Weltman, Weinberg & Reis, a debt collection firm, claimed that the allegations brought against it by the CFPB are false. Claims that the firm falsely represented in millions of collection letters that attorneys were involved in collecting the debt have been defended by the firm, and Weltman, Weinberg & Reis noted that they have not been involved in any other government action or disciplinary review.

Low inventory continues to hinder the housing market. Many potential sellers simply aren’t selling out of fear of not being able to afford a new home. Moving may mean losing their low mortgage rates, which were locked in after the crisis.

Goldman Sachs released its earnings from Q1 2017. Overall, the bank reported revenues of $8.03 billion, and net earnings of $2.26 billion at the end of the quarter on March 31. However, the bank still failed to meet Wall Street expectations. Thomson Reuters had predicted Goldman Sachs share value to be $5.31 a share, and the actual value was $5.15 a share.

Despite a strong February, housing starts have fell almost seven percent in March. Although sing-family starts dropped, single-family permits posted the third largest annual pace since the recession. Permits in March grew 3.6 percent to 1.26 million from February’s 1.216 million, and grew year-over-year by 17 percent.

Nationstar mortgage announced that it received the Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards (STAR) performer recognition for overall performance from Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae’s STAR Program aims to recognize the highest performing servicers for customer service. This is the third year in a row in which Nationstar has received the recognition.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo reported a solid market for new single-family homes in the April NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), a measure of market conditions based on three factors, with a range of zero to 100. All three individual components of the HMI (present single family sales, next six-month single family sales, and prospective buyer traffic) reported losses month over month, but are still strong.

At the end of Q1 2017, M&T bank reported a mortgage banking revenue of $85 million, a $3 million increase from Q1 2016, but a decrease from Q4 2016’s $98 million. The bank’s real estate and other foreclosed assets dropped from $188 million to $119 million year-over-year, and quarterly from $139 million.

Credit Plus, a provider of intelligent insight for mortgage professionals, announced today its credit reports are available through Ellie Mae’s point-of-sale solution, Encompass Consumer Connect, an extension of their Encompass all-in-one mortgage management solution. The integration allows Encompass Consumer Connect users to verify and share their credit reports with lenders.

Zillow will release its Real Estate Markets Report for March 2017. The report covers several data points, including demand, home prices, inventory, and sales numbers. One thing to keep an eye out for in March is inventory levels. The previous report, from February 2017, showed declining inventory overall, a problem further developed by high demand.

As mortgage applications increase, mortgage rates have begun to drop, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and Freddie Mac. The MBA’s Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, rose 1.5 percent from a week earlier, while the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped from 4.10 to 4.08 percent. The average loan size for purchase applications was at $318,700, a survey high.