RealEstateRama

NEW YORK and Chicago - September 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) and National Equity Fund (NEF) today announced that they are expanding the Rebuilding Local Economies Fund, established earlier this year, to additional states that were severely impacted by Hurricane Irene

WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Wednesday, September 21, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor William Spriggs will deliver the keynote address at an event honoring Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), the U.S. Human Rights Fund, DLA Piper, and Rob Robinson for their extraordinary work to end homelessness. The 13th Annual McKinney-Vento Awards, hosted by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP), will be held at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel ballroom in Washington, DC. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. The program will begin at 7:20 p.m.

THIRD QUARTER 2011 UPDATE - September 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HomeVestors of America, Inc., known as the “We Buy Ugly Houses®” company, and Local Market Monitor, Inc., a leading forecaster of real estate markets, today released the Third Quarter 2011 update of the “HomeVestors-Local Market Monitor Best Markets to Invest in Rental Property” ranking that was initially published in July. The ranking is intended to help inform real estate investors of current rental property investment opportunities based on their potential future relative returns. The ranking is updated quarterly.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The economy appears to be on a cusp, flirting with another economic downturn after more than two years of tepid recovery from the most severe recession in the post World War II era. According to Fannie Mae's (FNMA/OTC) Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group, the recovery's fragility makes it vulnerable to any additional shocks that might cause the economy to slip back into a recession. Possible shocks include a deepening of the financial turmoil in Europe; a dramatic slowdown in emerging economies, especially China; and renewed unrest in the Middle East that could send oil prices surging again. The forecast calls for continued sluggish growth at below 2 percent throughout 2012 — not enough to bring down the unemployment rate, which the Group expects to remain above 9 percent through most of next year.

CHICAGO, IL - September 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) has joined forces with Martha Webb to bring her Certified Home Marketing Specialist course to its network of 550 firms with 140,000 sales associates. The course is offered through LeadingRE’s exclusive learning management platform, Institute 2.0, with special pricing available for members.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ad Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), have joined together to launch a new phase of their Foreclosure Prevention Assistance Public Service Advertising (PSA) Campaign. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the Making Home Affordable® Program’s free resources and assistance for homeowners who are struggling with their mortgage payments.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) held a hearing to discuss housing finance focusing on the role of a government guarantee, as well as the benefits and risks to taxpayers. This is the tenth in a series of hearings the Committee has been holding related to housing finance reform

Trenton, NJ - September 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Dozens of union members and community supporters rallied Tuesday afternoon outside the landmark Glenpointe Office Centre to protest the firing of 18 hard-working office cleaners. The cleaners, some of whom had been working at the building for years, were abruptly fired effective September 1st when building owner Sanzari Enterprises replaced its union cleaning contractor with a non-union contractor that is ironically named Union Building Services (UBS).

CUPERTINO, SILICON VALLEY - September 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- David Troyer, Dominic Nicoli, Minhua Jin, Efi Luzon and Eric Fischer-Colbrie of Intero Real Estate Services, Inc. were named one of America’s top real estate professionals by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends. They are now a member of the “The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals,” a prestigious national awards ranking sponsored annually by the two respected publications. Troyer, Nicoli, Jin, Luzon and Fischer-Colbrie are now ranked in the top one half of 1 percent of the more than 1 million REALTORS® nationwide

Boston, MA - September 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The City of Boston and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation have been awarded $20.5M by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the first-ever Implementation Grants awarded under HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.

Northbrook, IL - September 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Boulder Group’s Research Department has released a new research report providing comprehensive numbers and analysis of the activity in the National Net Lease Drug Store Market.

September 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Austin-based HomeAway, Inc. has organized a Tropical Storm Irene Housing Directory of vacation homes available for rent, some at reduced rates or free of charge, to flood victims in need of housing. For HomeAway’s Tropical Storm Irene Housing Directory go to: http://community.homeaway.com/docs/DOC-2068

Chicago, IL - September 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With home values continuing a steep decline, little change in the unemployment rate, and 26 percent of Illinoisans owing more than their home is worth, little has been done to buoy confidence that an economic recovery is at hand. A settlement of the investigations surrounding last year’s robo-signing scandal that, among other things, achieves widespread principal reduction commitments from major servicers, could change that–but only if done carefully.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae today announced the opening of the Sacramento Mortgage Help Center to provide free education and counseling services to struggling Northern California homeowners. The Sacramento Center is the tenth Mortgage Help Center to open across the country, and is part of Fannie Mae's ongoing effort to ensure that homeowners facing foreclosure understand their options, have access to assistance and receive timely resolutions. The Center was developed in partnership with NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center Sacramento Region, local community and elected officials, and area mortgage servicers.

San Francisco, CA - September 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco announced today that it has awarded $1 million in grants through its Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) Program. The grants, which are made through the Bank’s member financial institutions, will be used by nonprofit organizations in Arizona, California, and Nevada for projects and programs that foster economic development and promote community stability and self-sufficiency.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) held a hearing to discuss national mortgage servicing standards. It was the eighth in a series of hearings the Committee has been holding related to housing finance reform.

WASHINGTON, DC - September 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Centralized Verification Service (SCRACVS) has rolled out a secure site that permits batch processing of active-duty military verifications under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

Chicago, IL - September 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As interest in the luxury real estate market continues to increase, Luxury Portfolio International™ is responding by showcasing their high end properties through international events and in venues around the world.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - September 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Among homeowners insurance policyholders, those with flood insurance tend to be significantly less satisfied with their policy coverage, compared with policyholders who opt not to carry it, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. National Homeowners Insurance Study^SM released today.

MILFORD, CT - August 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total Mortgage Services, LLC, a leading mortgage lender, announced today that it has been named to the 2011 Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest Growing Companies. The company was ranked as number 2,059 on the Inc. 5000's annual list with a three year growth-rate of 123 percent as well as one of the top 100 fastest growing companies within the Financial Services category across the U.S. This was the second consecutive year that Total Mortgage was part of this prestigious list. In 2010 the company was ranked number 2,851