Yearly Archives: 2018

The National Institute of Building Sciences National Council on Building Codes and Standards (NCBCS) issued a new white paper, Benefits and Challenges of a Timely Code Adoption Cycle.

The House passed H.R. 2371, the “Western Area Power Administration Transparency Act.” Introduced by Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Chairman Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), the bill establishes a pilot project to increase the transparency of the Western Area Power Administration’s (WAPA) costs, rates, and other financial and operational dealings for utility ratepayers and taxpayers.

Data for all four quarters of 2017 show housing affordability remaining essentially flat throughout the year, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released today.

Ginnie Mae continues to take steps to address churning in its mortgage-backed security (MBS) program. These efforts are designed to keep mortgage rates affordable for veterans and first-time home buyers, in addition to preserving the liquidity of the security around the globe.

Young has been with NREL since 2008, working as a senior geothermal analyst and engineer in the Strategic Energy Analysis Center. In her new role, Young will work closely with NREL management to establish the lab’s geothermal energy portfolio, including research and development geared toward advancing the use of geothermal energy as a renewable power source. She also will guide discussions with the Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office to reduce the cost of developing geothermal energy.

Mortgage applications increased 0.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 2, 2018.

Dave Motley, CMB, 2018 Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Chairman and President of Colonial Savings, F.A. today delivered the following remarks at MBA's National Mortgage Servicing Conference and Expo 2018 in Grapevine, Texas.

Mortgage credit availability increased in January according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool.

myPlanit, the patented personal data platform that delivers the Internet of You, receives the first ever 5-star product rating from Inman News. The mobile app automatically interconnects and contextualizes data scattered across calendars, contacts, places, videos and photos, notes and MLS listings into a single map- and time-based user experience.

Construction employment increased in 269 out of 358 metro areas between December 2016 and December 2017, declined in 43 and stagnated in 46, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said new infrastructure funding would help ensure firms continue to expand their headcount in 2018

More than 340 national, state, and local members of the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) issued a letter to Congress urging the immediate passage of a robust disaster relief bill that includes basic safeguards and housing resources to help low income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and other vulnerable populations recover and rebuild after the 2017 hurricanes and wildfires

Despite weakening optimism from non-homeowners at the end of last year that now is a good time to buy, an overwhelming majority said they do want to own a home in the future and believe homeownership is part of their American Dream.

CoreLogic®(NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today announced it is adding DisclosureSave to the Clareity® SSO Dashboard to enable nearly twenty-thousand California agents simpler access to natural hazard disclosure reports required to close each transaction.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $35 million for 24 projects to support early-stage, innovative technologies and solutions in advanced manufacturing. These projects were selected under an Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office funding opportunity, focused on advanced materials, advanced processes, and modeling and analysis tools for materials and manufacturing.

Large majorities of Americans across demographic and partisan lines overwhelmingly reject congressional proposals to cut Medicaid, nutrition assistance, affordable housing, and other programs essential for helping provide basic living standards for low-income families, according to new polling from the Center for American Progress and GBA Strategies.

The Trump administration is seeking to impose work requirements and rent increases on millions of low income families who receive federal housing assistance, according to draft legislation authored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The proposal would leave even more low income people—including seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, children, and other vulnerable populations—without a stable home, making it harder for them to climb the economic ladder to achieve financial security and live with dignity

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released today its Annual Energy Outlook 2018 (AEO2018), which includes its Reference case and a number of sensitivity cases. The AEO2018 Reference case shows continued development of the U.S. shale and tight oil and gas resources paired with modest energy consumption growth, leading to the transition of the United States from a net energy importer to a net energy exporter across most cases examined in AEO2018. "The United States energy system continues to undergo an incredible transformation," said EIA Administrator Linda Capuano.

Overall housing and economic activity in metro markets across the nation remained on a gradual, upward trend in the fourth quarter of 2017 even as permit activity remained a stubbornly lagging indicator, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI) released today.

The Rose Center for Public Leadership, jointly operated by the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI), is working this week with Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to advise the city on synthesizing and implementing a shared vision for Shockoe Bottom.

In 2016, Russia sought to breach the U.S. elections, including attempting to hack into many states’ election systems. More than a year later, despite many states taking proactive measures, U.S. election infrastructure remains vulnerable to attacks.