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MISMO® the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization recently launched MISMO Connect, a new tool that improves collaboration and communication across the MISMO community. MISMO Connect replaces the previous SharePoint and Listserv tools. MISMO Connect will be the official repository for MISMO documents and workgroup activities.

The National Institute of Building Sciences Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC), with the financial support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the International Code Council (ICC) and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), is beginning a new study to look at the cost effectiveness of disaster mitigation efforts in the public sector, as well as the benefits of using codes to mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the private sector.

October 14, 2016—The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) professional association has named Kevin C. Phelan, CRE, co-chairman of Colliers International, Boston, as the recipient of the 2016 James D. Landauer/John R. White Award–the highest honor conferred by the invitation-only organization.

Many experts believe that, as the heart of each community’s economic base, private-sector businesses need to be a significant part of each community’s resilience efforts. The National Institute of Building Sciences Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) will host a webinar, “How Does Business Continuity Contribute to Community Resilience?” on Tuesday, November 15, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET, to describe the importance of including business continuity (BC) planning activities when discussing community resilience planning.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is hosting a Mayors Challenge National Call on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Join HUD Secretary Julián Castro, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vice President Raymond Towle for a discussion on engaging and partnering with the business community in efforts to end veteran homelessness. All mayors, city staff, community partners, and stakeholders are encouraged to join

The Modular Building Institute’s (MBI) US and Canadian Foundations are pleased to announce two recipients of educational scholarships in 2016. Annually, the foundations provide $5,000 in scholarships to employees of MBI member companies or employee spouses, children, or grandchildren. The US Foundation provides one $2,500 scholarship and the Canadian Foundation provides one $2,500 scholarship. Applicants apply directly to the foundations and must be enrolled or enrolling in two- or four-year schools.

The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA) today announced that Jared Blum, who has led the Washington-based trade association since 1990, will leave at the end of this year.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has officially launched two working groups that will be open to the entire association’s membership. SEIA’s new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) working group will address issues surrounding the reliable production of electricity from solar panels and what’s required to ensure panels are properly maintained.

The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA) today announced the release of a Performance Bulletin evaluating Polyiso and unfaced mineral wool board insulation for use in commercial roof applications. The bulletin assesses the following criteria: thermal performance (R-value), fire performance, compressive strength, weight per installed R-value, water resistance, environmental benefit and economic value.

A little more than a decade after “green” and “sustainable” became vernacular in the commercial real estate industry, investors are finding opportunities for enhanced risk-adjusted financial returns when energy-efficient, sustainable buildings are added to their portfolios. This was the consensus of a panel of experts who spoke last week at The Counselors of Real Estate’s 2016 annual convention in Washington, D.C.

The Center for American Progress will host a panel discussion October 18 at 10 a.m., on efforts to modernize the management of dam infrastructure, remove unneeded dams, and restore the health of American rivers.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for September 2016 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 3 percent relative to September 2015. Compared to August 2016, applications decreased by 7 percent. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns

The Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in PPH Corporation v. CFPB, a case dealing with the CFPB’s ability to order New Jersey mortgage-lending company PPH to pay a $109 million enforcement penalty after the corporation was found offering illegal kickbacks to mortgage insurance partners.

Today, on the 39th anniversary of the date the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) President and CEO John Taylor made the following statement

Rising numbers of female executives, affluent immigrants, younger and older workers, and retirees will have a profound influence on community building in the U.S. over the next ten years, according to a new Urban Land Institute (ULI) report, Demographic Strategies for Real Estate.

The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency’s (DCHFA) Executive Director Todd A. Lee makes his first appointment of Fiscal Year 2017 by naming Christopher E. Donald, Director of Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investments (formerly the Public Finance department)

Student loan debt and high rent prices continue to worsen the homeownership outlook according to data from the fourth annual housing survey from NeighborWorks America. The national telephone survey found nearly one-third (30 percent) of Americans know someone who has delayed the purchase of a home because of student loan debt, up from 28 percent in 2015 and just 24 percent in 2014.

USGBC, conference partner of the 2016 Green Building Expo, announced today that Kay Killmann, president of the German Green Building Association (GGBA) and USGBC’s official business and education partner in Europe’s largest LEED market, will keynote the event.

Mortgage applications decreased 6.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 7, 2016.