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RealEstateRama News
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION RELEASES MARCH HOUSING SCORECARD
WASHINGTON, DC - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the March edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard. Officials caution that the latest housing figures underscore fragility in the housing market and the need to continue efforts to help American families stay in their homes. The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market
HUD SELECTS TWO INNOVATIVE PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO ELITE PROGRAM TO ENHANCE FEDERAL RENTAL...
WASHINGTON, DC - April 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary Sandra B. Henriquez announced today that two public housing agencies– Boulder Housing Partners in Colorado and Lexington-Fayette Urban County in Kentucky – have been selected to participate in HUD’s Moving To Work Program (MTW).
AGENCIES SEEK COMMENT ON RISK RETENTION PROPOSAL
WASHINGTON, DC - March 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Six federal agencies are seeking comment on a proposed rule that would require sponsors of asset-backed securities (ABS) to retain at least 5 percent of the credit risk of the assets underlying the securities and would not permit sponsors to transfer or hedge that credit risk. In crafting the proposed rule, the agencies sought to ensure that the amount of credit risk retained is meaningful, while reducing the potential for the rule to negatively affect the availability and cost of credit to consumers and businesses
MARCH ISSUE OF CITYSCAPE SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON HOMELESSNESS
WASHINGTON, DC - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- How will the United States work to solve homelessness? The latest issue of Cityscape, a quarterly magazine published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, examines homelessness and the organizations that are working to assist America’s homeless population
HUD ASSUMES CONTROL OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA HOUSING AUTHORITY
WASHINGTON, DC - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that, effectively immediately, it is taking control of the Housing Authority of the City of Lafayette (HACL), citing num...
AGENCIES ANNOUNCE CONSIDERATION OF RISK RETENTION NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING
WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The staffs of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (together, the agencies) announced that the agencies this week are considering for approval a notice of proposed rulemaking that addresses section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
HUD APPROVES $66 MILLION DEAL FOR CHICAGO MEDICAL CENTER
WASHINGTON, DC - March 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a commitment to insure a mortgage loan to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. The $66 million loan is made possible through the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Section 242 Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program.
HUD MAKES AVAILABLE $61 MILLION TO SIX APPLICANTS TO PROVIDE QUALITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, REVITALIZE...
WASHINGTON, DCv - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development posted a Notice of Funding Availability(NOFA) today for the six entities that were last week named finalists to receive the first Implementation Grant funding through HUD’s new Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CN).
HUD AWARDS NEARLY $54 MILLION TO HELP LOW-INCOME FAMILIES RECEIVE JOB TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT
WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that public housing agencies across the United States will receive nearly $54 million to link low-income families with the necessary education and job training to put them on the path to self-sufficiency.
HUD ISSUES REPORT ON NUMBER OF VERY LOW-INCOME RENTERS WITH DISABILITIES WHO EXPERIENCED ‘WORST...
WASHINGTON, DC - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today issued a report summarizing efforts to the measure the extent of “worst case housing needs” among very low-income renter households with disabilities. HUD’s 2009 Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities finds that approximately 1 million households that included nonelderly people with disabilities had worst case needs.
CPSC AND HUD ISSUE UPDATED REMEDIATION PROTOCOL FOR HOMES WITH PROBLEM DRYWALL
WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are issuing an updated remediation protocol for homes with problem drywall. A study conducted on behalf of CPSC by Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, finds no evidence of a safety hazard to home electrical systems. Sandia simulated long-term exposure of wiring and other electrical components to hydrogen sulfide gas, which is associated with problem drywall.
HUD AWARDS FIRST CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD GRANTS
WASHINGTON, DC - March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that 17 communities will be the first recipients of Planning Grant funding through the Department’s new Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.
CHARLES SCHWAB BANK TO PAY $30,000 TO SETTLE DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT INVOLVING BORROWER WITH DISABILITIES
WASHINGTON, DC - March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that Charles Schwab Bank has agreed to pay $30,000 settling allegations that the bank refused to accept a loan application from the adult son of a Metairie, Louisiana woman with disabilities. The son, who was acting with his mother’s power of attorney, tried to apply for a loan on his mother’s behalf, but was told that the bank did not accept powers of attorney for “incapacitated borrowers.”
UNHEALTHY HOMES POSE REAL DANGER TO MILLIONS OF FAMILIES
WASHINGTON, DC - March 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Millions of U.S. families face health and safety hazards like mold, lead, pest infestation and the physical deterioration of their homes. These problems are particularly common among some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations: children, seniors, the disabled and low-income families.
RECOVERY ACT CHANGED APPROACH TO BUSINESS, LAID FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN CITIES TO WIN THE...
WASHINGTON, DC - March 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- America’s cities are better prepared to be sustainable economic engines according to a new report just released by the Department of Housing & Urban Development. The report titled The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Working for America’s Cities found that the Recovery Act has helped position American cities to out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build our competitors. The collaborative and innovative approaches initiated during the implementation of the Recovery Act have laid the foundation for American cities to win the future.
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION RELEASES FEBRUARY HOUSING SCORECARD
WASHINGTON, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the February edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show increased existing home sales as home affordability remains high, but officials caution that the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled.
HUD AWARDS NEARLY $8 MILLION FOR ASTHMA INTERVENTION AND TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN...
WASHINGTON, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today is awarding $7.8 million in grants to 14 local projects in nine states to conduct a wide range of activities such as research on the cost effectiveness of home-based interventions for children with asthma and novel strategies for reducing risks from lead-contaminated soil and house dust (see attached). For the first time, HUD is awarding $2 million of those grants to improve indoor environmental conditions and links to education and medical services for asthmatic children and other residents living in public and assisted multifamily housing
HUD AWARDS NEARLY $50 MILLION TO BOOST LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS
WASHINGTON, DC - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 250 communities across the country will be able to increase the economic impact of their local community development and affordable housing programs through nearly $50 million in “capacity-building” grants awarded today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funds awarded today will support three national organizations and are ultimately expected to produce approximately 8,000 units of affordable housing nationwide, and generate more than $1 billion in total development investment.
HUD AWARDS OVER $40 MILLION IN GRANTS TO FIGHT HOUSING AND LENDING DISCRIMINATION
WASHINGTON, DC - March 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $40.8 million to 108 fair housing organizations and non-profit agencies in 36 states and the District of Columbia to educate the public and combat housing and lending discrimination (see attached list of grantees). This year’s award represents a $13.2 million increase over last year’s award and includes $10 million to fund activities that address lending discrimination, including mortgage rescue scams
HUD APPROVES $29 MILLION REFINANCING FOR RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL
WASHINGTON, DC - March 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a commitment to insure a mortgage loan to Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center in Riverside, California. The $29 million loan is made possible through the Section 223(f) component of the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Section 242 Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program.