The Lede

Ahead of the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Report release this morning, CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., reported the May serious delinquency rate tied with April as the lowest for any month in nearly 14 years.

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., reported an 18% drop in U.S. foreclosure filings in the first six months of the year and an 82 percent decline from the peak of foreclosures.

Commercial property market supply and demand fundamentals slipped one point in the first quarter but remained stable, reported Moody's Investors Service, New York.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's annual Regulatory Compliance Conference takes place Sept. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. 

The Mortgage Bankers Association's Risk Management, QA and Fraud Prevention Forum takes place Sept. 15-17 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago.

MBA Education presents a special edition of its Advanced Risk Management Concepts Workshop on Sunday, Sept. 15 in conjunction with the MBA Risk Management, Quality Assurance and Fraud Prevention Forum in Chicago.

MBA Education and Compliance Essentials present a workshop, Managing the Risks of CFPB and State Examinations, on Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, in conjunction with the MBA Risk Management, QA and Fraud Prevention Summit.

MarketWatch, Aug. 12, 2019--Jacob PassyPlaces like Europe and Japan have another economic hurdle that's made negative rates possible: Their populations are aging, which means their labor force is shrinking. "That's an enormous headwind on economic growth," said Michael Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association, a trade group that represents the home-loan industry. "That keeps interest rates extraordinarily low."

American Banker, Aug. 12, 2019--Kate Berry (subscription)Mortgage lenders are urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to overhaul a set of little-known guidelines for how they document a borrower's creditworthiness.

CNBC, Aug. 9, 2019--Diana OlickMortgage interest rates have been falling since May, so borrowers, especially millennials, are rushing to refinance. Applications to refinance were up a stunning 116% this week compared with a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That has lenders scrambling to keep up.

National Mortgage Professional, Aug. 9, 2019--Phil HallFHA's Section 220 Program insures lenders against loss on mortgage default and has been used for urban rental housing in areas targeted for overall revitalization. HUD's announcement expands eligibility of mortgages insured under this program to all 8,764 Opportunity Zone localities, including those in rural areas.

Wall Street Journal, Aug 8, 2019--Matt Wirz, Christina Rexrode, Rachel Louise Ensign (subscription)Falling bond yields have pushed mortgage rates to their lowest level in nearly three years, spurring a rush by homeowners to refinance.

National Mortgage News, Aug. 8, 2019--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)More applications for non-QM loans might close if lenders and originators beefed up efforts to address missing or outdated information, according to a new Computershare study.

HousingWIre, Aug. 8, 2019--Ben LaneAccording to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Upstart Network's credit underwriting model uses traditional underwriting data like borrowers' income and assets, along with various categories of alternative data, including information related to borrowers' education and employment history.

National Real Estate Investor, Aug. 8, 2019--Liz WolfThe $5 billion American Dream mall project in New Jersey is betting big on entertainment components. Can it succeed?

Reuters, Aug. 7, 2019--Richard LeongSome $8.4 trillion in mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae have been rocked by the swift decline in bond yields on worries that a wave of mortgage refinancing would erode the value of these bonds. (MBA mention)

HousingWire, Aug. 7, 2019--Kathleen HowleyIn a 17-page paper published on Monday, "GSE Reform: None or Mostly Done?", Former Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton reveals a conversation he had a few months ago in a meeting with an unnamed senior official in the U.S. Treasury who told him: "GSE reform has already mostly happened."

National Mortgage News, Aug. 7, 2019--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Falling rates: The phrase is music to a mortgage originator's ears. But is it possible, even when it comes to the volume stimulating effects that a favorable rate environment brings, for there to eventually be too much of a good thing?

Bloomberg, Aug. 7, 2019--Laruen Coleman-Lochner, Eliza Ronalds-HannonMall landlords accustomed to offering rent reductions to ailing retailers are mulling a new strategy to forestall the industry's collapse: positioning themselves as lenders to tenants struggling to stay afloat.

National Mortgage News, Aug. 6, 2019--Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Steeper rate declines contributed to a deeper quarterly net loss at Ocwen Financial, forcing it to extend its timeline for returning to profitability.

HousingWire, Aug. 6, 2019--Jessica GuerinA recent report from Moody's revealed that banks reported a 0% net change in residential mortgage underwriting standards in the second quarter of 2019. And, with interest rates falling, it expects standards to "remain stable and possibly to tighten modestly."