Insurance

The Housing and Insurance subcommittee held a hearing to examine international factors affecting domestic insurance markets.  Subcommittee members questioned hearing witnesses on the various international regulatory standards being considered by the G-20, the Financial Stability Board, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, and other international supervisory authorities.  In addition, today’s hearing gave members the first real opportunity to examine the covered agreement negotiations between the United States and the European Union.

Over 40 percent of American homebuyers feel taken advantage of or are confused by the calculation of title insurance fees on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new mortgage disclosures, according to a new study by the American Land Title Association (ALTA)

Chairman Luetkemeyer, Ranking Member Cleaver, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today on the impact of U.S. – EU dialogues on insurance markets. Today’s hearing focuses on prudential aspects of international insurance matters, including the prospect of an agreement on such matters between the United States and the European Union.  With respect to these topics, Congress granted the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) the following authority

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today urged Congress to oppose the inappropriate use of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to change the focus of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) away from protecting lives and property due to flooding loss

Just within the last month the U.S. experienced the first hurricane hitting Florida in more than a decade, historic flooding in Louisiana, and the strongest earthquake on record in Oklahoma. Because Mother Nature has the power to change lives overnight, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) is urging property owners to take a “Disaster Reality Check” regarding their preparedness and ability to recover from a natural disaster or other emergency.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) made the following comments after President Obama signed into law H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) delivered the following opening statement at a hearing with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro about sudden policy changes the Secretary is making to the sale of nonperforming loans insured by the government

Extreme flood insurance rate hikes and inaccurate floodplain maps drive up the cost of homeownership and threaten small businesses, the nation’s home builders told Congress today

Flood insurance costs continue to put small businesses and homeownership at risk, but the National Association of Realtors® told U.S. Senators today that a range of solutions are on the horizon

The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA Rural Development) announced the winners of the National Multi-Family Housing Maintenance People of the Year for 2016. We are proud to announce Al Baxter, Maintenance Mentor at Willow Landing Apartments I & II, was one of two recipients of this award. This is the second year USDA Rural Development has given an award for Maintenance Person of the Year

The way to achieve resilience in U.S. communities is through an approach that incorporates input, consensus, leadership and action from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from insurance and finance-related companies, lenders and foundations; forward-thinking communities and government agencies; and important decision makers, including homeowners, businesses and utilities.

Legislation will reduce disaster losses and save lives by shifting the federal focus to pre-disaster mitigation and resilient construction. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today applauded Reps. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., and Albio Sires, D-N.J., for the introduction of bipartisan legislation to focus federal disaster policy on preventing losses.

Property owners who opt to purchase flood insurance in the private market rather than through the National Flood Insurance Program may do so under current rules, but they risk paying higher rates if they return to the NFIP. H.R. 2901, the "Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act," passed the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 419-0 and seeks to alleviate that concern

Freedom Mortgage Corporation has agreed to pay the United States $113 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting single family mortgage loans insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet applicable requirements for the FHA insurance program, the Justice Department announced today.  Freedom Mortgage Corporation is headquartered in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.

NAMB—The Association of Mortgage Professionals has commended the House Financial Services Committee for taking up HR 2901, the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act of 2015

Members of the National Apartment Association (NAA) and nearly 170 affiliated associations this week turned out for their largest ever advocacy campaign, both on Capitol Hill and in congressional districts from coast to coast. Telling lawmakers that apartments work, industry members emphasized that lawmakers must enact public policies that promote rather than obstruct the industry’s ability to provide housing and jobs.

Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, David A. Montoya, Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Frederick W. Gibson, Acting Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today announced the settlement of claims against Continental Mortgage Bankers d/b/a Financial Equities and its president, Walter Stashin, in United States v. Rainy Day Holdings, LLC. et al., Civil Action No. CV-15-5576. The case is pending in federal court in Central Islip before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.

January 28, HUD announced that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce its multifamily insurance rates to stimulate the production and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing. These rate reductions, effective April 1, will apply to the FHA-HFA Risk-Sharing program and other FHA multifamily housing programs that help finance properties housing low-income families and developments installing energy-efficient systems or building within federal energy guidelines.

National Association of Realtors® members now have access to two new offerings through the Realtors® Insurance Marketplace; members now have access to Realtors® Vision Insurance plans and Members TeleHealth, a telemedicine service plan

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan Special Agent Jeremiah Gonzalez passes the Universal Insurance Company building in Caguas, Puerto Rico every day.