RealEstateRama

WASHINGTON, DC - June 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced that the District will hold the 3rd Annual D.C. Housing Expo and Foreclosure Clinic on Saturday, June 4, 2011, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The Expo includes resources for all District residents, including information for renters, homeowners, potential homeowners, landlords and those facing foreclosure.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced Green Refinance Plus a program between HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Fannie Mae to allow owners of existing affordable rental housing properties to refinance into new mortgages that include funding for energy- and water-saving upgrades, along with other needed property renovations

WASHINGTON, DC - June 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced 122 grants totaling more than $28 million to provide approximately 17,000 veterans who are homeless or at risk of being homeless with job training to help them succeed in civilian careers.

Greenbelt, MD - June 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bozzuto Management Company, a subsidiary of The Bozzuto Group of companies, today announced the addition of 11 additional properties to its portfolio. The assets, totaling 3,200 units, are a combination of new openings and property takeovers, and collectively increase the company’s portfolio to 33,000 units. Bozzuto Management is honored to now serve 55 clients in 115 properties across eight East Coast states from Richmond, Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts.

MILFORD, CT - May 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- TMS Funding, the wholesale residential lending channel of Total Mortgage Services, LLC, announced today the hiring of five additional Wholesale Account Executives, with 72 years of combined experience in developing new business relationships and supporting high quality mortgage brokers. These new hires increase the number of Wholesale Account Executives at TMS Funding to 12, servicing 10 states.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The latest National Delinquency Survey issued by the Mortgage Bankers Association for the first quarter shows late mortgage payments and foreclosure starts have been dropping since the end of 2009. However, when you view the bigger picture, the housing market remains shaky, with millions of homeowners still at risk of losing their home.

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced she has subpoenaed Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS), as part of her continuing probe into "robosigning" of mortgage documents and other illegal activities in the mortgage servicing industry, especially misconduct affecting borrowers facing, or in the midst of, foreclosure

NEW YORK, NY - May 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Chase this month opens three of the 31 new centers it will add this year to help even more borrowers in hard-hit communities stay in their homes. Chase counselors already have met face to face with 144,000 struggling homeowners in centers since 2009.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today announced settlements with two lenders under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to resolve allegations that the lenders wrongfully foreclosed upon active duty servicemembers without first obtaining court orders, in violation of the SCRA. Combined, the settlements provide more than $22 million in monetary relief for the victims

CHICAGO, IL - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Though not ready to declare the economy is on the upswing, Wells Fargo Securities economist Mark Vitner told attendees at the recent midyear conference of The Counselors of Real Estate® in San Diego that the economic decline—at least in commercial real estate—is over. Members of the invitation-only The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE®) association are top advisors in real estate matters throughout the U.S. and abroad.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that among those who moved between 2009 and 2010, more than four out of 10 (16.4 million or 43.7 percent) did so for housing-related reasons, such as the desire to live in a new or better home or apartment, according to data from Geographical Mobility: 2010. Among other reasons for moving, people cited family concerns (30.3 percent), such as a change in marital status, employment needs (16.4 percent) and other factors (9.5 percent).

NEW YORK, N.Y. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates dropped again, with the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate falling to 4.77 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.4 discount and origination points.

PLEASANTON, CA - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ellie Mae®(NYSE Amex:ELLI), the provider of software and automation solutions for mortgage bankers, community banks, credit unions and other mortgage lenders, announced today that it has launched the Total Quality Loan (TQL) program, a new initiative to promote total loan quality for loans originated through Encompass360® Mortgage Management Solution. This program builds upon the company's strategy to provide a comprehensive mortgage solution that extends beyond standard loan origination functions by offering supplemental services that enhance loan quality and compliance, and help reduce many of the major risks throughout the mortgage cycle.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service has announced an $8.3 million grant competition to provide job training, counseling and placement services (including job readiness, and literacy and skills training) to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force through its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

AUSTIN, TX - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Vacation homes aren’t just for rest and relaxation; they are also a satisfying, moneymaking venture for many owners. HomeAway, Inc. – the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace – finds in its latest “HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report” that 81 percent of vacation home owners who rent their homes to travelers are satisfied with the overall experience.

San Francisco, CA - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Oliver Burgelman, long-time agent at Zephyr Real Estate, has created a new web tool to demonstrate how the real estate market in San Francisco is trending. The website, allows viewers to instantly see on a San Francisco map whether the average price per square foot is increasing or decreasing. This unique market-trends tool shows properties currently available for sale in all of San Francisco, or by one of the 10 MLS districts, by neighborhood or by a customized “price square” of the viewer’s choosing.

WASHINGTON, D.C - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- “Today’s report shows that the banking industry continues to gain strength. For a year now, asset quality has steadily improved, loan losses have declined, and capital is at record highs. This forward momentum helps solidify the base for making new loans to bolster growth in the expanding economy. “Banks added nearly $25 billion in equity capital during the first quarter and total industry capital is now more than $1.5 trillion. Banks also have set aside more than $218 billion in reserves to cover possible loan losses. Capital plus reserves gives a total buffer protecting the industry of more than $1.7 trillion. This demonstrates strong industry-wide improvement and a continued build-up of underlying strength. In addition, the industry capital-to-assets ratio – a key measure of financial strength – continues to remain very strong and ended the quarter at an all-time high.

Brookfield, WI - May 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Inlanta Mortgage is proud to announce Mid America Mortgage Services, of Overland Park, Kan., has merged its operations with Inlanta Mortgage. The merger brings Kevin & Cindy Laffey to Inlanta with more than 20 years of experience, along with a highly experienced team of mortgage professionals. Laffey and his team have ranked in the top of the Business Journal’s “Top 25” in Kansas City

CHICAGO, LONDON, SINGAPORE - May 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Cross-border direct commercial real estate investment volumes reached US$37 billion in Q1 2011, up 25 percent from a year ago, according to the recent Global Capital Flows report from Jones Lang LaSalle. Inter-regional volumes (capital moving between the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific) rose to US$26 billion, a 70 percent increase over Q1 2010. This emphasises the appetite real estate investors have for acquiring foreign assets and far exceeds the 40 percent gain across the total market (cross border plus domestic investment) in the first quarter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The DESCO Group of St. Louis today announced USAA Real Estate Company of San Antonio as its new equity partner in the ownership of 28 shopping centers totaling over 2.3 million square feet and anchored by Schnucks supermarkets in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee. DESCO will be the managing member of the new venture