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Mortgage Credit Availability Increases in August
Mortgage credit availability increased slightly in August according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool.
MBA Statement on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Relief Efforts
David H. Stevens, President & CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), released the following statement in response to questions about what steps homeowners should take if their homes suffered damage from Hurricanes Harvey or Irma.
Statement from NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald on HUD Suspending FHA Multifamily Mortgage Insurance Applications...
Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Kerrville, Texas, today issued the following statement regarding the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s decision to halt new FHA multifamily mortgage insurance applications in counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey and designated as Presidentially Declared Disaster areas
Habitat Hammers Back: Habitat for Humanity receives major support for hurricane recovery as leading...
Four organizations will serve as keystone partners of Habitat for Humanity’s response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, each making contributions of $1 million or more to support the Habitat Hammers Back initiative. The gifts from the Dow Chemical Company, General Motors, Thrivent Financial and a group of American wind energy companies will support on-the-ground responses to the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and other affected areas.
MISMO Seeks Input on Online Notary Standards
MISMO®, the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization, is inviting mortgage industry participants to collaborate on developing new electronic and online notary standards and best practices for use within the mortgage process
Report Profiles Solar Manufacturers, Some of the 600 Solar Manufacturing Success Stories
The release of the First Edition of Profiles in American Solar Manufacturing highlights some of the 600 American solar manufacturing facilities that have achieved success in the solar boom, and that themselves will be severely injured if a trade case brought by two deeply flawed solar cell companies is successful.
5 Ways Congress Can Help to Rebuild Stronger and Safer Communities After Harvey
Congress must help communities devastated by Hurricane Harvey become more resilient to extreme weather, flooding, and other climate change risks, according to a new column from the Center for American Progress.
Online home furnishings retailer The Mine makes a commitment to Habitat for Humanity ReStores...
Online home furnishings retailer The Mine continues its commitment to Habitat for Humanity for the fourth year through product donations with a retail value of $1 million to Habitat for Humanity ReStore resale outlets.
Statement from NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald on Immigration Reform
Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Kerrville, Texas, issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced it would wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has allowed young people known as “Dreamers” who were brought to this country illegally as children to live and work
Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage applications increased 3.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 1, 2017.
Appraisal Institute Joins 35 Groups Seeking to Halt Appraisal Waivers
The Appraisal Institute, the nations largest professional association of real estate appraisers, on Wednesday joined with nearly three dozen appraiser organizations in asking Congress to call on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to prevent Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae from issuing appraisal waivers.
BCER GROUP AND WISH FOR WHEELS PARTNER TO BRING BIKES TO MERCY HOUSING CHILDREN
Thanks to the BCER Group and Wish for Wheels, two Colorado organizations, dozens of children living at Parkside Apartments in Denver, Colorado now have bikes! On August 11, 2017, BCER Engineering, a Colorado-based engineering firm, partnered with Wish for Wheels, a nonprofit that gives bikes to kids from low-income families, to build 25 bikes for the children living at Parkside Apartments, a Mercy Housing community in Denver, Colorado.
MISMO Seeks Input on New Closing Instruction Standards for the Mortgage Industry
MISMO, the mortgage industry's standards organization, is inviting industry participants to collaborate on new closing instruction standards, which will be designed to improve communication and avoid delays during the closing process.
Realtor® Good Neighbor Award Finalists Honored for Their Tireless Efforts to Give Back
The National Association of Realtors® has honored 10 Realtors® as finalists of REALTOR® Magazine’s 2017 Good Neighbor Awards. This award honors Realtors® who make an extraordinary impact on their community through volunteer work.
With National Flood Insurance Program Expiring Soon, Realtors® Sound the Alarm
The National Flood Insurance Program is now less than one month away from expiration, raising concerns that homeowners, consumers, and commercial property owners could soon find themselves either unprotected or unable to get a mortgage.
SEIA Comments on Today’s Nevada PUC Ruling on AB 405
Following is a statement from Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): “Nevadans have said loud and clear they want the choice to install solar on their own homes and see solar jobs grow again in Nevada.
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ADDS 28,000 JOBS IN AUGUST AFTER SPENDING DROP IN JULY, BUT CONTRACTORS...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) release the following statement today, in regards to the water quality of flood-impacted areas from Hurricane Harvey
Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC. Convicted of Worker Safety and Clean Water Act...
Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC (BEE), a privately held limited liability company headquartered in Houston, Texas, was sentenced today on eight felony violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and one misdemeanor count of violating the Clean Water Act before the Honorable U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
MBA Statement on Hurricane Harvey and Relief Efforts
David H. Stevens, CMB, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), made the following statement on Hurricane Harvey. "I want to offer my condolences and sympathy to the millions of people affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.
NAHB Urges Administration to Come to Lumber Agreement as Storm Rebuilding Process Begins
Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Kerrville, Texas, issued the following statement on Hurricane Harvey and its potential effects on lumber prices as Gulf Coast residents prepare to rebuild after the catastrophic storm.
NAHB Calls on Administration to Protect Consumers Against Price Gouging as Communities Rebuild
Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Kerrville, Texas, issued the following statement on the need for fairly priced building materials as the people of Texas and Louisiana look to rebuild their communities following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.
MBA Statement on HECM Program Changes
David H. Stevens, CMB, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), made the following statement on the recently announced changes to the Home Equity Conversion (HECM) program. "MBA applauds the announcement by HUD that it is modifying premiums and distribution limits in the HECM program, moves designed to strengthen the FHA fund and lessen risk to taxpayers.
DHCD Announces Supportive Housing NOFA
On August 29, 2017, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) released a supportive housing Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the National Housing Trust Fund (HTF) and other DHCD funding sources.
Baker-Polito Administration Awards $2.2 Million for Community Scale Housing Initiative
The Baker-Polito Administration awarded the inaugural $2.2 million round of Community Scale Housing Initiative awards for the development and construction of 36 new affordable rental housing units in Arlington, Norwell, and West Tisbury.
SEIA Announces New Model Contract to Simplify Development and Open Investment Capital
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released today a new model contract to pave the way for more development of solar in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. The model power purchase agreement (PPA) for commercial customers was developed by SEIA’s C&I Working Group and vetted by some of the top law firms, development entities and financiers in the U.S.
Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage applications decreased 2.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 25, 2017
Independent Mortgage Bank Production Profits Improved in 2nd Quarter
Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a net gain of $1,122 on each loan they originated in the second quarter of 2017, up from a reported gain of $224 per loan in the first quarter of 2017, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported today in its Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report
SEVENTY-PERCENT OF CONTRACTORS HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING QUALIFIED CRAFT WORKERS TO HIRE AMID...
Seventy percent of construction firms report they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released today by Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that many firms are changing the way they operate, recruit and compensate, but cautioned that chronic labor shortages could have significant economic impacts absent greater investments in career and technical education
Appraisal Institute Accepts CEO’s Resignation
The Board of Directors of the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Frederick H. Grubbe, MBA, CAE, on Thursday after more than 10 years of service.
Statement on Hurricane Harvey
Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, issued the following statement in response to news about Hurricane Harvey: Over the weekend, as Hurricane Harvey pummeled south Texas with deadly winds and heavy rains, leaving thousands of people in the Houston area displaced, it brought the reality of homelessness to the fore for millions.
