Yearly Archives: 2017

As the nation’s housing market continues to improve, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro today announced the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce the annual premiums most borrowers will pay by a quarter of a percent. FHA’s new premium rates are projected to save new FHA-insured homeowners an average of $500 annually

The American Bankruptcy Institute's (ABI) 35th Annual Spring Meeting is set to take place April 20-23 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. ABI’s largest annual conference features timely concurrent sessions tailored for practitioners in both large and small commercial cases, as well as consumer bankruptcy. The conference will feature the 21st Annual Great Debates, which will look at third-party litigation financing, good-faith transferee defenses and cases before the Supreme Court.

David H. Stevens, President & CEO, Mortgage Bankers Association, released the following statement today regarding HUD's decision to reduce Mortgage Insurance Premiums for FHA single family loans

The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) will be at the International Builders Show in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) from Jan. 10-12 at booth W6353 showing builders how to transform their businesses with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). SIPA members from Foard Panel, Murus Structural Insulated Panels, Extreme Panel Technologies Inc., ENERCEPT, FischerSIPS, R-Control SIPs, Porter SIPs, Premier SIPS and Innova Eco Building Systems

A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) finds upgrades and additions to America’s transmission infrastructure create a more resilient grid, while delivering low-cost wind energy from Mountain states. This would provide $2.3 to $3.4 billion a year in consumer savings, paying for the cost of the transmission lines in under five years.

I have determined that election infrastructure in this country should be designated as a subsector of the existing Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector. Given the vital role elections play in this country, it is clear that certain systems and assets of election infrastructure meet the definition of critical infrastructure, in fact and in law.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) issued the following statement regarding HUD Secretary Julian Castro’s announcement to lower Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance premiums

Construction spending hit a 10-year high in November with monthly and year-over-year gains in both public and private categories, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the November data indicates that the 2017 outlook for construction is favorable even as they cautioned that demand will vary for different types of construction projects

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Mexico's Secretary of Energy Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, along with Federal Energy Regulatory Commision (FERC) Chairman Norman Bay, Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) Chairman Guillermo Ignacio Garcia Alcocer and National Center for Energy Control (CENACE) Director Eduardo Meraz Ateca, together signed a non-binding foundational document that will support a continued effort by both countries to assure reliability of the increasingly interconnected American and Mexican electricity grids. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson and President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Gerry Cauley witnessed the signing

For a future Habitat homeowner, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and spirit of the holiday season will continue into the new year. Celebrating a decade-long tradition, Tishman Speyer, the owner and manager of Rockefeller Center, is donating the 2016 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to Habitat for Humanity. The massive 94-foot-tall Norway spruce, the second largest tree to grace Rockefeller Plaza, will be taken down on January 7 and milled into lumber that will be used to help build a decent and affordable home in its home state of New York

The Alliance to Save Energy released the following statement from Director of Research Kevin Lucas regarding the Administration's second installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER)

In accordance with the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, HUD published a Notice in the Dec. 30, 2016, Federal Register identifying Federal buildings and other real property HUD has reviewed for suitability for use to assist the homeless. The properties were reviewed using information provided to HUD by Federal landholding agencies or by GSA regarding their inventories of excess or surplus property. The list includes buildings and properties in Colorado and Oregon.

Abigail Ross Hopper has been named president and chief executive officer of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and will start Jan. 17. Ms. Hopper brings to the top post at SEIA extensive leadership experience overseeing federal and state agencies. She joins SEIA from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the Department of Interior where she weighed complex and sometimes conflicting factors to achieve balanced federal energy policy. Among her achievements were the leasing and permitting of oil, gas and renewable energy projects

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a method which boosts the longevity of high-efficiency photocathodes in photoelectrochemical water-splitting devices.

The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Leading Suppliers Council, in collaboration with Professional Builder magazine, today unveiled the two official show homes of the International Builders’ Show (IBS): The New American Home® 2017 and The New American Remodeled Home® 2017. This is only the second time a remodeled home has been showcased during the annual trade show. IBS attendees can tour the homes Jan. 10-12.

Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill., today issued the following statement regarding the announcement by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that it will reduce its annual mortgage insurance premiums