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NEW YORK, N.Y. - March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates marked a slight increase, with the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate rising to 4.96 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.41 discount and origination points.

March 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today appointments to the State Agricultural Commission. The State Agricultural Commission formulates policy with respect to the management of the Department of Agriculture. The com...

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.

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.

Reston, VA - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Wyoming ruled last week in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), upholding the company’s ability to take any action required of a lender, including assigning the mortgage

DENVER, CO - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- It’s a one-of-a-kind home that reflects innovative design expertise in one of downtown Denver’s historic buildings. The Starek Loft in the Volker Building was designed by Alice Starek and fellow ...

March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- New research by the Center for Responsible Lending finds that banks and other loan servicers often foreclose when investors have more to gain from a loan modification. The study—“Fix or Evict? Loan Modifications Return More Value than Foreclosures”—also finds that the industry’s poor track record on loan modifications can’t be blamed on homeowners who re-default.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has launched an all-new member benefit program designed to help its full electronic systems contractor (ESC) members market their businesses locally. CEDIA’s ESC Marketing On-Demand program features brochures, postcards, and other promotional materials which members can customize and print at affordable rates.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 16.9 percent in February to a record-low seasonally adjusted annual rate of 250,000 units, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department."Today's report is primarily a reflection of consumer uncertainty regarding the overall economy," said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. "A recent Gallup poll confirmed that the economy is Americans' top concern right now. At the same time, even qualified buyers who are ready to make a purchase are facing frustrating challenges in terms of tight consumer lending conditions and inappropriately low appraisal values on new construction."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The IRS today released information on processing issues that are impacting a small percentage of tax returns involving repayment of the First Time Homebuyer Credit (FTHB), primarily involving 2008 home purchases. While most of these returns are processing normally, the IRS recognizes the hardship caused by delayed refunds, and it has assigned additional staff and resources to address the issues promptly.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 18, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) WHAT:The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) 2011 National Policy ConferenceOn March 30-31, 2011 the real estate finance industry will convene in Washington, D.C. to educate the Administration and the Congress on issues that matter most to our industry. MBA's National Policy Conference 2011 gives attendees the opportunity to speak directly to lawmakers about what they do in their community, as well as the practical effect proposed changes may have on their business and the industry

Washington, D.C. - March 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --The Hanley Foundation, in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council and its Greenbuild International Conference & Expo; EcoHome magazine and Hanley Wood, is proud to announce the launch of the 2011 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. Entering its third year, this annual award honors an individual or organization that demonstrates extraordinary, lasting and far-reaching contributions to the advancement of sustainable housing in the United States. The award winner will receive $50,000, the largest annual grant given for advancing sustainable housing. The 2011 award will be presented at the USGBC Hanley Award Dinner at the Greenbuild Residential Summit in Toronto this October, which has become a magnetic annual event attracting green building leaders from all sectors of the industry

March 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- BURLINGTON—Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has passed a major milestone: The Agency has issued more than $3 billion in bonds to finance homeownership and rental opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, in conjunction with the Congressional Real Estate Caucus and the National Real Estate Organizations (NREO), hosted a “State of the Real Estate Industry” luncheon briefing on Capitol Hill on March 17. Senate Real Estate Caucus Co–chairs Sens. Ben Cardin (D–Md.) and Johnny Isakson (R–Ga.) kicked off the briefing, which also featured three speakers who covered the current state of both the residential and commercial markets. The residential overview was given by Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®, while the commercial outlook was presented by James Woodwell, vice president of Commercial Real Estate Research with the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Lisa Pendergast, managing director, CMBS Strategy & Risk with Jefferies & Company, Inc. The briefing was designed to give Senate staff a perspective of each segment’s recent history, current market conditions and what to expect for the future.

Washington, DC - March 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Steve Scalise today announced that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have issued an updated remediation protocol to assist homeowners in ridding their property of toxic Chinese drywall. The updated protocol sites an in-depth study done by Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico which determined it unnecessary to replace wiring and electrical systems.

DENVER, CA - March 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Pamela Darby, Director of Relocation for Kentwood Real Estate, was a guest speaker during a special roundtable session at the 2011 Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) conference he...

WASHINGTON, DC March 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it will begin the orderly wind down of its remaining portfolio of $142 billion in agency-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Starting this month, Treasury plans to sell up to $10 billion in agency-guaranteed MBS per month, subject to market conditions

Washington, DC - March 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- WASHINGTON (March 21, 2011) – Existing-home sales fell in February following three straight monthly increases, according to the National Association of REALTORS

Washington, DC - March 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Keeping manufactured housing affordable by reducing the constraints on lending and instituting a responsible regulatory environment took center stage as over 90 MHI members flocked to Capitol Hill for the annual MHI Legislative Conference.