RealEstateRama

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) commends the Maryland Legislature for passing SB 750 / HB 769, which prohibits local jurisdictions from weakening the wind design and windborne debris provisions of the Maryland Building Performance Standards. The bill is on its way to Governor Martin O’Malley who is expected to sign it soon.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Rebuilding Together, a safe and healthy housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home, recently earned a 4-star charity rating (the highest rating) for the ninth consecutive year from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator. With this year’s rating, Rebuilding Together is now included in the top group of only 1 percent of the charities rated, which have received at least nine consecutive 4-star Charity Navigator evaluations, demonstrating the nonprofit’s exceptional performance

ERIE COUNTY, NY - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined by members of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), elected officials, representatives of community development organizations, and members of civil rights organizations in proclaiming April 2013 as “Fair Housing Month” in Erie County. On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, banning discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or family status.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched an initiative to build an open-source database of real-world performance from solar facilities across the country. As part of DOE’s SunShot Initiative, the Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse (O-SPaRC) will give the private market tools to develop investment vehicles to tap low-cost public capital.

Reston, Virginia - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that Judge John C. Brown of the Montana 18th Judicial District Court ruled in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS) and other defendants, rejecting a multi-count wrongful foreclosure complaint

WASHINGTON, DC - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Payments to 4.2 million borrowers are scheduled to begin on April 12 following an agreement reached by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board with 13 mortgage servicers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Two consumer advocacy groups today outlined how state lawmakers can bolster safeguards to prevent unnecessary foreclosures. The recommendations by the Center for Responsible Lending and Consumers Union would close gaps left by new federal mortgage servicing rules and by last year’s settlement among 49 state attorneys general, federal officials and the five biggest mortgage servicers.

Washington, D.C. - April 9, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Once raised on “Bonanza,” and “Gunsmoke,” today Baby Boomers in record numbers are building dream homes made from logs. Boomers are drawn to these rustic residences because they offer a sense of sanctuary and a connection to nature that no stick frame home can duplicate

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) announced a $125,000 grant from Capital One Financial Corporation to support work to identify new scalable opportunities to help disadvantaged entrepreneurs achieve upward economic mobility. The grant will facilitate a partnership between CFED and several microenterprise organizations, including Accion Texas, Inc., the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), the Enterprise Development Group (EDG) in the Washington, DC metro area, and others.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Moody’s Investors Service, a leading provider of credit ratings, research and risk analysis, has reaffirmed Morris County’s Aaa bond rating, the first rating review since the introduction of th...

AUSTIN, TX - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The market for vacation home sales in 2012 showed continued signs of strength, with a 10% increase in sales from the prior year and a 24% increase in the median sales price, the first rise in three years, according to the 2013 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR)

NEW YORK, NY - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has executed an agreement to renew its lease for 595,000 square feet at 425 Lexington in Midtown Manhattan. Encompassing 26 floors of the 31-story building, the lease will be reset to expire in 2033. The lease extension will become effective subject to typical lender consent or upon completion of the sale and payment of the mortgage, which is due in August 2013.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Employees of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were recently recognized by industry peers for their work in grid integration, industry advancement and electrochemistry. NREL was also named an Outstanding Large Company by IEEE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- In spite of declines in incomes and affordable housing, federal investments in smart strategies have led to significant declines in chronic and veteran homelessness. However, worsening economic and housing indicators threaten progress. And recent budget cuts could mean less investment in solutions that have led to declines in homelessness, like permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals and homeless assistance funding for communities.

Hamilton, NJ - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New Jersey Builders Association (NJBA), the voice of New Jersey’s building industry, announced today that Timothy J. Touhey, CEO, resigned effective April 12. He has accepted a position as Senior Vice President with Investors Bank beginning on May 6

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- There will be many opinions as to whether buying a new home vs buying a resale home is best.

BOSTON - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Weston real estate developer and entrepreneur who was apprehended in Cyprus nearly eight months after he was indicted on federal criminal charges was convicted yesterday of wire fraud in connection with hi...

Reston, Virginia - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that a three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling that rejected a borrower complaint seeking to stop the non-judicial foreclosure of his property

WASHINGTON, DC - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- This month Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) marks the 25th anniversary of its Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS®) program, a unique risk-sharing model that provides financing to the multifamily housing market. Fannie Mae relies primarily on the DUS network of 24 financial institutions and independent mortgage lenders to execute its multifamily business. In 2012, 98 percent of the multifamily debt Fannie Mae acquired was delivered through the DUS platform. Since the program was formally announced to participating lenders on April 4, 1988, Fannie Mae and its lender partners have provided more than $270 billion in liquidity to the mortgage market under the DUS program to finance more than 5.8 million units of multifamily housing

ALEXANDRIA, VA - April 8, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- A federal grand jury has charged Robert Mikail, 40, and Ging-Hwang “Felicia” Tsoa, 58, both of Ashburn, Virginia, with conspiracy and bank fraud charges related to their alleged roles in a $20 million mortgage fraud scheme involving more than 35 homes.