Yearly Archives: 2018

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced a new grant program designed to create and sustain humanities infrastructure. Cultural institutions are eligible to receive up to $750,000 grants.

Continuing its Hurricane Maria response efforts, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency is collecting hazardous household materials, orphan containers and e-waste items in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Vieques, an island seven miles off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, was one of the hardest hit areas and has presented exceptional challenges, from a logistics and communications standpoint, to response and recovery efforts on Vieques.

Nationwide housing starts fell 8.2 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units after an upwardly revised November reading, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department.

CoreLogic®(NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today announced that two of its key Real Estate Solutions leaders have been recognized in the Swanepoel Power 200 list. Chris Bennett, executive, and Gregg Larson, principal, Business Development, were both named to the list for 2018. The Swanepoel Power 200 is an annual ranking of residential real estate’s top leaders published by the Swanepoel T3 Group.

The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 60 in the fourth quarter of 2017, up three points from the previous quarter and only the second time since 2001 the reading has reached 60. For 19 consecutive quarters, the RMI has been at or above 50, which indicates that more remodelers report market activity is higher compared to the prior quarter than report it is lower.

The DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) issued financing for both a new construction project and a preservation development all on the same day. On January 11,DCHFA issued $11.1 million in bond financing to construct 1164 Bladensburg Apartments (1164 Bladensburg Road, NE).

NeighborWorks network organizations across the U.S. last year provided $39.2 million in down payment assistance to consumers, helping thousands of people become homeowners. Many of the purchasers were first-time homebuyers with low and moderate incomes, who without the support of NeighborWorks organizations would not have been able to buy a home.

The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a single tenant net leased CVS Pharmacy property located at 1200 Gallatin Pike South in Madison, Tennessee for $2,925,000.

Chairman Crapo, ranking member Brown and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss our nation’s anti-money laundering laws, including the Bank Secrecy Act. The Department of Justice draws upon the resources and expertise of various components to combat money laundering, including the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery

With a focus on leveraging housing as a platform to ensure access to social services opportunities for low-income families, National Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT) is proud to announce the closing of Holly Park. NAHT closed on the property in partnership with Goldman Sachs Bank and Mercy Housing

A microscopic analysis of perovskite solar cells reveals new insight into how the devices degrade—information necessary for moving the technology closer to commercialization. The research was conducted by scientists at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and at the University of Texas at Austin and was published in 

A $488,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) and member institution, The First, A National Banking Association (The First), will rehabilitate 72 homes in Laurel, Mississippi. Local dignitaries yesterday joined bank and project representatives at a check presentation ceremony at the office of Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee to award the funds.

Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes dropped two points to a level of 72 in January on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) after reaching an 18-year high in December 2017.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has four new top leaders who are assuming key roles in the agency at the start of a new year and during a critical recovery period following last year's devastating hurricanes. HUD Secretary Ben Carson administered the oath of office to the following individuals recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate: J. Paul Compton, Jr. to become HUD's General Counsel;

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) and ULI’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) has received a $90,000 gift from Hines, the globally renowned real estate organization, to support the creation of the WLI Hines Innovation Grants, with the goal of helping raise the visibility and number of women in leadership roles in the real estate industry and within ULI’s membership. ULI is a global, multidisciplinary institute whose 40,000-plus members are dedicated to leadership in land use and building thriving, sustainable communities.

Continuing its in-depth look at state-level efforts to modernize the electric utility grid, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released today the latest installment in its white paper series, Improving Opportunities for Solar Through Grid Modernization.

Register now to join us for the fifth Building Enclosure Science & Technology Conference™ (BEST5)taking place April 15-18, 2018, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This triennial event, presented by the National Institute of Building Sciences Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) and the Building Enclosure Council (BEC)-Philadelphia, offers more than 60 presentations in two tracks under the umbrella theme of Looking Back—Moving Forward: Where History Inspires Innovation. Delivered by leading building enclosure experts, the BEST5 program will cover topics that concern all industry professionals