The Lede

The Mortgage Bankers Association has updated its Unfair, Deceptive or Abusive Acts or Practices Matrix as a member benefit.

Black Knight, Jacksonville, Fla., said rising home prices and interest rates have increased the monthly payment on a median-priced home purchased with a 20 percent down payment by $150 per month since the beginning of the year.

Commercial mortgage-backed securities credit quality deteriorated in the first quarter, as more than three-quarters of loans in multiple-borrower bonds were backed by interest-only mortgages, said Moody's Investors Service, New York.

Last week, the Veterans Administration and Ginnie Mae each issued guidance implementing provision of S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act. However, these guidance have raised new concerns with the Mortgage Bankers Association and other industry trade groups.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a letter to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, called on the Bureau to create an advisory council focused on the mortgage industry and urged the Bureau to ensure that it receives input from diverse and varied viewpoints, including those of independent mortgage banks.

Any way you look at it--and just about everyone is looking at it--the housing market continues to recover from the depths of its 2007 crisis.

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., released its 2018 CoreLogic Storm Surge Report, which shows that more than 6.9 million homes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are at potential risk of damage from hurricane storm surge inundation with a total reconstruction cost value of more than $1.6 trillion.

MBA Education presents its popular Advanced Risk Management for Mortgage Pros Workshop June 11-13 in Washington, D.C.

Mortgage Daily, June 4, 2018On Monday, CIT Group Inc. said it completed the sale of its Financial Freedom reverse mortgage unit.

HousingWire, June 5, 2018--Ben LaneSunTrust is in compliance with all of the servicing requirements of the National Mortgage Settlement, the settlement's monitor said in a report published early Tuesday.

National Mortgage News, June 4, 2018--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the midst of reviewing the qualified mortgage rule, mortgage lenders and the secondary market are closely watching to see if the more industry-friendly bureau will loosen some of the consumer protections established by the Dodd-Frank Act provision.

Forbes, June 4, 2018--Brad Thomas CoStar Managing Director Hans Nordby said publicly traded real estate investment trusts are "substantially" cheaper than private real estate. "Clearly, there is a disconnect. Either REITs are too cheap, which could represent a buying opportunity, or conversely, private real estate could be too expensive, in which case property owners would be well served to sell, to avoid losses."

National Mortgage News, June 4, 2018--Elina Tarkazikis (subscription)Historically, mortgage delinquencies in the month of April have risen 85% of the time, but April 2018 bucked that trend as they fell, according to Black Knight.

CNBC, June 4, 2018--Diana OlickHurricane season has begun and it looks like it will weigh on the housing market.

Bloomberg, June 1, 2018--Claire Boston (subscription)Commercial mortgage bonds are getting stuffed with the lowest-quality loans since the financial crisis by one measure, according to Moody's Investors Service, a warning sign that the $517 billion market may be headed for harder times.

HousingWire, June 1, 2018--Kelsey RamirezGinnie Mae said in the interest of providing additional clarity and transparency to its mortgage-backed securities investors, it announced it restricted VA single-family guaranteed loans pooled by three VA lenders: Freedom Mortgage, SunWest Mortgage and NewDay USA.

Mortgage Daily, May 31, 2018Acquisition of Franklin American Mortgage Co. by Citizens Financial Group will create a mortgage banking firm that ranks among the nation's 15 largest.

NPR, May 31, 2018--Bill ChappelSears Holdings Corp., which controls Sears and Kmart, says it has "identified approximately 100 non-profitable stores, 72 of which will begin store closing sales in the near future," in the latest sign of the retailer's struggles to stay afloat.

Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2018--Jenny Strasburg, Ryan Tracy (subscription)The Federal Reserve has designated Deutsche Bank AG's sprawling U.S. business in "troubled condition," a rare censure for a major financial institution that contributed to constraints on its operations.

Scotsman Guide, May 31, 2018--Victor WhitmanThe Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, or S. 2155, directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to establish rules on private PACE financiers that ensure that borrowers can repay the costs of the improvements. The largest mortgage trade group, the Mortgage Bankers Association, has been lobbying for tough rules on PACE loans, saying that consumers have been left unprotected.

National Mortgage Professional, May 31, 2018--Phil HallThe Mortgage Bankers Association called on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to create an advisory council focused on the mortgage industry that would receive input from all stakeholders in the mortgage market.

HousingWire, May 30, 2018--Kelsey RamirezThe Federal Reserve explained it is seeking to reducing banks' compliance costs while maintaining the rule's effectiveness and consistency.

Forbes, May 30, 2018--Evan GentryDespite fears of trade wars and increased protectionism, foreign investment in the United States remains robust. A significant amount of this capital is flowing to commercial real estate, which continues to be the sector of choice for many foreign investors.

Mortgage Daily, May 30, 2018Among S. 2155's provisions is a prohibition of Ginnie Mae guaranteeing mortgage-backed securities containing certain loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Washington Post, May 30, 2018--Kenneth HarneyThe two biggest sources of home-mortgage money in the country, investors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are quietly working on ways to make qualifying for a home purchase easier for participants in the booming "gig" economy.

National Mortgage News, May 29, 2018--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Ditech Holding Corp. has received a second notice from the New York Stock Exchange warning its common stock could be delisted for not being in compliance with the exchange's requirements. The company has yet to announce its first-quarter results and has not filed its 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

HousingWire, May 29, 2018--Jacob GaffneyAccording to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the average loan amount for all loans was $312,900 in April. That's down $4,400 from $317,300 in March. But, there is no denying that mortgage rates will keep going up.

DS News, May 29, 2018--David WhartonOcwen Financial Corporation, a financial services holding company, today announced that EVP and CFO Michael Bourque has made the decision to resign.