The Lede

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., reported 53,007 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in August, up by 4 percent from July but down 24 percent from a year ago.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Friday revised its cap structure on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's multifamily businesses.

With affordability playing an increasing role in the future of housing, the Mortgage Bankers Association joined more than a dozen industry and consumer trade groups this week in a letter to members of Congress in support of legislation that would promote federal investment in public transportation projects.

Institutional investors are decreasing their expectation for 2019 commercial real estate returns, the Pension Real Estate Association's Consensus Forecast Survey reported.

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., released its quarterly Mortgage Fraud Report, showing an 11.4% year-over-year decrease in fraud risk at the end of the second quarter.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate fell again in August, setting another post-crisis low in the process, reported Trepp LLC, New York.

Wall Street Journal, Sept. 13, 2019--Andrew Ackerman, Nick Timiraos (subscription)For years after the 2008 mortgage-market meltdown, Republicans and Democrats agreed on little about what to do with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac except one thing: Get rid of them. A Trump administration housing-finance roadmap released last week would do the opposite.

UExpress, Sept. 13, 2019--Lew SichelmanFour longtime friends from the Kansas City, Missouri, area don't know it, but they are on the leading edge of a growing phenomenon in vacation homes. They are buying places collectively.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 12, 2019--Kate Berry (subscription) Republicans have long tried to defang the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but a Democratic victor in the presidential race could actually be the first to mount a constitutional challenge to the agency's leadership.

HousingWire, Sept. 12, 2019--Kelsey RamirezDepartment of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration is currently looking to end the profit sweep of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Riverside Press-Enterprise (Calif.), Sept. 12, 2019--Jeff LazersonNow there is a bright line lifting consumer protections against unlimited points, high rates, balloon payments and prepayment penalties for every financially desperate borrower who can't get a mortgage through institutional channels. Such loans now are possible so long as he or she provides a business purpose.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 11, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)A day after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria testified in front of lawmakers about the administration's plans for ending the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he offered new details about his timeline and vision for reform, including what options are on the table for building capital.

American Banker, Sept. 11, 2019--John Heltman (subscription)The House passed five bipartisan financial services bills aimed at issues ranging from rural housing assistance to the backlog of appraisals for Federal Housing Administration loans.

Financial Regulation News, Sept. 10, 2019--Dave KovaleskiThe Mortgage Bankers Association commended the Treasury Department on its plan to reform the housing finance system. "The reports recognize the need to better coordinate the roles of FHA and the GSEs," said MBA President and CEO Robert Broeksmit, CMB.

Associated Press, Sept. 10, 2019--Marcy GordonTrump administration officials on Tuesday defended their plan to Congress for ending government control of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, clashing with Democratic senators on whether the change would raise home borrowing costs and neglect lower-income homeowners.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 10, 2019--Hannah Lang (subscription)Senators' examination Tuesday of the Trump administration's housing finance reform plan made two things clear: Lawmakers feel urgency to move legislation, but addressing obstacles that have stalled congressional action for years still eludes them.

HousingWire, Sept. 10, 2019--Ben LaneJust days after the Federal Trade Commission tapped the brakes on the $1.2 billion merger of Fidelity National Financial and Stewart Information Services, the deal that would have combined two of the country's largest title insurance providers is now dead.