Yearly Archives: 2016

“Great Energy Efficiency Day and the Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency awards dinner both showcase the value of leading with energy efficiency in all aspects of the transformation to a modern energy economy. Today is an important day, signaling great opportunities ahead for U.S. leadership on energy policy in the years and decades to come.” - Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) applauded the National Park Service’s (NPS) announcement of more than $1.5 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants to fund new park construction and to improve park facilities at three sites in the state of Washington

The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) issued the following statement in response to Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden's (D-OR) proposal to create a Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit (MIHTC), which would work in conjunction with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) for the development of affordable rental homes:

Existing-home sales eased up in August for the second consecutive month despite mortgage rates near record lows as higher home prices and not enough inventory for sale kept some would-be buyers at bay, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Only the Northeast region saw a monthly increase in closings in August, where inventory is currently more adequate.

Renters and housing justice groups in over 48 cities and 19 states will take to the streets for the National Renters Day of Action in what promises to be the largest mobilization of renters in recent history.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today commended Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) for introducing the Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit Act of 2016. The legislation builds on the successful Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) by creating a new tax credit to spur the development of rental homes affordable to Americans with moderate incomes

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it is providing Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana with an early infusion of $13 million in disaster assistance in the wake of last month’s devastating flooding. The announcement was made by HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Harriet Tregoning following a meeting with members of Governor John Bel Edward’s Restore Louisiana Task Force.

Today, in response to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) announcement of new rulemakings and guidance to provide protections for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), victims of sexual harassment and survivors of domestic violence, and to ensure access to fair housing regardless of gender identity, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s (NCRC) President and CEO John Taylor made the following statement.

The operators of an alleged mortgage relief scam that preyed upon distressed homeowners are banned from the mortgage loan modification and debt relief business under a court order obtained by the Federal Trade Commission.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged Congress to oppose the inappropriate use of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to change the focus of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) away from protecting lives and property due to flooding loss

The Council of the District of Columbia voted to confirm Todd A. Lee as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA). Following the Council’s vote Lee was sworn-in by Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments

Two technologies developed by researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a third developed through a collaboration between Wolfspeed, NREL, Toyota, and the University of Arkansas' National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, have been named finalists by R&D Magazine for the coveted 2016 R&D 100 Awards

In 2012, Congress authorized the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) to test a new way of meeting the large and growing capital improvement needs of the nation's aging public housing stock. New research released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), conducted by Econometrica Inc., examines how RAD is performing and provides evidence that the program is on track to accomplish its primary goal of attracting substantial new capital to stabilize the physical and financial conditions of public housing properties significantly improving housing conditions for low-income residents.

As world leaders gather at the United Nations this week to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, a new paper released today by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) argues that many real estate organizations are not adequately prepared for the implications of the agreement, which was made at last year’s 21st annual Conference of the Parties in Paris (COP-21).

Mortgage applications decreased 7.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 16, 2016. The prior week's results included an adjustment for the Labor Day holiday.

Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) held a hearing titled “Housing Vulnerable Families and Individuals: Is There A Better Way?” to explore the efficacy of place-based rental assistance, including public housing and project-based rental assistance (PBRA), and whether Congress should replace these programs with tenant-based Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (vouchers).

Be one of the first to own an original Yusuf Ibrahim. How about a oneof-a kind Anya Baker? Those are just a couple of the artists whose work will be featured in the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) Educational Foundation poster auction during the association’s fall meeting in October. Besides the auction, the three-day event includes the keynote luncheon, educational panels, committee meetings and networking opportunities. Preregister before Sept. 30 and save $50

The former assistant property manager of Roxse Homes, a subsidized housing development in Boston, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for his role in a scheme to rent apartments at the housing development to individuals who were not qualified in exchange for cash bribes

Nearly 900 mortgage originators, housing finance experts, and government officials will join Ginnie Mae over the next two days to explore the most critical challenges still facing the housing finance industry. The two-day Summit in Washington, DC will focus on the shift to independent mortgage bankers, new business models for managing mortgage servicing rights, and the uncertain regulatory environment.