Archives

The Federal Insurance Office (FIO) publishes an annual report to address the state of the insurance industry and related regulatory or macroeconomic developments. FIO’s 2014 Annual Report included sections describing (1) a financial overview of the U.S. insurance industry, (2) developments and issues with respect to consumer protection and access to insurance, (3) regulatory developments, and (4) international developments

The United States has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Quicken Loans Inc. under the False Claims Act for improperly originating and underwriting mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Justice Department announced today. Quicken is a mortgage lender headquartered in Detroit.

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today announced its support for the Safe Building Code Incentive Act, H.R. 1748, which was introduced this week by U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) in the U.S. House. This important legislation would provide additional disaster relief assistance to states adopting and enforcing strong building codes

National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) President and CEO Sheila Crowley testified today before the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance of the House Financial Services Committee at a hearing titled, “The Future of Housing in America: Increasing Private Sector Participation in Affordable Housing.”

The American Land Title Association (ALTA), the national trade association of the land title insurance industry, released the following statement today addressing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new “Your Home Loan Toolkit.”

Austin, Tex. - April 1, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- At the National Hurricane Conference today, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) President and CEO...

A new and forward-looking index of the U.S. housing market is at its healthiest level since 2001. Nationwide, a leading insurance and financial services organization, unveiled its new housing market barometer today, which evaluates the housing health outlook for the U.S. and 373 metropolitan areas.

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today announced it is working with HWind Scientific (HWS) to utilize its detailed archive of significant historical hurricane data, which will help IBHS associate winds from specific storms to its building performance research

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 3, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- The 60 Minutes report Sunday about Hurricane Sandy insurance claims is a matter of great concern to me and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. We share the views expressed by FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator Brad Kieserman during the program. Any allegation of fraud is highly troubling, and especially so when it involves Americans who have lost their homes in a natural disaster

OKLAHOMA CITY - February 25, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- “The devastation and damage to homes and businesses caused by tornadoes can and should be reduced by better construction methods,” said Dr. Tim Reinhold, chief engineer and senior vice president of research, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).

Tampa, FL - February 20, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- Heavy snowfall, icy conditions, and freezing temperatures are likely for property owners in the Rockies, southeast and northeast in the next few days. As people throughout the country prepare for the oncoming dangerous winter weathe

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 17, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- Purchasing a home is the single largest investment most consumers make in their lifetime. Soon the spring homebuying season will begin and the American Land Title Association (ALTA) reminds consumers of the three most important things to consider when shopping for a title company

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 17, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) released separate requests for proposals (RFP) for vendors to model expected losses on approximately 6,000 commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and 24,500 residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). This process will produce valuations for state insurance regulators to set risk-based capital for CMBS and RMBS owned by U.S. insurance companies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 2, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today issued a new policy under its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program giving FHA-approved lenders the option to delay calling HECMs with eligible ‘non-borrowing spouses’ due and payable. A delay would postpone foreclosure normally triggered by the death of the last surviving borrower. FHA’s new guidance will allow reverse mortgage lenders to assign eligible HECMs to HUD upon the death of the last surviving borrowing spouse, thereby allowing eligible surviving spouses the opportunity to remain in the home despite their non-borrowing status

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida's top financial officer said Tuesday that creating a "stress test" will help instill public confidence in the smaller insurers that have come to dominate Florida's property insurance market

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 16, 2015 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Land Title Association (ALTA), the national trade association of the land title insurance industry, reminds consumers this week of the top three reasons their efficient real estate transaction depends on the work of title insurance agents.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Chris Polychron:

LONDON - December 3, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new white paper by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) finds that while the insurance industry is a leader in developing risk standards for natural disasters, the real estate sector and governments must also play an active role in climate change adaptation. Entitled What the Real Estate Industry Needs to Know about the Insurance Industry and Climate Change, the report draws upon data and analysis provided by Lloyd’s of London, to conclude that accurately priced insurance alone cannot mitigate the effects of climate change on the built environment.

WASHINGTON - December 2, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- ConsensusDocs announces the 2015 Business and Marketing Advisory Council (BMAC) leadership. E. Colette Nelson, Chief Advocacy Office for the American Subcontractors Association (ASA), was elected the 2015 BMAC Chair. Joanne S. Brooks, Esq., Vice President and Counsel for The Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA), was elected the 2015 BMAC Secretary.

TAMPA - August 19, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Hurricane Charley, which blew into southwest Florida this week ten years ago, was the start of one of the busiest hurricane seasons in the U.S., damaging one in five Florida homes. When it made landfall, Charley had the highest winds of any storm to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and clearly demonstrated the benefits of strong building practices