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In response to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) release of its final affordable housing goal rule for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for 2015-2017, National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) President and CEO John Taylor made the following statement

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a final rule setting affordable housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs). Affordable housing goals are meant to ensure that people in lower-wealth communities have access to homeownership and affordable rental housing.[1] FHFA announced that its' single-family, low-income home purchase goal for 2015-2017 would be set at a conservative 24 percent, and that the dual-part market and benchmark test that determines if goals are met would remain unchanged.

According to new research by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), stronger building codes and standards, along with more stringent requirements for inspections, building permits, and contractor licensing, all have contributed to safer, stronger roofs in coastal Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, since Katrina tore into the region 10 years ago

With a closing average of 83 units and $16 million in transaction volume in 2015, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Association's® (NAHREP) Top 250 Latino Agents have been invited to receive special recognition at NAHREP's 2015 National Convention & Latin Music Festival to be held at the downtown Chicago Hilton September 20 – 22, 2015.

National Institute of Building Sciences will conduct a representative hearing on productivity and the workforce on September 25, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The hearing, which is being sponsored by Autodesk and supported by the International Code Council, will provide an opportunity for representatives from the planning, design, construction, operations, ownership, finance, insurance, regulatory, manufacturing, academia and other segments of the U.S. building industry to speak about the challenges they face and offer potential solutions.

Mortgage applications increased 3.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 14, 2015

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the recipients of its annual LEED for Homes Awards, recognizing projects, developers and homebuilders that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation in residential green building. The awards are given to outstanding multi- and single-family residential and affordable housing projects as well as builders and developers

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee Nashville Division granted MERS’ motion and dismissed a borrower lawsuit challenging MERS’ role in a Tennessee deed of trust.

At a public hearing on increasing national fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, the Consumer Federation of America’s director of public affairs and vehicle expert Jack Gillis presented the results of two national surveys demonstrating that consumers understand that the cost of fuel inefficient trucks is passed on to them and that they would like to see standards requiring increased fuel efficiency.

Boosted by its exploding popularity on Facebook, the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) social media efforts have been recognized as some of the best in the nation, according to the 2015 Social Media Report published by Association TRENDS

Led by a strong jump in single-family production, nationwide housing starts inched up 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.206 million units in July, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. This is the highest level since October 2007.

Though U.S. architecture firms are still recovering from the Great Recession, overall business conditions are improving allowing an increase in compensation for architecture positions. Compensation across the profession increased an average of 1.8 percent per year over the 2013–2014 period, with growth occurring in every architectural staff category, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA)

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in August rose one point to a level of 61 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This is the highest reading since November 2005.

The President of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), Donnell Spivey, commended recent action taken by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to expand homeownership for more Americans. Under the leadership of FHFA Director Mel Watt, on October 21, 2014, the agency announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with lenders, have reached an agreement to ease the representation and warranty requirements for lenders that sell mortgage loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

County leaders and other supporters join MidPen in celebrating the groundbreaking of Fetters Apartments, 60 affordable apartments for families in Fetters Hot Springs, Sonoma. On Friday August 14th, Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin joined other county leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of Fetters Apartments – an affordable, workforce rental apartment community being developed by MidPen Housing in the heart of Sonoma Springs

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and ASTM International (ASTM) will explore the state of building science education in North America and collaborate to examine ways to improve educational training and curriculum development at the second Workshop on Building Science Education in North America: Building Bridges and Bridging the Gap.

Government should not be permitted to tell property owners, in essence, “the more land you own, the less you’ll be allowed to use.”  So argue Pacific Legal Foundation attorneys in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the constitutional takings case of Donna Murr and her siblings Joseph Murr, Michael Murr, and Peggy Heaver.  They have been barred from developing a vacant lot they own along the St. Croix River, in St. Croix County, Wisconsin — and a state appellate court said they weren’t entitled to Fifth Amendment takings compensation because they also own a neighboring lot with a recreational cabin on it

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently released an infographic to help veterans determine whether or not they are protected under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA).  Recent changes to VEVRAA regulations require contractors to invite applicants to voluntarily self-identify as protected veterans at both the pre-offer and post-offer phases of the application process

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently made available on its website a Checklist for Compliance (link is external) with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a law requiring that federal contractors take affirmative action and do not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. The new tool was created to help contractors assess their compliance with the regulations that govern the law.

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®) has announced Julissa Acre, former Goldman Sachs star and current public affairs director at Define American, will keynote the Latina Brunch session at its 2015 National Convention & Latin Music Festival.