RealEstateRama

Bensalem, PA - May 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank) and six area banks had some good news today for first-time homebuyers: they and other Keystone State banks may be able to provide lower-income families with grants to help them meet their down payment and closing costs

Dover, Del. - May 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) announced today that sponsors of four affordable housing developments in the state will receive a total of more than three-quarters of a million dollars in grant money to help them complete their projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, President Obama nominated Congressman Melvin L. “Mel” Watt (D-N.C.) to serve as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the independent federal regulator that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage financiers. Rep. Watt has represented the 12th congressional district of North Carolina since 1993, and he currently serves as the Ranking Member of the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. In addition, Rep. Watt is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, and served as the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2005 to 2006. Following the announcement of his nomination, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued this statement

Reston, Virginia - May 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Below is a monthly summary of major legal decisions involving either the use of the MERS® System database or Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS) and its role in the mortgage process. Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications at MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. with any questions and visit the MERS Newsroom for a full list of news releases.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 2, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the nation struggles to rebuild the housing market and broader economy, the White House’s nomination of Rep. Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is encouraging. Rep. Watt has been in Congress for twenty years, ably serving on the House Financial Services Committee. He was one of the first elected officials to warn about the dangers of subprime lending, offering legislation to nip predatory lending in the bud, and tirelessly advocating for ways to prevent needless home foreclosures

MAY 2013, SALISBURY, MD - May 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ben Alder, an Advisor with Sperry Van Ness – Miller Commercial Real Estate recently listed more than 5,400 acres of timberland valued at nearly $11M in partnership with LandVest. LandVest is a real estate company specializing in Luxury Real Estate and Timberland Services. David King, the Project Manager of the Timberland Division for LandVest is working with Ben Alder to direct the full portfolio of properties being sold. Gary Bahlkow, ACF, the Director of Northern Timberland Transactions for LandVest states, “LandVest operates nationwide in the timberland investment asset class and we rarely find the depth of talent Ben Alder and SVN-Miller bring to this important project.”

Chippewa Township - May 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, one of the four largest real estate companies in the United States, today announced that it has acquired Frank Stefura Realtors in Beaver County, increasing Hanna’s presence in a growing market the company already leads with 30% of the market share of homes sold. Located in a great location on Darlington Road in Chippewa Township, Stefura Realtors will now operate under the Howard Hanna brand.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 1, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is joining forces with the state of California to spur development and preservation of more affordable housing in both urban and rural communities

CHICAGO, IL - April 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Luxury Portfolio International® has expanded its global footprint with the addition of 15 new member firms in the first quarter of the year, with extended coverage throughout Europe, as well as the U.S. and Canada. The network has also welcomed two new communities to its Luxury Development Collection, further supporting the network’s growth

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Wednesday, May 1, Nan Roman, a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Commission, will present the findings of a recently issued report, Housing, America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy, to legislators in a joint House and Senate hearing at 9:30 a.m. in Room 11 at the Vermont State House.

MILL VALLEY, CA - April 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thompson | Dorfman Partners, LLC, a professional developer, owner and manager of multifamily real estate, announced today that industry veteran Gillian Sutton Cho has been hired as vice president of development.

Reston, Virginia - April 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that Oklahoma State District Judge Lori Walkley of the Cleveland County, Oklahoma District Court dismissed a recording fee suit filed by the Cleveland County Board of County Commissioners, ruling in favor of MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - April 30, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Duke Energy Progress has selected 220-acres of undeveloped land in Biscoe in Montgomery County, N.C., to participate in the utility’s 2013 Site Readiness Program.

SACRAMENTO - April 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The California Housing Finance Agency announced today the expansion of its financing program to provide assurances and maintain best efforts that multifamily housing continues to remain affordable for C...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley borrowers differ from those received by borrowers in the same categories with the other 11 servicers. The amounts differ because borrowers whose mortgages were serviced by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were not able to request a review of their foreclosure file

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 29, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an op-ed that appeared this week in The Miami Herald, former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros described reverse mortgages as an “important tool” that for some seniors can finance home modifications that will allow greater independence.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than one million people have cashed or deposited more than $1 billion in checks related to the Independent Foreclosure Review Payment Agreement through April 25

Reston, Virginia - April 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that a five-justice panel of the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a lower court decision in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. ...

ATLANTA http://www.twitter.com/hotelindigo Hotel Indigo®, IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] upscale boutique brand, is continuing its expansion in major U.S. cities with plans for its third hotel in the Chicago market. The hotel, which will be located in the historic downtown area’s Atlantic Bank Building, is expected to open in spring 2014.

Washington, D.C. - April 26, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Land Title Association (ALTA) reminds consumers, whether they are a first-time homebuyer or a senior downsizing their home for retirement, to be prepared for the real estate closing process.