Monthly Archives: January 2011

EMERYVILLE, CA - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The number of home listings within 26 major U.S. metropolitan areas slipped 5.27 percent in December 2010, compared to a month prior, according to a monthly report of homes listed for sale on Multiple Listing Services (MLS) in the markets surveyed by national real estate brokerage, ZipRealty (www.ziprealty.com; NASDAQ: ZIPR).

Washington, D.C. - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is conducting a pilot project in collaboration with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) to help reverse mortgage borrowers who are struggling to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) WHAT: The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Annual State of the Real Estate Finance Industry Media Conference Call.Among the issues MBA representatives will discuss are the state of the industry, MBA's legislative and regulatory agenda for 2011 (including Dodd-Frank Act Implementation, GSE/secondary market reform, tax reform and residential loan servicing) and MBA's new three-year macro-economic and mortgage finance/housing forecasts.

McLean, VA - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) recently funded its first mortgage using the new mezzanine finance arrangement. Freddie Mac purchased a $47 million first mortgage from M&T Capital Realty Corp. for a property in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. The borrower, Metropolitan Apartments at Camp Springs L.L.C., secured a mezzanine loan for $6.75 million from Berkshire Properties

Washington, DC - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Today, the national talk radio show produced by the National Association of Realtors®, celebrates its 100th show this weekend. Now the fastest growing real estate show in the country, Real Estate Today can be heard on more than 120 stations across the U.S, including in every top-10 market.

PORTLAND, OR - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Pulte Homes is opening its first community in the Portland market, offering homebuyers a prime location, distinctive homes and great value. The public is invited to tour the new model homes at the grand opening of Summer Creek by Pulte Homes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 15 and Sunday, January 16.

WASHINGTON, DC - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International today announced the 29 buildings that make up the latest class of buildings to earn the BOMA 360 Performance Program designation. The BOMA 360 Performance Program is a groundbreaking program designed to recognize commercial properties that demonstrate best practices in building operations and management

McLean, VA - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey®(PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long- and short-term rates

WASHINGTON, DC - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today a joint partnership between the two agencies to help nearly 1,000 non-elderly Americans with disabilities leave nursing homes or other healthcare facilities to live independently. This is the first time two federal agencies are offering a combination of rental assistance, health care and other supportive services targeted to this population.

WASHINGTON, DC - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) today launched WaysHome, a free, interactive multi-media tool 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 in 2011. As part of Fannie Mae's "Know Your Options" initiative to help struggling homeowners, the WaysHome video uses innovative technology to allow homeowners to put themselves in real-life situations, make informed choices and immediately see the outcomes of those actions

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 created new declining cities, and posed further difficulties for cities already in decline. Some cities may not re-attain home price peaks for many years, and could see some neighborhoods cease to be viable economically, according to a study released today from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- MBA's CREF Convention & Expo is the nation's largest annual commercial real estate finance/multifamily housing industry event. Members of the media are encouraged to attend general sessions and panel discussions to gather the most up-to-date information on commercial real estate trends and business practices as well as the industry's economic outlook for 2011

VIENNA, VA - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today released its third quarter 2010 mortgage fraud report, Mortgage Loan Fraud SAR Filings. The report shows that suspicious activity reports (SARs) characterized by filers as indicating possible mortgage loan fraud (MLF) increased 2 percent to 16,693 in the third quarter of 2010 up from 16,339 MLF SARs in the 2009 third quarter.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates continue to yo-yo up and down, with the average rate on the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate falling back to 4.94 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.42 discount and origination points

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing professionals from across the country and abroad will convene at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 12-15, for the 2011 International Builders’ Show (IBS), the housing industry’s largest annual trade show and exhibition. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) event, held in one of the largest convention centers in the country, will feature the most cutting-edge designs, technologies, and products for all segments of the industry

WASHINGTON, DC - January 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HOPE NOW, the voluntary, private sector alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers and non-profit counselors, wrapped up its fourth year of outreach efforts and assistance to the nation’s atrisk homeowners. The industry-led organization is poised for a busy 2011 in the areas of, homeowner education/outreach, data reporting on aid to homeowners, technology innovation and mortgage issues management

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the weeks ending December 24, 2010 and December 31, 2010. For the week ending December 24, 2010, the Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 3.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the prior week. For the week ending December 31, 2010, this index increased 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis.

McLean, VA - January 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) announced today that it priced its new 1.375% $6 billion three-year USD Reference Notes® security due on February 25, 2014. The issue, CUSIP number 3137EACR8, was priced at 100 to yield 1.375%, or 27 basis points more than three-year U.S. Treasury Notes. The issue will settle on Thursday, January 6, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - January 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has announced it will participate as an event sponsor at the launch event for Hollywood Hi-Tech, an upcoming show on the DIY Network that will show sophisticated technology installations in celebrity homes. CEDIA will support the show and will work closely with its host to help illustrate the benefits of working with a professional electronic systems contractor

Charlotte, N.C. - January 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The largest privately-held packaging company in the U.S. has relocated and expanded its regional headquarters with the lease of 40,000 square feet in Lakemont Industrial Park. The office had previously been located at Brookwood in smaller space. The new regional headquarters joins Stephen Gould’s existing 122,000-square-feet fulfillment center in Lakemont, which is leased and managed by Crescent Resources.