WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced today that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have reached a significant milestone, completing more than 3 million foreclosure prevention actions since the start of conservatorship in September 2008. FHFA noted this milestone in its third quarter Foreclosure Prevention Report (also known as the Federal Property Manager’s Report), which details results of foreclosure prevention programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has announced the finalists for NAHB’s 2014 Best of 50+ Housing Awards, the premier design and marketing competition for the 50+ housing industry. A total of 63 entries were chosen as finalists and are eligible for either a Gold or Silver Award from NAHB’s 50+ Housing Council

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 23, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today the Senate unanimously passed H.R. 623, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act. The bill directs the Indian Health Service to transfer a 2.79 acre parcel of federal ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction firms added jobs in 39 states over the past 12 months, while employment nearly stabilized in the remainder, according to an analysis released today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials cautioned that the industry’s recovery was still relatively fragile, noting that a number of states experiencing large annual gains lost jobs during the past month.

DES MOINES - December 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Wells Fargo, the nation’s leading home mortgage lender today announced that 59 nonprofits were awarded grants totaling $11.4 million from the UrbanLIFTSM Community Grant Program to help strengthen neighborhoods in 25 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, authorities in 49 states, and the District of Columbia are filing a proposed court order requiring the country’s largest nonbank mortgage servicer to compensate consumers for years of systemic and significant servicing errors. Ocwen Financial Corporation and its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, must refund $125 million to people who have already lost their homes. And they must provide $2 billion in relief to current homeowners who are underwater and in danger of losing their homes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), authorities in 49 states, and the District of Columbia filed a proposed court order requiring the country’s largest nonbank mortgage loan servicer, Ocwen Financial Corporation, and its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, to provide $2 billion in principal reduction to underwater borrowers. The consent order addresses Ocwen’s systemic misconduct at every stage of the mortgage servicing process. Ocwen must also refund $125 million to the nearly 185,000 borrowers who have already been foreclosed upon and it must adhere to significant new homeowner protections

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 20, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department announced today that developer Douglas Pauley and entities affiliated with him have agreed to pay $110,000 and make all retrofits required to remove accessibility barriers at 30 apartment complexes, involving more than 750 units, in West Virginia that were developed through the federal government’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. The parties’ agreement will settle the United States’ claims that defendants violated the Fair Housing Act by building the complexes with a variety of features that made them inaccessible to persons with disabilities.

SAN FRANCISCO and WASHINGTON, DC - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Wells Fargo & Company, America’s largest mortgage lender, and NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit organization which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes and improve their lives, today announced more than 5,000 low- to moderate-income adults have become homeowners with the help of homebuyer education and down-payment assistance offered through LIFT programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Existing-home sales fell in November, although median prices continue to show strong year-over-year growth, according to the National Association of Realtors

SAN DIEGO, - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- In its monthly Property Intelligence Report (PIR), DataQuick®, a provider of advanced real estate information solutions powered by data, analytics and decisioning, shows decreased home sales in all but 12 of the 42 reporting counties during the month of November. Over the last year, sales growth has been near zero or decreasing in half of the PIR’s reported markets

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 19, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced a Mayoral Executive Directive ordering all City departments that have the legal authority over the permitting or mapping of new or existing housing to prioritize in their administrative work plans the construction and development of all net new housing including permanently affordable housing. Mayor Lee ordered City departments to prioritize 100 percent permanently affordable developments and then prioritize thereafter residential developments based on the proportion of permanently affordable units produced onsite or offsite through the City’s inclusionary housing program as defined by Section 415 of the San Francisco Planning Code

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) launched a campaign to educate the public about the new protections provided by the Bureau’s mortgage rules. The Bureau is releasing educational materials in advance of the January 10, 2014 effective dates for its mortgage rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for November 2013:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Led by a solid increase in both single-family and multifamily starts, nationwide housing production rose 22.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million in November, according to figures released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Do business smarter by getting the latest economic information from two nationally-recognized economists at the HBA’s annual economic forecast, Wednesday, January 15. Speakers include David Crowe, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, the National Association of Home Builders, and Chris Kuehl, Co-founder and Managing Director, Armada Intelligence

Washington, D.C. - December 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today sent a Notice to the Federal Register concerning Orders issued to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks (the regulated entities) requiring reporting of annual stress testing results. The Orders, which include the stress test scenarios, were issued on November 26, 2013 under FHFA’s final stress testing rule. The stress tests, required by the Dodd-Frank Act, are designed to determine whether the regulated entities have the capital necessary to absorb losses as a result of adverse economic conditions. FHFA also issued Summary Instructions and Guidance including revised templates the regulated entities will use to report the results of the testing.

La Jolla, CA. - December 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bay Area home sales dipped again in November, constrained by supply and market uncertainty amid mixed economic news. Prices continued their year-and-a-half-long upward march. Purchase and mortgage patterns are moving slowly but steadily toward long-term norms, a real estate information service reported.

Washington, D.C. - December 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects selected Ivenue Love-Stanley, FAIA, to receive the 2014 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. The award was granted in recognition of Love-Stanley’s career-long dedication to bringing design to underserved communities and to making design education, and education in general, inclusive and accessible to all. Love-Stanley will be honored in June at the 2014 AIA National Convention in Chicago.

WASHINGTON - December 16, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $14.8 million to preserve affordable rental assistance for elderly tenants living in subsidized properties. This funding is provided through HUD’s Senior Preservation Rental Assistance Contracts (SPRACs) and is targeted for properties in HUD’s Section 202 “Supportive Housing for the Elderly” program where rental assistance may expire without this important preservation tool.

In his opening statement at a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the National Historic Preservation Act, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the Committee’s Ranking Member, emphasized the importance of protecting America’s public lands by preserving opportunities for communities to have a voice in permitting decisions.

Homeownership is not out of reach with AmeriCU Credit Union and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York’s Homebuyer Dream Program (HDP), Homebuyer Dream Program Plus (HDP Plus), and the New Homebuyer Dream Program Wealth Builder (HDP Wealth Builder).

NFHA applauds U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston’s decision to temporarily block the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs during the government shutdown. NFHA strongly condemns the Administration’s decision to issue reduction-in-force (RIF) notices to more than 400 employees on Friday, according to press reports and court documents.

Last night, the Senate voted to confirm a package of 107 nominees that included Craig Trainor to be Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

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