News

WASHINGTON, DC - June 10, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the May edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. Data continue to show important progress across many key indicators— as the annual home price increase is the highest since the housing bubble burst in mid-2006 and purchases of new and existing homes remain strong—although officials caution that a full housing recovery will take more time. The Housing Scorecard is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a Conciliation Agreement with Bank of America and Fannie Mae, settling allegations that the Charlotte, NC-based lender and Fannie Mae violated the Fair Housing Act by denyinga borrower’s application to modify her mortgage loan because she did not provide sufficient information about the nature of her disability. The woman was applying for a loan modification through the Obama Administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 6, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that Wells Fargo Bank N.A., the National Fair Housing Alliance, 13 private fair housing organizations and Acting Assistant Secretary Bryan Greene have reached an agreement through which Wells Fargo will invest in efforts designed to help improve housing in minority neighborhoods that have been hard hit by the foreclosure crisis. As part of the agreement, Wells Fargo has committed to invest a total of $39 million in 45 communities across the country through various programs to support home ownership, neighborhood stabilization, property rehabilitation and housing

WASHINGTON, DC - June 5, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today issued new guidance to HUD-assisted housing providers on how they can support state and local Olmstead efforts to increase the integrated housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities who are transitioning from, or at serious risk of entering, institutions and other restrictive, segregated settings.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is making available $109 million in grants to revitalize public and HUD-assisted housing and transform communities. These grants are offered through HUD’s

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 31, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $32 million in grant awards to assist more than 1,300 extremely low-income persons and families living with HIV/AIDS annually. The grant awards will provide these households with a stable living environment, which is essential to accessing healthcare and HIV related services. In addition to housing assistance these grant programs will provide access to the needed supportive services in assisting beneficiary’s with a path to self-sufficiently such as life skills, job readiness services and employment training

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced an extension of the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable Program through December 31, 2015. The new deadline was determined in coordination with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to align with extended deadlines for the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and the Streamlined Modification Initiative for homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Making Home Affordable Program has been a critical part of the Obama Administration’s comprehensive efforts to provide relief to families at risk of foreclosure and help the housing market recover from a historic housing crisis. The program deadline was previously

WASHINGTON, DC - May 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Approximately 9,000 homeless veterans living on the streets and in the nation’s shelter system will soon find a permanent place to call home. U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide $60 million to local public housing agencies across the country to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless veterans, many of whom are living with chronic disabling conditions

WASHINGTON, DC - May 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of new single-family houses in April 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 454,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 23, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $98.3 million in grants to 38 local projects to protect children and families from the hazards of lead-based paint and from other home health and safety hazards (see chart below)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 21, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The nation’s largest mortgage servicers have distributed $50.63 billion in direct relief to over 620,000 homeowners, or roughly $81,000 per homeowner as part of the National Mortgage Settlement, according to a progress update released today by independent settlement monitor Joseph A. Smith of the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight. Over one year ago, the Department of Justice, Department of Housing Urban Development (HUD) and 49 state attorneys general

WASHINGTON, DC - May 17, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Field Policy and Management (FPM) was presented with the Graduate School USA’s annual W. Edwards Deming Award for a staff training and orientation program to reinforce the use of next generation cloud computing. The W. Edwards Deming Award recognizes impressive workforce development and training initiatives that measurably improve an organization’s performance and impacts its mission.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2013

WASHINGTON, DC - May 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Three affordable housing developments are the recipients of the 2013 HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Award, each recognized for excellence in residential housing design. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) selected Via Verde-The Green Way in New York City; Community Learning in Leominster, Massachusetts; and New Accessible Passive Solar Housing, Stoneham, Massachusetts as national affordable housing models

WASHINGTON, DC - May 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the April edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show important progress across many key indicators—as home values continue to rise and home sales remained strong in April—although officials caution that the overall recovery remains fragile.The full Housing Scorecard is available online at

WASHINGTON, DC - May 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached two Conciliation Agreements with SunTrust Mortgage, Inc., settling allegations that the Richmond, VA-based lender denied mortgage loans to a couple in Port St. Lucie, FL, and another couple in Ashland, VA, because the women were on maternity leave.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a Voluntary Compliance Agreement with the Jackson County Housing Authority (JCHA) in Murphysboro, Illinois, to increase access for persons with disabilities and families with children under age 18. HUD reviewed JCHA’s housing programs and services and determined that the housing authority had not ensured that at least five percent of its units were accessible to persons with disabilities, as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The review further indicated that JCHA had not allowed children under the age of 18 to reside in housing designated for elderly families, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 7, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- For the second time this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will sell thousands of severely delinquent mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as part of a broader effort to address the housing market’s shadow inventory and to target relief to areas experiencing high foreclosure activity. This summer, HUD will sell approximately 20,000 distressed loans through its expanded Distressed Asset Stabilization Program (DASP) to increase recoveries to FHA’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund from non-performing FHA-insured loans, while contributing to stabilization and recovery in some of the

WASHINGTON, DC - May 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced a second round of grants for more than 500 local homeless housing and service programs across the U.S, provided through HUD’s Continuum of Care Program. This year, HUD challenged local communities to reexamine their response to homelessness and give greater weight to proven strategies, from providing ‘rapid re-housing’ for homeless families to permanent supportive housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness (see attached chart)

WASHINGTON, DC - May 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- New guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) reinforces the Fair Housing Act requirement that multifamily housing be designed and constructed so that it isaccessible to persons with disabilities. Read HUD and DOJ’s new guidance.