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Washington, D.C. - February 10, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Feb. 10 joined construction industry leaders from more than 100 companies in support of their pledge to employ 150,000 veterans in the next five years—a commitment that was made during the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment in Construction National Symposium

WASHINGTON, - February 10, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing Professionals at this year’s National Healthy Homes Conference, co-hosted by Rebuilding Together and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), can get green building answers and home improvement advice from HGTV and DIY Network stars Chris Lambton, Matt Muenster, and Tiffany Brooks. Held in in Nashville from May 28-30, 2014, the Conference, titled Leading the Nation to Healthy Homes, Families and Communities, will bring together housing and health professionals from the public and private sectors to share new research and emerging trends, as well as to inform housing policy to help prevent and remediate unsafe housing conditions for families.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 10, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an online GI Bill® Comparison Tool to make it easier for veterans, servicemembers and dependents to calculate their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and learn more about VA’s approvedcolleges, universities and other education and training programs across the country

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 10, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment jumped by the largest monthly amount in nearly seven years in January, bringing industry employment to the highest level since July 2009, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that, at the current rate of growth, it would not take long before many firms begin having difficulty finding enough skilled workers to meet demand

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 10, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the January edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show progress among key indicators. In 2013, home sales had their strongest performance in several years, foreclosure starts were at their lowest annual level since 2005 and homeowners’ equity is up $3.4 trillion since the beginning of 2012. While this scorecard notes positive trends in the housing market, officials caution that the economy is still healing from the Great Recession

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 10, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, today announced it has reached a settlement with Morgan Stanley, related companies and specifically named individuals for $1.25 billion. The settlement resolves claims in the lawsuit FHFA v. Morgan Stanley, et al. in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. The settlement addresses claims alleging violations of federal and state securities laws and common law fraud in connection with private-label mortgage-backed securities (PLS) purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac between 2005 and 2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 6, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The year’s most outstanding work in residential real estate sales, marketing and design was honored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) yesterday at The National Sales and Marketing Awards gala (known as “The NationalsSM”), one of the building industry’s most prestigious events. The event, hosted by the NAHB National Sales and Marketing Council, took place during the 2014 International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 6, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) issued the following statement regarding their bipartisan effort to draft comprehensive housing finance reform.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 6, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Three longtime members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) were honored this morning for their professionalism, political engagement, volunteer activities and service to the industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 6, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and BUILDER Magazine today unveiled The New American Home 2014, the official show home of the International Builders’ Show (IBS).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 6, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The housing market for the 55+ homebuyer is expected to stay on its path of improvement in 2014, according to industry experts at a press conference held today at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 6, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- GuildQuality, North America's leading provider of customer satisfaction surveying for the residential building industry, recently conducted a national survey of homeowners who purchased a National Green Building Standard (NGBS) certified green home built within the past three years. The study, commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and presented today at the annual International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, aimed to uncover how green homeowners feel after purchasing their home; primarily focusing on their overall satisfaction and whether they would recommend purchasing a green home to others.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Strong demand for apartments will increase over the next several years, said panelists during a press conference at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. And while multifamily construction continues to be strong, NAHB does expect the speed to decrease as sustainable levels are reached in 2015 or 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment expanded in 192 metro areas, declined in 84 and was stagnant in 63 between December 2012 and December 2013, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that even with so many metro areas adding jobs for the year, only 20 metro areas topped previous construction employment peaks for the month.

ATLANTA - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, Nancy Stoner, will be in Nashville Thursday and will tour the River Center and Cumberland Park. Located on the Cumberland River’s east bank under the Shelby Street Bridge, the 6.5 acre Cumberland Park opened in April of 2012 and is the flagship for Nashville’s New Riverfront Revitalization Plan. The park incorporates many innovative green infrastructure features that help improve quality, including a rain water harvesting cistern that collects 1,000,000 gallons of stormwater annually that is reused for park irrigation.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has donated $100,000 to Rebuilding Together to help families across the country repair and rebuild their homes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The King County Housing Authority will resume issuing Section 8 vouchers to families on its general waiting list. The waiting list has been frozen for the past 11 months as a result of sequestration, the automatic budget cuts to all federal programs that went into effect March 1, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- In nearly every community across the country, the resources exist to end veteran homelessness. However, having every puzzle piece does not mean the full picture has been completed. We must connect the pieces and, where pieces are still missing, push for targeted and immediate action

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Farm Bill approved by the Senate today and the House last week includes an important provision championed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that will enable millions of Americans to maintain access to critical rural housing programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- McGraw Hill Construction, a part of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), today released findings from a new Green Home Builders and Remodelers Study at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. Green homes comprised 23% of the overall residential construction market in 2013 and are expected to grow to between 26% and 33% of the market by 2016. This equates to a doubling in the value of green home construction over three years, growing from $36 billion in 2013 to $83-$105 billion in 2016, based on the current McGraw Hill Construction forecast for total residential construction