies for failing to secure consumer data.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 10, 2018--Cary SpivakAlishia Evans, the Milwaukee woman who was conned by a bogus landlord and then bounced by police from the home she thought she would be renting, is receiving a financial settlement from Freddie Mac, the giant mortgage agency that owned the house.

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 10, 2018Despite a tumble in first-mortgage production at California's credit unions, outstandings grew. Home-equity production and outstandings, however, jumped.

National Mortgage News, Jan. 9, 2018--Ian McKendry (subscription)The Senate Banking Committee is expected to soon release a bipartisan bill that would significantly reshape the housing finance market, but key issues remain unresolved.

Mortgage Daily, Jan. 9, 2018Equifax reported although volume of mortgages closed has fallen, the share that are considered subprime has inched higher. Home-equity originations have strengthened.