RealEstateRama

DETROIT, MI - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman of Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc., announced the completion of the purchase of Chase Tower, a 505,000 square foot, 14-story high rise office building occupying a full city block at the foot of Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit’s central business district

LAKE TAHOE, NV - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Homes around Lake Tahoe experienced a 29 percent jump in average price, according to a quarterly report released by Chase International real estate. The figures compare sales and home prices from first quarter 2011 to first quarter 2010.The average price of a home in Lake Tahoe rose to $937,501 and the median is $564,500 (an 11 percent drop). Sales volume is up 23 percent and units sold is up six percent.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HOPE NOW, the voluntary, private sector alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers and non-profit counselors, released its February 2011 loan modification data, which shows that an estimated 87,000 homeowners received permanent, affordable loan modifications from mortgage servicers for the month.

Boston, MA - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A group of major national and local philanthropies today announced the creation of a nonprofit organization to engage, educate, and support funders committed to ending homelessness in America. Funders Together to End Homelessness, started in 2004 as an affinity group of foundation and corporate funders, is now an independent organization of private philanthropies whose mission is to increase funders’ investments in solutions proven to end homelessness. The national organization’s Board of Directors includes representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Fannie Mae, the Melville Charitable Trust, and seven other foundations active in ending homelessness in communities across the country.

IRVINE, CA - April 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce that Manny Gonzalez, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, CAASH and principal of KTGY Group is a keynote speaker on the Multifamily Conference CEO Series on MultifamilyBiz.com, "Designed For Success: Today's 50+ Apartment Communities," which went live on April 5, 2011. This lively, fast-paced 60-minute FREE On-Demand Digital Media Webcast brings to focus what you need to know about the growing 50+ market. Property management expert Ernest F. Oriente of PowerHour® and multifamily technology innovator Kerry W. Kirby, CEO of 365 Connect and MultifamilyBiz.com are the moderators during this free MultifamilyBiz.com + PowerHour Webcast

Washington, DC - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The NAACP will announce the opening of the NAACP Financial Freedom Center, the next phase of an historic agreement with Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) to provide financial education and banking resources to consumers. The Center will be the headquarters of the NAACP Financial Freedom Campaign, an initiative to influence change in the banking industry, prevent unfair mortgage lending practices, protect the community against predatory mortgage lending practices, improve fair credit access, and promote sustainable homeownership, financial education and wealth building strategies in historically disadvantaged communities. The agreement with Wells Fargo and NAACP was initiated last year, and also includes a process for sharing data, assessing Wells Fargo's lending and servicing practices, and shared accountability for progress.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) today launched "Las Opciones de los Casas," a teleseries for the Spanish-speaking community designed to educate homeowners about their options to avoid foreclosure, empower them to make informed decisions and motivate them to take action and seek help. Through a partnership with Univision, the teleseries debuted as a television broadcast in Miami on March 28, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Fannie Mae's South Florida Mortgage Help Center. Las Opciones de Los Casas, part of the Company's "Know Your Options™" initiative to help struggling homeowners, is now available on www.conozcasusopciones.com.

ATLANTA, GA - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)], the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced today the openings of three new Staybridge Suites hotels, all featuring the new innovative design created by Savannah College of Art and Design's (SCAD) interior design students. Home to one of the top five interior-design programs in the country, the school partnered with IHG to completely refresh the Staybridge Suites standardized room-décor packages.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Positioning a city as progressive and innovative in the post-recession economy is, perhaps more than ever before, requiring public officials to “think and act like entrepreneurs” to maximize the economic development potential of anchor institutions such as higher education and medical facilities, alternative energy-related industries, and biotechnology firms, according to a new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

WASHINGTON, DC - April 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) held a hearing entitled “Public Proposals for the Future of the Housing Finance System.” The hearing was part of the Committee’s ongoing discussion regarding the future of the American housing finance system.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) today launched the Enterprise Community Impact Note to provide an easy way for individuals and organizations to invest in green affordable housing. The innovative financial product raises money from investors to build or preserve affordable housing and community enhancing projects, while providing financial returns that rival those of traditional CDs.

March 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of Finance is announcing the publication of the 2010 Combined Financial Report (CFR) of the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks). This report has been prepared from the audited financial information of the 12 FHLBanks. Each of the 12 FHLBanks has filed its 2010 Form 10-K with the SEC. Current financial reports and other SEC filings for individual FHLBanks can be obtained by searching the EDGAR database.

AUSTIN, TX - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- While the overall residential real estate market is still down, sales of vacation homes fared better than sales of primary residences and investment properties in 2010. In fact, some consumers found low real estate prices, attractive mortgage rates and the potential for price appreciation compelling enough reasons to buy more than half a million vacation homes last year, according to proprietary research commissioned by HomeAway, Inc. as part of the National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) 2011 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) issued the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 839 to eliminate the failed Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), which is funded by $30 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money.

VIENNA, VA - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today released its analysis of suspicious activity reports (SARs) that call attention to possible fraud in the commercial real estate financing arena. The analysis, Commercial Real Estate Financing Fraud Suspicious Activity Reports by Depository Institutions, found that reported incidences of suspicious activity in commercial real estate financing as reported by depository institutions filing SARs almost tripled between 2007 and 2010, the period which FinCEN examined.

DES PLAINES, IL - March 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Whether you are planning to take advantage of the buyer's market this Spring, are looking to sell or rent or expecting to stay in your current home for years to come, now is a great time to schedule a home inspection. According to the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), April is National Home Inspection Month and the association is reminding consumers about the importance of hiring a certified home inspector.

A new rule unveiled today by the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission would ratchet up mortgage lending restrictions to such an extent that they would disrupt the housing market and undermine an already-fragile recovery.

VIENNA, VA - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in its new report, Mortgage Loan Fraud SAR Filings In Fourth Quarter and Calendar Year 2010, today released full year data showing the number of suspicious activity reports involving mortgage loan fraud (MLF SARs) increased 4 percent in 2010 to 70,472 compared with 67,507 MLF SARs filed in 2009. The report also shows that the growth rate of MLF SARs began to slow over the last two to three years. Looking at just the 2010 fourth quarter, filers submitted 18,759 MLF SARs, a 1 percent decrease from the 18,884 filings over the same period in 2009.

IRVINE, CA - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce that Manny Gonzalez, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, CAASH and principal of KTGY Group will be the keynote speaker on the Multifamily Conference CEO Series on MultifamilyBiz.com, "Designed For Success: Today's 50+ Apartment Communities," on April 5, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. EST. This lively, fast-paced 60-minute FREE On-Demand Digital Media Webcast will bring to focus what you need to know about the growing 50+ market. In this in-depth informative discussion, Gonzalez shares his insight about how the aging Baby Boomers are driving urban infill, redevelopment opportunities and are changing the face of 50+ apartment community design.

DALLAS, TX - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- MRG Document Technologies (MRG), a provider of mortgage document preparation software and compliance technology to banks, credit unions and other lenders nationwide, has successfully completed full lifecycle eNote certification through Xerox Mortgage Services' BlitzDocs® eVault.