Daily Dose

On Tuesday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced the stepping down of Comptroller Thomas Curry on May 5. That day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced his intention to appoint Keith Noreika as a Deputy Comptroller and designate him the First Deputy Comptroller of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Noreika will become Acting Comptroller of the Currency on May 5 and is currently a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and was a partner at Covington & Burling, specializing in banking regulation.

According to recent data, St. Louis is the ideal spot for millennial homebuyers, boasting a short commute time and good local schools. Parts of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took the No. 2 and 3 spots, while Milwaukee was deemed the best place for millennial renters.

Markets in the West led national housing price gains over the year. CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index shows that March prices rose steadily from February and sharply from a year ago. And prices should keep rising through the next 12 months.

According to the enterprise’s recent financial results, Freddie Mac posted a net income of $2.2 billion for Q1 and will pay as much in dividends to the U.S. Treasury. The income is lower than Q4 2016, as are the agency’s single-family revenues, purchase volumes, and mortgage-related investments. Freddie attributed these declines to largely steady interest rates and low market spreads.

The House Financial Services Committee held a second hearing on the Financial CHOICE Act on Tuesday. Intended to be a replacement for Dodd-Frank, the CHOICE Act aims to increase regulator accountability, discourage financial fraud and insider trading, and ensure taxpayers aren't on the hook for big bank bailouts. The Act was introduced by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas).

Ocwen's shares are finally starting to recover since the CFPB and 21 states filed suit against it last month. Following an announcement that New Residential Corporation will acquire Ocwen's mortgage servicing rights, the company's stock rose 46 percent at one point, reaching $3.32 at its highest. Ocwen's shares had dropped more than 50 percent after April's legal allegations.

A new report suggests that business analysts play a vital role in lender success. But finding mortgage-savvy ones? That’s not always easy. Lenders should take action to develop BA candidates internally for best results. / According to a new report, business analysts are crucial to a lender’s success. But a “dearth” in the industry makes mortgage-savvy BA candidates hard to find. In most cases, developing BAs internally is the best course of action for a lender.

Student loans are a heavy burden on young adults, and some may find it hard to buy a home with that weight hanging over them. A report from Lendedu attempted to ease this burden with a ranking of U.S. cities where student loan repayment is easiest. The New York Fed noted that student loan debt has begun to level off, though still remain at a high level. These new homeowners may find it easiest to buy a home in Mount Sterling, Illinois, which sits at the top of Lendedu’s list

On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will hold its monthly meeting—and in anticipation mortgage rates for both 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate loans, as well as 5/1 ARMS, dropped. While market watchers do not anticipate policy changes to come out of this month’s meeting, in light of last month’s interest rate hike it seems as if that is not enough to ebb the pre-meeting caution the market is experiencing. Though interest rates may not rise this month, the Fed has forecasted four hikes this year.

The Supreme Court found that the Miami's claims against Bank of America and Wells Fargo fell within the “zone of interests” established by the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which means that Bank of America and Wells Fargo’s practices had led to decreases in tax revenue and increased costs for maintaining foreclosed properties. What are the implications of this finding? We hear from industry lawyers to find out.