Yearly Archives: 2015

Dekel Capital, a Los Angeles-based real estate merchant bank that specializes in sourcing and placing equity and debt for active middle market commercial real estate developers and investors, has placed $50 million in financing for the construction and development of the Pinnacle Sandy Apartments in the southeast corridor of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The deal was structured as a $36.1 million construction loan through Dekel Capital’s advisory practice and $13.9 million JV-Equity funded by the firm’s proprietary equity fund, Dekel Strategic Investors (DSI)

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird today announced the final environmental review of an innovative landscape-scale blueprint to support renewable energy development and conservation on 10 million acres of federal public lands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the California desert.

The Multi-State Mortgage Committee (MMC) announced a Settlement Agreement and Consent Order between 50 state mortgage regulators and Prospect Mortgage, LLC (NMLS ID 3296). A multi-state examination conducted by eight states revealed a pattern of charging improperly disclosed and unsupported fees paid to the company’s affiliate, C2C Appraisal Services, LLC.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today announced HUD’s latest national one-night estimate of homelessness, highlighting a continuing decline across the nation. The results are based on HUD’s ‘point-in-time’ estimates, which seek to measure the scope of homelessness on a single night in January each year.

The Charles County Department of Public Works would like to remind citizens that the next household hazardous waste collection for this year will be held on Saturday, Dec. 5. The household hazardous waste collection site is located in the parking lot of the Department of Public Works building, located at 10430 Audie Lane, off of Radio Station Road in La Plata. Collection hours are 9 a.m. – 3 p.m

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $145,101 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Project Based Voucher grant for the Housing Authority of the City of Napa. The grant will provide 17 Section 8 VASH vouchers for the Valley View Senior Homes

U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) introduced legislation to help prevent youth homelessness, improve support services and housing for youth and families, and help ensure children are raised in supportive, stable households.

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today testified before a meeting of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) about the Flint water crisis and changes to federal policy that can be made to promote transparency and accountability for city residents.

The House Natural Resources Committee held a legislative hearing on the Protecting America’s Recreation and Conservation Act, a bill that proposes extensive and dismantling changes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Rep. Tsongas has championed the LWCF and has been one of the leading voices calling for its reauthorization.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act

The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 1210, the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act introduced by Congressman Andy Barr (KY-6) in a bipartisan vote of 255 to 174.  The bill promotes affordable home financing and discourages the practice of securitizing and selling of mortgages that led to the 2008 financial crisis and the resulting taxpayer bailouts of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and large systemically important financial institutions.

U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper (both D-DE) today sent a letter to House-Senate conferees negotiating a final Highway and Transportation Bill compromise, urging them to focus on our nation’s crumbling infrastructure by shortening the authorization period for the bill and using the savings to maximize annual investment levels for all surface transportation programs

U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper (both D-DE) today sent a letter to House-Senate conferees negotiating a final Highway and Transportation Bill compromise, urging them to focus on our nation’s crumbling infrastructure by shortening the authorization period for the bill and using the savings to maximize annual investment levels for all surface transportation programs

U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Calif.) questioned U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White on the SEC's actions related to risk-sharing by the GSEs during a House Financial Services Committee hearing entitled “Examining the SEC’s Agenda, Operations, and FY 2017 Budget Request."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $1 million grant to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) to conduct research on the effects of drought and extreme weather on the state’s water resources. The study will examine the conditions that contribute to the current drought, looking at the effect decreased water supply and unpredictable water quality have on agriculture, the environment, and the hydropower sector in both urban and rural settings

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), ranking member of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee and one of the “Big Four” transportation leaders that got the House to pass a six-year surface transportation bill, today spoke out about urgent priorities for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the first Conference Committee meeting to reconcile the Senate and House transportation reauthorization bills.

“We applaud members of the House for passing the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act, legislation introduced by Rep. Andy Barr that would expand access to mortgage credit by treating loans originated by a bank and held in portfolio as Qualified Mortgages.  This important measure, which received bipartisan support, will help many creditworthy borrowers access safe, traditional credit that would otherwise be out of reach.

The Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections has launched a new website that for the first time allows the public to search on property violations and track the corrective actions ordered to fix them

Mortgage applications increased 6.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 13, 2015.  This week's results included an adjustment for the Veterans Day holiday.

HUD's Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPs) and Office of HIV/AIDS Housing (OHH) have posted the recently recorded ‘Hear from Your Peers’ webinar, Spotlighting Communities that are Successfully Coordinating Healthcare & Housing Resources to End Veteran Homelessness. This webinar focuses on the strong bonds forged between HUD-funded housing and service programs, as well as mainstream resources and benefits, to ensure U.S. military veterans successfully receive and maintain housing