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The National Mortgage Servicing Association (NMSA), recently announced the appointment of Ray Barbone, EVP, of Mortgage Services at BankUnited, as the new NMSA Chairperson. Barbone assumed the seat recently vacated by J.K. Huey, SVP at Wells Fargo, during the NMSA annual member meeting on April 5 in Washington D.C.

Refinances fell in February as mortgage rates rose, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) February 2017 Refinance report. The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage in February 2017 was 4.17 percent, up from January 2017’s 4.15 percent.

A new survey reveals that consumers are most concerned about closing costs and interest rates when choosing a lender to work with. Service and convenience followed closely behind as top influencing factors. Only 37 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with the mortgage application process.

The first quarter was a mixed bag for Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, and PNC. All three bank’s latest earning reports reveal lower gains on residential mortgage servicing rights and lower mortgage loan revenues, but the banks are optimistic going into the 2017. Overall earnings for JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo were down slightly from the previous quarter.

Independent mortgage bankers profits are up, according to the Annual Mortgage Bankers Performance Report. Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks made an average of $157 more on average per loan originated in 2016 compared to 2015. The report also found that average production volume was $2,679 million per company, another increase from 2016’s $2,504 million per company.

Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling still finds fault in the CFPB’s structure, and in Cordray’s leadership. According to Hensarling, Cordray “recklessly ignores the due process protections that have been deeply rooted in our American legal system for centuries." Hensarling hopes the Bureau will become the "cop on the beat" its supporters want.

A new study by Trulia shows that while doctors can still afford most markets, teachers, first responders, and restaurant workers are getting increasingly shut out of markets where they work. Availability for solid, even above-median earners in coastal California is especially low. However, even there, some pockets of affordability exist.

When first-time homebuyers make the jump from renting to homeowning, they have to ask “is it affordable?” For the most part, that answer is yes. Many first-time homebuyers, particularly millennials, have found that owning a home has a more positive impact on their finances than renting.

A new report found that immigrant homebuyers played a big role in helping the housing industry bounce back from the Great Recession—particularly in larger markets. Immigrants are also likely to influence housing trends in the coming years, as their interest in homeownership increases the longer they live in the U.S. According to the report, the suburbs can expect the most growth.

Millenials don’t stay places very long, a survey from moving company Mayflower found. According to the survey, two out of five millennials, those aged 18 to 35, move to new cities without the intention to stay. These movers are what Mayflower calls “vacation movers,” or movers that do not intend to settle permanently.