The Lede

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 23, 2018--Peter Nicholas, Nick Timiraos, Bob Davis
President Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, blaming him for the appointment of a Federal Reserve chairman who has been raising interest rates, a move Mr. Trump worries will jeopardize economic gains as his 2020 re-election campaign approaches.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 25, 2018--Ben Eisen, Christina Rexrode (subscription)
More than 80% of borrowers who refinanced in the third quarter chose the "cash out" option, withdrawing $14.6 billion in equity out of their homes, according to government-sponsored mortgage corporation Freddie Mac. That is the highest share of cash-out refis since 2007.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 25, 2018--Rachel Witkowski, Kate Berry (subscription)
Bank regulators have not come out with a formal plan for updating the Community Reinvestment Act, but a preliminary list of questions about the reform effort issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has produced a treasure trove of public feedback to guide their deliberations.

Orange County Register, Nov. 24, 2018--Jeff Lazerson
This week Freddie Mac gave the go-ahead to unlimited sweat equity to count toward your down payment and closing costs through its enhanced Home Possible Mortgage program.

UEXpress, Nov. 23, 2018--Lew Sichelman
Homeowners are staying in their places longer than ever, according to the Census Bureau, further exacerbating the inventory shortage of houses for sale in many markets.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we looked at the annual price changes of some popular items typically purchased by consumers during Thanksgiving week, using data from the Consumer Price Index.

Quicken Loans, Detroit, said owner perceptions of their home value--and appraisers' estimates--remained in relative alignment for the eighth consecutive month.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's annual Summit on Diversity and Inclusion begins Tuesday, taking place Nov. 27-28 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.

The Mortgage Bankers Association and 16 other real estate organizations urged Congress to support the bipartisan Invest in America Act (H.R. 6726) recently introduced by Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, and Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y.

Thorofare Capital, Los Angeles, funded two loans totaling $52.8 million secured by office and hotel properties in Dallas and Miami.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's Independent Mortgage Bankers Conference takes place Jan. 28-31 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

MBA Education presents its School of Mortgage Banking Course III Dec. 4-7 at Mr. Cooper in Dallas.

Your MBA membership entitles you to discounts on services such as office supplies, car rental, shipping, employee benefit services and more though our affinity program: MBA Member Advantage.