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WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Justice today announced that JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) will pay $614 million for violating the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting non-compliant mortgage loans submitted for insurance coverage and guarantees by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). JPMC is a bank and financial services company headquartered in New York

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Residential remodeling will continue a gradual climb back up in 2014 from a dramatic fall during the economic downturn, according to experts at a press conference hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. Remodelers from around the country agreed with the forecast, citing increased demand from home owners for upgrades to existing bathrooms and kitchens

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Led by a resurgence in single-family production, housing will continue its climb toward higher ground in 2014, but builders are still confronting several challenges that could hinder the pace of the ongoing recovery, according to economists speaking at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders' Show (IBS) in Las Vegas today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) General Counsel Maurice Baskin Feb. 4 testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protections during a hearing titled, “OSHA’s Regulatory Agenda: Changing Long-Standing Policies Outside the Public Rulemaking Process.” On behalf of ABC and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Baskin addressed a Feb. 21, 2013 letter of interpretation (LOI) from OSHA allowing union agents and community organizers for the first time to accompany safety inspectors into nonunion facilities, as long as an unspecified (non-majority) number of employees in the nonunion work place designate one.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) hired Lisa Costello as Vice President of Political Affairs and promoted Jim Lapides and Sarah Yaussi to Vice President of Strategic Communications and Vice President of Industry Communications, respectively.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for the fourth quarter of 2013 is up sharply, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) latest 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. All segments of the market—single-family homes, condominiums and multifamily rental—registered strong increases compared to the same quarter a year ago. The single-family index increased 20 points to a level of 48, which is the highest fourth-quarter reading since the inception of the index in 2008 and the ninth consecutive quarter of year over year improvements

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 31, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that the city of Hammond, Indiana, and the Hammond Housing Authority (HHA) agreed to pay Maria Becerra, the former executive director of HHA $200,000 to settle allegations the city and HHA terminated her employment because she administered a HUD-funded rental assistance program that helped minority familiesmove into predominantly white neighborhoods In addition, HHA agreed to reopen its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program waiting list and inform the public about the reopening of the list

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 31, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced that it is granting expanded authority to lenders to accept electronic signatures (e-Signatures) on documents associated with mortgage loans. The new policy allows e-Signatures on origination, servicing, and loss mitigation documents, as well as FHA insurance claims, REO sales contracts and related addenda. Current FHA policy allows for electronic signatures only on third party documents such as sales contracts and other documents not controlled by the lender.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 31, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in response to House Republicans' announcement today that they will pursue immigration reform legislation this year:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 30, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Through its Community Development Banking business, Bank of America Merrill Lynch provided more than $3.3 billion in loans, tax credit equity investments and other real estate development solutions in 2013. Those commitments were up more than 25 percent from 2012 lending and investing and will help create more than 13,600 affordable housing units.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 30, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Healthy fundamentals in the commercial property market combined with the international economy returning to more traditional growth levels are factoring into a projected increase in growth for the design and construction industry. Led by the hotel and retail project categories, the commercial sector looks to see the biggest gains in construction spending, with demand for institutional projects increasing at a more moderate level.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 30, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) will host a forum on the 2014 outlook for the U.S. economy and housing market on Thursday, January 30, at 10:00AM.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 30, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the State of the Union address, President Obama offered a domestic agenda focused on expanding opportunity for all. The National Housing Conference (NHC) believes that safe, decent and affordable housing for all in America is an essential part of expanding opportunity.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction firms added jobs in 34 states over the past 12 months, but construction employment declined in 32 states and the District of Columbia between November and December as many parts of the country coped with weather, according to an analysis released today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials noted that while weather in parts of the country likely contributed to many of the declines, they urged Washington officials to take steps to ensure continued growth for the industry and the economy.

Washington, DC - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continues to sit in limbo, it remains unclear what the future holds for our system of housing finance. Despite the fact that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have played a valuable role in helping to grow the middle class in America, the reform debate has largely centered around their elimination, without fully considering the consequences for working Americans and the housing market. And troublingly, none of the current reform legislation makes any tangible commitment to ensuring access to conventional lending for the full range of creditworthy borrowers, including millennials, working-class people, rural residents and minorities.

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today issued the following statement in response to reports that President Barack Obama will sign an executive order to increase the minimum wage on new federal contracts from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour.

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jason Grumet, president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, issued the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union address:

CONCORD, N.H. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- ROC USA® has been awarded a $4 million grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation on behalf of three non-profit lenders to expand resident ownership opportunities in affordable manufactured housing communities. The grant is part of the foundation’s new CDFI Collaboratives program, a $33 million commitment to help CDFIs build capacity and jumpstart job creation in low- and moderate-income communities

ST. LOUIS - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Over the past century, Little Rock has transitioned from an economy that produced lumber and cottonseed to one that predominantly provides services—the lion’s share of which is in health, education and state government.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000 units in December, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the monthly drop, home sales in 2013 were up 16.4 percent over the previous year.