Monthly Archives: June 2016

Urban Land Institute (ULI) leader Stephen R. Quazzo, chief executive officer of Pearlmark Real Estate in Chicago, has been named chairman of the ULI Foundation. A current member of the Foundation’s board of directors, Quazzo will begin his two-year chairmanship term July 1, 2016.

WSSC’s fiscal year 2017 (FY17) operating and capital budget of $1.4 billion goes into effect on July 1. The new budget, focused on continued rehabilitation of aging water and sewer pipelines, includes a 3 percent usage rate increase as well as the full phase-in of the Infrastructure Investment Fee (IIF), an additional $6 per quarter

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) welcomes new members to the Institute’s global board of directors and new global trustees, all of whom start serving their terms on July 1, 2016

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today published early findings from a rigorous, large-scale, random assignment study on the benefits that housing education and counseling provides to first-time homebuyers. Early results from The First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Demonstration are encouraging and suggest homebuyer education and counseling may lead to favorable results for first-time homebuyers in terms of mortgage literacy and preparedness, homebuyer outcomes, and loan performance.

The Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a settlement agreement today to resolve allegations that BancorpSouth Bank violated the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) by using policies and practices that unlawfully discriminated against African Americans and other residents of predominantly minority communities in the Memphis, Tennessee, area, as well as parts of neighboring Mississippi and Arkansas

More than 300 Transamerica employees will help build or repair homes in eight cities across the United States this year in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. This is the company’s fifth consecutive year of partnering with Habitat, building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter

The commercial real estate industry honored 15 commercial properties with The Outstanding Building of the Year® (TOBY®) Awards last night at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s annual conference, the 2016 BOMA International Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the awards.

After steadily increasing for three straight months, pending home sales let up in May and declined year-over-year for the first time in almost two years, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All four major regions experienced a cutback in contract activity last month

USGBC announced the recipients of its annual LEED Homes Awards, which recognizes projects, architects, developers and homebuilders who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation in the residential green building marketplace.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today awarded $8 million to 10 severely distressed neighborhoods to stimulate affordable housing and economic development. Funded through HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, these awards will help local leaders to craft comprehensive, homegrown plans to revitalize and transform these neighborhoods.

The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) is closing out Homeownership Month by reopening the HomeSaver Phase I mortgage assistance program. This year, the Agency received two funding allocations totaling $8,047,933 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund (HHF). This award will be used to aid eligible District of Columbia homeowners that have fallen behind on their mortgage payments due to unemployment or under employment.

Seattle commercial real estate leader honored for company performance, commitment to sustainability NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, has selected Touchstone as the 2016 Developer of the Year – the association’s highest honor.

The National Association of Realtors® has partnered with Electronics Row to create a Members’ Gift Galleria(link is external), the first-of-its-kind custom shopping destination exclusively for Realtors®, association members and their families.

The nation’s capital took another step toward nation-leading climate action today, as the District of Columbia Council unanimously approved legislation (B21-650) to expand D.C.’s renewable energy target to 50 percent by 2032.

The National League of Cities (NLC), PolicyLink and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) are convening today in Portland, Oregon to launch the first-ever Equitable Economic Development Fellowship. Six cities were chosen to participate in the inaugural year of the fellowship: Boston, Charlotte, Houston, Memphis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis

Consumers Energy has developed two new specially equipped vehicles to help keep its safety promise to Michigan. The two mobile command centers were designed and outfitted to respond to any localized emergency the energy provider may face, as well as to support widespread storm restoration work.

Landed the new job. Yipee! Sold the house here and got a new place there. Wahoo! We get to pack everything, haul the boxes {imagine the sounds of tires squealing, a massive boom and shattering glass}. Yep, that's right, all the organizing, packing, lifting and carrying needs done. What's a person to do?

The Department of Justice announced that a former California licensed attorney pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, California, for his role in a multi-million dollar fraudulent mortgage modification scheme

Lockheed Martin, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Staples, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), View, Inc. and Guy Van Syckle Join Moniz as Winners of the Alliance to Save Energy’s 24thAnnual Star of Energy Efficiency Awards