Chicago, IL - December 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of REALTORS® has invested in Ifbyphone through its strategic investment fund, Second Century Ventures. As part of the arrangement, NAR is also collaborating with Ifbyphone to develop solutions that enhance voice interactions for its more than 1.1 million REALTOR® members.

Washington, DC - December 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- 2010 has been a year of real estate contrasts. While many consumers have taken advantage of historic buying opportunities and the market has seen a gradual stabilization of sales and prices, other challenges facing the nation have led some to question the value of home ownership for families, communities, and the country.

BOSTON, MA - December 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston announced that a Manchester initiative will receive more than $2.1 million through its Affordable Housing Program. These funds, awarded in the form of a grant, loan, and interest-rate subsidy, will be used to finance 26 units of affordable rental housing for formerly homeless veterans earning at or below 50 percent of area median income.

BEDFORD, N.H. - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- New Hampshire Housing’s Single Family Mortgage Program will soon be celebrating 35 years of service! To help mark this milestone, the agency is seeking success stories from its current and past clients to show the world how this program has allowed real people to achieve their dreams.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates pulled back slightly this week, with the average rate on the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate receding to 4.96 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.46 discount and origination points.

McLean, VA - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its (PMMS®), which found that both fixed-rate mortgage rates eased slightly this week. The 5-year hybrid ARM dropped back slightly, but the 1-year ARM rates were up

McLean, VA - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today issued the company's Monthly Volume Summary for November 2010. The summary, available on the company's Web site at, provides information on Freddie Mac's mortgage-related portfolios, securities issuance, risk management and delinquencies, including data on seriously delinquent mortgage loans in related mortgage Participation Certificate (PC) pools.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes increased 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 290,000 units in November, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Commerce Department. The gain represents a partial bounce-back from a near-record low, downwardly revised number of new-home sales in October.

MONROE, LA - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Governor Bobby Jindal joined Benchmark Bank Chairman and CEO Mike Barnett, Affiliated Mortgage Co. President Dan Hastings and Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo to announce that Benchmark Bank’s subsidiary, Affiliated Mortgage Company (AMC) of West Monroe, has committed to retain and expand its operations in Northeast Louisiana.

Alexandria, VA - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The initial period for federal registration of residential mortgage loan originators under the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (“SAFE Act”), 12 U.S.C. 5101–5116, is expected to begin on or around January 31, 2011, and end on or around July 29, 2011. The National Credit Union Administration, along with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Thrift Supervision, and Farm Credit Administration will publish an announcement on our respective Web sites confirming the start date of this registration period shortly before the period begins, followed by a notice published in the Federal Register

WASHINGTON, DC - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that more than 3,800 children are safe from dangerous lead-based paint hazards and other health and safety risks due to grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an effort to help families find decent housing and to prevent future foreclosures, the Obama Administration today announced nearly $73 million in housing counseling grants to more than 500 national, regional and local organizations. As a result of the funding announced today, hundreds of thousands of households will have a greater opportunity to find housing or keep the homes they have because of the housing counseling and counseling training grants awarded today by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) applauds the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) decision to withdraw the interim fall protection guidelines for residential construction that were issued in 1995 and revert to the previous guidelines.“Job site safety is the number one priority for builders,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “This action will clarify what actions builders need to take to comply with OSHA regulations while helping to ensure safer work sites.”

WASHINGTON, DC - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the December edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show continued home affordability in the housing market, with interest rates near record lows, but the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled. Foreclosure starts and completions dropped significantly in November, as lenders review internal servicing procedures. The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- After quick approval in the U.S. Senate on Friday, ushered through by Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), today the U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to President Obama to sign Congressman Chris Murphy’s (CT-5) legislation to provide thousands of new affordable housing units for low income, disabled individuals across the country.

