Home Purchase Financing Surges

A sharp week-over-week increase in new purchase financing activity drove overall mortgage business higher this past week. But jumbo activity turned significantly lower.

In the week that ended on March 10, the U.S. Mortgage Market Index from OpenClose and Mortgage Daily, a gauge of upcoming loan originations, came in at 168.

That turned out to the the highest level since the week ended Nov. 11, 2016, for the index, which is determined based on average per-user rate locks by clients of OpenClose.


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From:: Financing

Winklevoss Capital says remains ‘committed’ to bringing bitcoin ETF to market

Winklevoss Capital, whose filing for a bitcoin-tracking exchange-traded fund was nixed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, said it remained “optimistic and committed” to bringing its Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF to market. “We agree with the SEC that regulation and oversight are important to the health of any marketplace and the safety of all investors,” said Tyler Winklevoss, one of the owners of Winklevoss Capital, who is also the chief financial officer of Digital Asset Services. The comment came in an emailed statement. In its statement, the SEC said the proposed ETF wasn’t consistent with rules that required a security be “designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices and to protect investors and the public interest.” In order for such a product to have met this standard, the SEC wrote in a filing, “the exchange must have surveillance-sharing agreements with significant markets for trading the underlying commodity or derivatives on that commodity. And second, those markets must be regulated.”

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Arby’s says customer card data hacked over 3-month period

Arby’s Restaurant Group said late Friday that certain customers at company-owned locations may have had their payment card information compromised over a nearly three-month period. In a statement, Arby’s said malware present on point-of-service card-reading systems may have allowed hackers to access customer card data from Oct. 20, 2016 to Jan. 12, 2017. “In some instances, the malware appears to have identified data from the card’s magnetic stripe that included the cardholder name and number and in other instances the card data identified by the malware did not appear to include the cardholder name,” Arby’s said, noting that it has notified law enforcement officials, which are starting an investigation. While Arby’s did not provide estimates on how many customers were affected, it provided a tool on its website to identify affected locations. Arby’s is 81.5% owned by Roark Capital Group and 18.5% owned by Wendy’s Co. . Wendy’s shares advanced 0.4% to $13.30 after hours.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

SEC rejects Winklevoss bitcoin ETF

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday nixed a proposed rule change that would have cleared the way for the first exchange-traded fund to track the digital currency bitcoin. The SEC said the proposed Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF wasn’t consistent with rules that required a security be “designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices and to protect investors and the public interest.” In order for such a product to have met this standard, the SEC wrote in a filing, “the exchange must have surveillance-sharing agreements with significant markets for trading the underlying commodity or derivatives on that commodity. And second, those markets must be regulated.” The SEC said “significant markets” for bitcoin were unregulated. Some bitcoin followers on Wall Street viewed approval as unlikely. The decision sets the digital currency, which was seeking broader-scale legitimacy on Wall Street, one step back. There are still avenues that could allow the Winklevoss brothers, Cameron and Tyler, known for their relationship with the creation of Facebook Inc. , another opportunity get their bitcoin ETF proposal greenlighted, including retooling their proposal, market players said.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Winklevoss bitcoin ETF rejected; SEC cites lack of regulation

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday nixed a proposed rule change that would have cleared the way for the first exchange-traded fund to track the digital currency bitcoin. The SEC said the proposed Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF wasn’t consistent with rules that required a security be “designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices and to protect investors and the public interest.” In order for such a product to have met this standard, the SEC wrote in a filing, “the exchange must have surveillance-sharing agreements with significant markets for trading the underlying commodity or derivatives on that commodity. And second, those markets must be regulated.” The SEC said “significant markets” for bitcoin were unregulated. Many bitcoin followers on Wall Street had viewed approval as unlikely.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Stocks rise on strong jobs data but S&P 500 snaps six-week winning streak

Stocks gained Friday as robust jobs data reaffirmed growing confidence in the U.S. economy but the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed out the week lower, snappping their six-week winning streak. A total of 235,000 new jobs were added in February, the first full month of the Donald Trump presidency. The S&P 500 rose 7 points, or 0.3%, to close at 2,372 but fell 0.4% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 45 points, or 0.2%, to end at 20,902, sliding 0.5% on the week after four straight weeks of gains. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 22 points, or 0.4%, to finish at 5,861 for a weekly drop of 0.2%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

HUD sanctions Illinois’ Alpine Bank & Trust over fair lending violations

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday that Alpine Bank & Trust is being sanctioned over fair lending violations. The charges stemmed from a complaint filed by the HOPE Fair Housing Center of Wheaton, Illinois, which filed a complaint with HUD claiming that the lender’s business service areas excluded majority African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods.

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From:: Real Estate Wire

Spicer defends tweets sent soon after jobs report

White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended his own and other tweets sent Friday soon after the jobs report. In response to a question about breaking a rule on executive branch officials waiting for an hour after a data report, Spicer said “I don’t think that’s a market disruption.” President Donald Trump re-tweeted a Drudge Report tweet saying “great again,” and Spicer tweeted the report was “great news for American workers.” White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus also commented. All three tweets were sent before an hour had elapsed. The rule was adopted in 1985 to avoid affecting “financial and commodity markets,” according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

New bill threatens CFPB’s freedom as independent agency

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s freedom as an independent agency to enact regulation could soon change due to a new bill working its way through Congress. This bill, “OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act,” has already made its way through the House and has moved onto the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Will the industry finally get the regulatory relief it’s been asking for if the bill passes? …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire