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Home prices nationwide posted their biggest drop in 16 years last month, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Washington, DC – The House Committee on Financial Services today approved historic bipartisan mortgage reform legislation and anti-predatory lending practices by a vote of 45 to 19. H.R. 3915, the “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” will create a licensing system for residential mortgage loan originators, establish a minimum standard requiring that borrowers have a reasonable ability to repay a loan, and will attach a limited liability to secondary market securitizers.

Washington, DC, November 9, 2007 - Today, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) announced the first issuance of its new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Mortgage-Backed Security (HMBS). The $116 million issuance is the first-ever government-guaranteed mortgage-backed security collateralized by Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured reverse mortgages (HECM).

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2007 — The House Judiciary Committee has decided to resume consideration next week of a bill that seeks to revise sections of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and give judges power to modify certain terms in existing mortgages.

Washington, D.C., November 9, 2007 -- Recognizing that immediate assistance is needed for those living near coastal areas who are grappling with skyrocketing property insurance premiums, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, today introduced two bills to help American homeowners and businesses lessen the financial strain experienced as a result of natural disasters

One of the best ways to live well is to choose a hometown that has access to arts, leisure, and entertainment offerings – plus a low cost of housing.

The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would help protect insurance markets in disaster-prone states from suffering devastating losses in the event of a catastrophic natural disaster.

Innovative and Common-Sense Legislation Eliminates Federal Bailouts and Provide Property Owners Relief by Increasing Acess and Lowering Insurance Rates

COLLEGE STATION, TX, – Nov. 8, 2007 – With new homes springing up across the country, it is easy to forget that the housing market has fallen on hard times. But economist Dr. Mark Dotzour says the continued construction is simply a matter of survival for home builders.

November 8, 2007 -- Chairman Schumer, Vice Chairman Maloney, Representative Saxton, and other members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here this morning to present an update on the economic situation and outlook.

How do you fix a troubled housing market? Forbes.com asked that question of a broad range of housing experts, including CEOs of real estate firms, real estate practitioners, economists from lending institutions, and research directors at analytics firms. Here are five of their best suggestions.

WASHINGTON, November 7, 2007 -- The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Tuesday said it supports legislation intended to eliminate predatory mortgage lending practices, but advised that some provisions are "more appropriately tailored" for the mortgage brokerage industry than for depository institutions.

WASHINGTON - November 7, 2007 - The Supportive Housing Investment Partnership, a collaboration between Enterprise Community Partners and the Corporation for Supportive Housing, recently released a comprehensive update on how states are using innovative policies to produce permanent affordable housing with support services to address homelessness.

Are you having trouble making your home mortgage payments? Are you facing foreclosure on your home? Get all the facts before you pay someone to help you work out your mortgage problems.

WASHINGTON - For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is reporting a nearly 12 percent decrease in the number of chronically homeless persons living on the nation's streets. HUD's analysis found that more than 20,000 persons moved from the streets into transitional and permanent supportive housing between 2005 and 2006

Interest in remodeling remains high, but home owners are more conservative about costs in light of declining home prices, a survey of 5,000 U.S. home owners by Remodelestimates.com found.

The Federal Trade Commission today released staff comments to the federal banking agencies – the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit Union Administration – in response to their request for comments on proposed illustrations of consumer information for subprime mortgage lending. In their comments, FTC staff support the agencies’ efforts to develop mortgage disclosures to help subprime borrowers make better informed decisions.

WASHINGTON, November 6, 2007 – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement of introduction for H.R. 4079, the “Safe and Healthy Emergency Housing Act of 2007”

Washington, D.C., November 1, 2007 -- The Federal Trade Commission today released staff comments to the federal banking agencies – the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit Union Administration – in response to their request for comments on proposed illustrations of consumer information for subprime mortgage lending.

WASHINGTON, Nov 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A proposed tax increase on a partnership's long-term investment return that was approved yesterday by the House Ways and Means Committee poses a severe economic threat to economic growth, jobs and the tax base, according to a group of twelve national real estate organizations.