December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday approved an interim rule amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The Board is issuing this interim rule to clarify certain aspects of a September 24, 2010 interim rule, in response to public comments. The September interim rule implements provisions of the Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act (MDIA) which amended TILA to require mortgage lenders to disclose examples of how a loan's interest rate or monthly payments can change. Those statutory amendments will become effective on January 30, 2011.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the December edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show continued home affordability in the housing market, with interest rates near record lows, but the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled. Foreclosure starts and completions dropped significantly in November, as lenders review internal servicing procedures. The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the nation's housing market.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 17, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 18.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 20.0 percent compared with the previous week.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council (EHOC), and First National Bank of St. Louis today announced an agreement that will increase the bank's commitment to minority and low-income communities.? As part of the agreement, the bank will invest more than $2.5 million over four years in St. Louis City, North St. Louis County, and St. Clair County, Illinois.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing-home sales got back on an upward path in November, resuming a growth trend since bottoming in July, according to the National Association of Realtors®

Solemn Recognition Coincides with $5 Million Campaign to Raise Awareness of the Statewide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The state Office of Mental Health today announced that bridges and landmarks across New York will be lit in purple and teal tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 18, to mark Suicide Prevention Month.

The cost of rocks to do a landscape project may be high, but obtaining inexpensive rocks can greatly affect one's budget. Rocks have several uses in landscaping; they may act as walks, borders, or specimens in a garden. Nevertheless, it might often be quite difficult to look for cost-friendly rock suppliers.

Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced the Keeping Aid for Municipalities and Localities Accountable Act, or the KAMALA Act. The KAMALA Act will ensure that the federal government is not bankrolling states and localities that provide illegal aliens with housing assistance.

“We see the dramatic impact of climate change on our national parks every day. That’s why we need a transition to renewable energy that makes sure solar development is sited quickly and where it makes the most sense, minimizing harm to national parks and the communities they support."–Matt Kirby, NPCA's Senior Energy and Landscape Conservation Director

Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) has acquired two senior affordable housing properties in very desirable Massachusetts communities that are vulnerable to increasing housing costs: Northside Village in Dennis and Westport Village in Westport.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is alerting consumers about the dangers of television (TV) tip-over hazards. Millions of New Yorkers will watch the Super Bowl this Sunday either on TVs at home or at parties with friends. DCP is taking this TV-focused occasion to remind consumers of critical TV safety tips.

Fast-growing Florida has been a favorite of real estate investors for many years. With so much interest having been focused on the state, though, investors need to take care to seek the best available opportunities.

Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced that the Senator Walter J. Mahoney State Office Building located at 65 Court Street in Buffalo will be sold at auction in 2020. A work group formed earlier this year made up of City, County, and State officials working with professional real estate consultants CBRE, determined that in the current competitive and robust Buffalo real estate market

The Bureau of Land Management today announced that Karen Mouritsen has been named the new California State Director—a key leadership position based in Sacramento. As State Director, Mouritsen will direct a team that manages lands encompassing 15% of the Golden State’s total land mass

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) today announced the opening of the new JLC Recovery and Wellness Center in New York City. JLC is operated by Exponents Inc. and provides free help and support services for people affected by addiction and for their families.

In spite of a robust U.S. economy, a strong employment rate, and steadily increasing 401(k) plan earnings, Black homeownership rates continue to drop. Drawing from the 2019 release of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, asked the Department of the Interior about its commitment to the Yakima River Basin during a hearing on the president’s FY 2017 budget request. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor agreed with Sen. Cantwell that the Yakima River Basin plan “is a model for the rest of the nation in water management.”

“Consumers Energy is thankful to be a part of holiday celebrations across the state as warm Thanksgiving memories are being made, and we are committed to providing many more generations of Michigan families with reliable, affordable energy in all seasons,” said Garrick Rochow, Consumers Energy’s vice president and chief customer officer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a final rule that creates exemptions from certain appraisal requirements for a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans. The exemptions are intended to save borrowers time and money while still ensuring that the loans are financially sound

Atlanta, Georgia - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) entered into a Consent Order with Equity Loans, LLC, License Number 23300, located at 1150 Hammond Dr., Building E, Suite 650, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, to resolve allegations pertaining to violations of the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act