Today’s News Synopsis:

Los Angeles will open Section 8 housing list after 13 years.  The latest Insight report from Freddie Mac tried to see whether geography had an impact on housing affordability.  The Mortgage Bankers Association believes reform is needed for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should we hope to see more stability in the housing and mortgage market.

In The News:

Scotsman Guide – “GSE reform will ensure housing-market stability” (10-2-2017)

“Government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were put into conservatorship in 2008 as the housing market and the overall economy began to crash.”

Inman – “Will digital middlemen become toll booths for real estate agents?” (10-2-2017)

“A new generation of real estate middlemen now stand between consumers and agents. Tech giants like Zillow Group, Facebook and Google are charging increasing fees for access to a growing share of homebuyers and sellers and tipping the scales in favor of agents and teams who can spend big, invest in technology and operate at lower margins.”

Freddie Mac – “Freddie Mac September Insight: Is Geography Destiny?” (10-2-2017)

“Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) released its Insight for September, which explores the relative influence of regulatory and geographic constraints on housing affordability.”

ATTOM Data Solutions – “Alternative Assets Find a Home in Self-Directed Retirement Accounts” (10-2-2017)

“With the stock market soaring, it might just be the time to look for alternative assets before a market shift. That’s exactly what’s happening in the world of self-directed IRAs.”

Black Knight Financial Services – “Black Knight’s August Mortgage Monitor: Most Borrowers Impacted by Hurricane Harvey Have Significant Equity” (10-2-2017)

“Today, the Data and Analytics division of Black Knight Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: BKFS) released its latest Mortgage Monitor Report, based on data as of the end of August 2017.”

Forbes – “Morgan Stanley Is Buying Commercial Real Estate Credit Platform Mesa West.  Is The Timing Right?” (10-2-2017)

“Morgan Stanley announced Friday it agreed to buy commercial real estate credit platform Mesa West Capital. Is this a smart move for Morgan Stanley or is the investment bank repeating an old mistake?”

HousingWire – “Los Angeles prepares to reopen Section 8 housing list after 13 years” (10-2-2017)

“The city of Los Angeles will soon open its Section 8 housing list for the first time in 13 years, and analysts expect applications to come pouring in, according to an article by Doug Smith for the Los Angeles Times.”