Daily Dose

As a prime example of looking outside the box to acquire properties, Reid said funeral homes have even become a source from which to gain new assets. Reid said he tells the funeral homes that when they hear clients are looking to liquidate to please let him know, and his company will offer the funeral home client that option.

The uncertainty surrounding the highly anticipated interest rate hike has kept the industry on its toes about just when the Federal Open Market Committee will raise rates, but New York Fed President William Dudley has recently reversed his initial forecast for the increase, presenting even more skepticism.

Insurer MGIC, which provides mortgage insurance through its principal subsidiary Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp., saw its stock rise 2 percent in morning trading after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) analysts gave the company a vote of confidence in a new report. KBW raised MGIC to “outperform” from market perform on Monday.

Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Daniel Webster (R-Florida) have both announced their candidacy while Boehner, who originally announced that his resignation will be effective at the end of October, has now said he will remain Speaker of the House until a successor is found.

Bernanke, who headed the U.S. central bank from 2006 to 2014, told the BBC that the Department of Justice should have attempted to hold individuals accountable for the crisis instead of companies because it was the decisions of individuals, and not the companies themselves, that brought on the crisis.

Ask the Economist is an ongoing series in which DS News talks with an economist about the most pressing issues facing the nation's housing industry and the economy. This installment features Rodney Ramcharan, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Research Director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

Today, the GSEs and Ginnie Mae are the only companies securitizing loans in large numbers. The GSEs typically attract high quality, less risky loans within their limits, while Ginnie Mae mostly caters to minorities and first-time buyers.

Fannie Mae's NPL transactions require the loan owner to market the property exclusively to owner-occupants and non-profits before offering it to investors when foreclosure cannot be prevented.

The new policies, sent in a letter to sellers and servicers, are expected it go into effect January 1, 2016, at the direction of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

Ask the Economist is an ongoing series in which DS News talks with an economist about the most pressing issues facing the nation's housing industry and the economy. This installment features Selma Hepp, Chief Economist with Trulia.