The Lede

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., said more than 5.2 million U.S. properties remained seriously underwater at the end of the first quarter, an improvement of nearly 300,000 from a year ago.

Mortgage Daily, May 8, 2018The updates by the mortgage insurance company are reportedly being made in an effort to provide increased risk-based granularity and align better with industry trends.

National Mortgage News, May 7, 2018 (subscription)Mortgage servicers growing due to acquisitions or the increased value of servicing in the market could remain under pressure if these strategies don't outweigh other rising costs they face.

Bloomberg, May 7, 2018--Joe LightFreddie Mac has quietly started extending credit to nonbanks that issue mortgages, a move it says will help the companies maintain access to a crucial stockpile of cash if their home loans go sour. But critics say the financing could create an unfair market advantage that allows preferred lenders to muscle out competitors. (MBA mention)

Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2018--Dave Michaels (subscription)Michael Piwowar said he intends to step down from the SEC on July 7, after serving nearly five years on the five-person commission. Mr. Piwowar's departure would leave the agency with four commissioners, meaning some votes could be deadlocked if the SEC's two Democrats oppose measures favored by Chairman Jay Clayton.

The Hill, May 7, 2018--Brett SamuelsNew York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned Monday night after a bombshell report detailing allegations from multiple women of physical abuse against him.

Bloomberg, May 4, 2018--Gillian TanNew York's iconic Plaza Hotel is about to change hands. Its buyers are Shahal Khan, founder of Dubai-based family office White City Ventures, and Kamran Hakim, of New York landlord Hakim Organization. They agreed to pay $600 million for the hotel, at the southeast corner of Central Park, in a deal that is set to be completed on June 25.

National Mortgage News, May 4, 2018--Brian Fitzpatrick (subscription)The author, CEO of LoanLogics, says lenders just don't have the luxury of going back in time to fix bad loans after they've already closed. Nor can they simply hope that their loan origination systems or staff caught every problem. Today's loans must be done right the first time. The game has changed, and lenders it need to play differently before it's too late.

Philadephia Inquirer, May 4, 2018--Caitlin McCabeDana Wade, the acting Federal Housing Administration commissioner, minced few words in testimony last month before a U.S. House of Representatives committee. The FHA, the federal housing agency that insures mortgages made to first-time and lower-income buyers, has seen "certain trends and indicators of potential defaults," Wade said.

Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 4, 2018--Michelle JarboeKlein started Safeguard in 1990 and was its chief executive until 2010, when he handed the reins to Alan Jaffa, his son-in-law. The company works for banks, securing and maintaining homes that are in the foreclosure process or that have been taken back by lenders.

Mortgage Daily, May 3, 2018The offering is for MSRs on 17,925 GSE loans that had a collective unpaid principal balance of $5.101 billion as of March 31. All of the mortgages are fixed rate and in first-lien position.

The Hill, May 3, 2018--Sylvan LaneA spokesman for PHH Corp. on Thursday told The Hill that the mortgage firm did not appeal a January ruling in its suit against the CFPB to the Supreme Court by the May deadline to do so.

Mortgage Daily, May 3, 2018Declining origination income was more than offset by soaring servicing income at Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc., which bucked a downward quarter-over-quarter origination trend.

HousingWire, May 3, 2018--Kelsey RamirezFannie Mae reported an increase in its net income in the first quarter of 2018, rising from the loss last quarter that was driven by a remeasurement in the company's deferred tax assets, according to the company's earnings release.

HousingWire, May 3, 2018--David StevensMBA President and CEO takes Center for Investigative Reporting to task for sloppy reporting on HMDA data and outlines steps for policymakers to address fair lending issues.

Mortgage Daily, May 2, 2018A decision handed down by a Florida appeals court bodes well for reverse mortgage lenders. At issue are the rights of non-borrowing surviving spouses.

CNN Money, May 2, 2018--Matt EganThis appears to be the first time GE has said it's exploring bankruptcy for the defunct mortgage business. WMC was reportedly the nation's sixth-biggest subprime lender when it was acquired by GE in 2004.

Mortgage Daily, May 2, 2018Even though new business fell from the previous quarter at Genworth Mortgage Insurance Corp., its book of business and profitability both improved.

National Mortgage News, May 2, 2018--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)It wasn't unexpected that Arch MI would lose market share, but among the five private mortgage insurers that have reported so far, it is the only one that had lower new insurance written compared to the first quarter last year.

National Mortgage News, May 2, 2018--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Ocwen Financial Corp. got back in the black during the first quarter after selling New Residential Investment Corp. $110 million in economic rights to mortgage servicing.

Washington Post, May 2, 2018--Kenneth HarneyFor homeowners and buyers, it's been an unexpected windfall: relief from having to pay for a traditional mortgage appraisal that usually costs between $400 and $600. But to some key players, the savings look ominous.

Scotsman Guide, May 1, 2018--Victor WhitmanThe Mortgage Bankers Association said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should set down a clear process for initiating an investigation under its Civil Investigative Demand (CID) process. Among the changes, CFPB investigators should be required to limit the scope to specific allegations of wrongdoing, and establish a fairer process and a reasonable timeframe for companies to respond.

National Mortgage News, May 1, 2018--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)If Freddie Mac's credit-risk transfer activities continue to grow, mortgage lenders could eventually see a reduction in the guarantee fees they pay to the government-sponsored enterprise, according to CEO Donald Layton.