Archives

Washington, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the recipient of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program grant to assist seniors who have taken out a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) and who are delinquent on their property charges, such as taxes and insurance, thus putting their home in danger of foreclosure.

Phoenix, AZ - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today introduced its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare, at the CleanMed conference. The rating system guides the design and construction of both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The apartment industry made a surprising recovery in 2010 from the “Great Recession,” and that recovery is reflected in the 2011 NMHC 50, the National Multi Housing Council’s annual ranking of the 50 largest apartment owners and 50 largest managers.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that it is making grants available to help eliminate lead-based paint and other housing related health hazards from lower income homes. The funding will help protect young children as well as other vulnerable populations.

Santa Rosa Beach, FL - April 121, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing appreciation will take a number of years to materialize again after the downturn in most local U.S. housing markets, according to the findings of a new Housing Predictor survey. Consumers are cautiously optimistic about the market with more than 1 out of 3 surveyed saying it will take more than five years for the market to appreciate.

April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new program that allows housing lenders and borrowers to easily exchange information is aimed at helping both sides work out a settlement agreement in foreclosure cases. The program centers on the launch of a secure online network that enables parties to more efficiently exchange documents during mediation. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard explained the importance of the network. “The success of settlement conferences can depend on whether all the necessary paperwork is in place. We are giving both sides another tool to collect and review all the information needed to work out an agreement.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, two companies and three individuals are banned from the mortgage relief services business and must relinquish $2.2 million in assets for consumer refunds. The action is part of the FTC’s ongoing effort to stop scams that target financially strapped homeowners seeking mortgage relief.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it will launch an effort to better address national origin based housing discrimination during Fair Housing Month in April. HUD will initiate a national media campaign and a series of community discussions on topics ranging from rental practices to mortgage lending. HUD's first Immigrant Housing Conference, which will educate the public and housing providers about their fair housing rights and responsibilities, will be conducted in Omaha, Nebraska, April 14

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz issued the following statement regarding this week’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upholding the FTC’s order in the RealComp matter.

April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Research Center Partners with Local Home Builder Associations on April 13th to Deliver Builder Education on Green Home Building & Marketing. That: North Carolina has long been recognized as one of the nation's leaders for building high-performance, green homes

April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In July 2010, the Loudoun County Treasurer’s Office was among the first in the Commonwealth of Virginia to offer individual taxpayers the opportunity to receive their personal property tax bills electronically. Since that time, more than 12,000 citizens have registered and received their personal property tax bills through e-mail.

Washington, DC - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide Ohio with an additional $61.8 million to help low-income homeowners and renters meet home energy costs under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

WASHINGTON, DC - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Administration's Mortgagee Review Board (MRB) today announced a settlement agreement with a Massachusetts mortgage lender for failing to fully verify whether borrowers could sustain their mortgage payments prior to refinancing their loans. Among the alleged violations, the MRB claimed First American Mortgage Trust (FAMT) of Brookline, Massachusetts refinanced mortgage loans for borrowers with serious credit delinquencies without properly analyzing the households' ability to manage credit

Atlanta, GA - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --On April 6, 2011, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) entered into a Consent Order with BDK Mortgage & Investments, Inc. (“BDK Mortgage”), License Number 11800, Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System Number 166983, located at 201 Tallman Drive, Martinez, Georgia 30907 and its owners, Jackie H. Spires and James Spires, to resolve allegations pertaining to violations of the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act and agency rules.

Washington, DC - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today congratulated the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) on it selection to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Su...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), and the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA) join together in asking budget negotiators to recognize the vital importance of public housing as they work to reach agreement on an FY11 spending package.

LATHAM, N.Y. - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing free publications to help Suffolk County homeowners and contactors build more disaster-resistant homes.

Upper Marlboro, MD - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The NAHB Research Center invites all builders and remodelers to enter the 2012 EnergyValue Housing Award competition. The EVHA honors home builders and remodelers who voluntarily integrate energy efficiency into the design, construction, and marketing of either new or existing homes. Over the past 16 years, the EVHA has become the gold standard in industry recognition for high-performance home builders.

Des Moines, IA - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) Board of Directors today approved four grants totaling $200,000 to advance affordable homeownership and rental opportunities in Fayette, Keokuk, Logan and Sioux Center. The funding is made available through the State Housing Trust Fund’s Project-Based program. The program provides financing for the development of affordable single-family and multifamily housing units.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Tuesday, April 5, 2011, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) sent the attached letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Edward DeMarco expressing MBA’s strong reservations about the stated timetable to revamp the fee structure for residential mortgage loan servicing.