RealEstateRama

The Financial Services Housing and Insurance Subcommittee held a hearing on Thursday to examine how proposed changes to the mortgage settlement process are expected to impact consumers and lenders. The changes proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are scheduled to take effect on August 1.

The National Association of Realtors® urges the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to implement a grace period for those seeking to comply in good faith with new rules for loan closing procedures and settlement documents.

Three subsidiaries of North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corporation, the largest utility in the United States, pleaded guilty today to nine criminal violations of the Clean Water Act at several of its North Carolina facilities and agreed to pay a $68 million criminal fine and spend $34 million on environmental projects and land conservation to benefit rivers and wetlands in North Carolina and Virginia

Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) today announced Green Rewards, a new multifamily financing option that helps owners of apartment buildings and cooperatives invest in energy- and water-cost saving improvements. These investments can improve and preserve the quality of multifamily properties and lower utility costs, saving money for both property owners and renters. Green Rewards is available today nationwide

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has announced the winner of the 2015 ULI Apgar Urban Land Award, which recognizes industry articles of practical value published in Urban Land magazine, ULI’s flagship publication. The winner was recognized today at ULI’s Spring Meeting in Houston, Texas

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has awarded a real estate consulting services contract for the preparation of a plan for the commercial development of GPO property currently being used for surface parking. The award has gone to CBRE, a global real estate services firm with experience in helping Federal agencies convert underutilized property to higher and better use

Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) is distributing Self-Help Home Builder Intake Application Forms on Saturday, May 16, 2015 from 10 am to 3 pm in Atascadero near the intersections of Atascadero Avenue and San Andres Avenue (across Atascadero Avenue from the old library)

Kenneth M. “Mike” Brown has been hired as Portfolio Manager at The Duncan Group, the property management division of Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, a non-profit affordable housing and services provider headquartered in San Luis Obispo. He will supervise property managers at Peoples’ affordable apartment complexes in San Luis Obispo County.

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the China PV Investment and Finance Alliance (CPVFA) have formed a collaboration with the goal of opening wide-scale and diverse sources of investment for solar photovoltaic (PV) asset development in China

Earlier this year, the National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) hosted the BSSC Colloquium to describe key outcomes, major updates and future research needs from the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) 2015 Provisions update process

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced a new bill seeking to obstruct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from moving forward with the first-ever limits on the biggest source of carbon pollution, existing power plants. These limits, known as the Clean Power Plan, are the centerpiece of EPA’s efforts to protect public health and the environment from the most devastating impacts of climate change.

The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released an advance copy of her prepared opening statement ahead of a House Oversight and Government Committee field hearing tomorrow, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., at Archbishop Carroll High School (4300 Harewood Rd. NE) on reauthorizing the District of Columbia private school voucher program.

The Alliance to Save Energy has announced the launch of the Global Alliance for Energy Productivity at the Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) in Washington, D.C.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) released the following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, which would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to withdraw the flawed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule and develop a new proposed rule after engaging in meaningful stakeholder consultation

The Mayor was selected in November as a 2015 Rose Center Fellow, which affords Pittsburgh guidance on land use challenges from a team of national design experts. In February a team of Rose Center officials visited Hazelwood and forwarded recommendations for the use of the Almono site.

Americans spend $2 trillion each year buying, renting or improving their homes. Billions more are spent on related goods and services, including appliances, furniture and financial services. The housing sector is central to American life, and it continues to be integral to the economic well-being of families, businesses and the nation.

Today marked the beginning of Alliance to Save Energy’s (Alliance) Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global), the world’s premiere, invitation-only forum dedicated to energy efficiency. While the event is only half way over, the energy efficiency conversations during today’s panels, dialogues and networking events have already set the tone for shaping the future of efficiency policies and practices.

With the surface transportation authorization expiring on May 31, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ranking Member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, will host a public roundtable tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, for Democratic Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to showcase projects in their districts that are stalled due to uncertainty of federal surface transportation funding.  The Norton roundtable is during National Infrastructure Week (May 11-15), and will take place with just six legislative days until the expiration of federal highway and transit programs.  The roundtable will also feature a panel of transportation experts and officials

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) will unveil the first phase of the comprehensive redevelopment of Skyline Terrace (formerly Addison Terrace), during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will be immediately followed by tours of Skyline’s community center and an open house held in a recently completed townhome

Nationwide, the solar industry employs 174,000 Americans and pumps nearly $18 billion a year into the U.S. economy. Resch said this remarkable growth is due, in large part, to smart and effective public policies, such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), Net Energy Metering (NEM) and RPS laws.