government

Statement from MBA President & CEO David H. Stevens on the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau's (CFPB) proposed updates to the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure "Know Before You Owe" rule

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) today announced the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States has been cut nearly in half since 2010.  The data revealed a 17-percent decrease in veteran homelessness between January 2015 and January 2016—quadruple the previous year’s annual decline—and a 47-percent decrease since 2010

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) made the following comments after President Obama signed into law H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act

State Farm today announced it will continue to support Habitat for Humanity in the organization’s work to help families achieve strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable housing. The funding will support youth working with Habitat in communities across the country.

Scientists at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), devised a method to improve perovskite solar cells, making them more efficient and reliable with higher reproducibility

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today announced Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO) that will temporarily require U.S. title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind shell companies used to pay “all cash” for high-end residential real estate in six major metropolitan areas. FinCEN remains concerned that all-cash purchases (i.e., those without bank financing) may be conducted by individuals attempting to hide their assets and identity by purchasing residential properties through limited liability companies or other opaque structures. To better understand this vulnerability, FinCEN issued similar GTOs earlier this year covering transactions in Manhattan and Miami-Dade County, Florida. The GTOs announced today will expand upon the valuable information received from the initial GTOs

The alarming security, economic, and political trends in Libya are currently a critical issue for the international community. Despite some progress toward establishing a unified government and against the growing presence of the Islamic State, or IS, in Libya, the country faces an extraordinarily difficult rebuilding effort. While Libya’s problems are legion, establishing a single government and creating a more secure environment are the first orders of business.

Sales of new single-family houses in June 2016 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 592,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is 3.5 percent (±23.9%)* above the revised May rate of 572,000 and is 25.4 percent (±27.9%)* above the June 2015 estimate of 472,000.

Heather Connolly, Chairman of the Framingham School Committee and Cheryl Tully Stoll, Chairman of the Framingham Board of Selectmen are pleased to announce the selection of the new School Building Committee

The U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released a white paper designed to serve as a guide for future loss mitigation programs that draw on the lessons learned from implementing the government’s crisis-era housing recovery programs.

DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser hosted a press conference with Courtney Snowden, Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity (DMGEO); Tommy Wells, Director of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE); GRID Alternatives; and participants in DOEE’s Green Zone Environmental Program (GZEP), where she signed the Renewable Portfolio Standard Expansion Act of 2016. This legislation, introduced by Councilmember Cheh and unanimously passed by Council, will solidify the District’s position as a national leader in the push to decarbonize our economies, increase access to clean energy for DC residents, and create a long-term pipeline for green jobs and business creation.

The U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program has honored Sarah Kurtz and Suzanne Tegen of the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for their leadership and achievement in the field of renewable energy.

To protect children and families from the hazards of lead-based paint and from other home health and safety hazards, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded more than $52.6 million in Lead Based Paint Hazard Control grants to 23 local and state government agencies (see chart below).

In order to enable homeowners seeking clean energy technologies in their homes to leverage a range of financing options, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced guidance that makes clear the circumstances under which it will insure mortgages on properties that include Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) assessments. FHA will now approve purchase and refinance mortgage applications in states that treat PACE obligations as special assessments similar to property taxes

Congresswoman Aumua Amata, was pleased to announce the release of more than $9.5 million in grant funding to American Samoa through the Office of Insular Affairs’ (OIA) Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Program. “These grant funds are essential to making sure our infrastructure is sound, and I am pleased to make this announcement,” said Amata. “It is a never ending fight to make sure that our islands are being put on equal footing as the states and other territories, but I am thankful to have colleagues in the Department of the Interior who work closely with me to ensure that is the case,” continued the Congresswoman.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) commends Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) for introducing the new, expanded Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2016.

Comcast and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ConnectHomeinitiative took an historic step to close the digital divide in America. Now, public housing and HUD-assisted residents living in Comcast’s service area are eligible to apply forInternet Essentials, the company’s high-speed internet adoption program for low-income families. Including homes covered by Comcast’s pilot public housing expansion announced in March, an estimated total of up to 2 million HUD-assisted homes, including Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and Multifamily programs, will now have access to low-cost internet service.

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on the status of Ivanpah and other federal loan-guaranteed solar energy projects on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced four model housing developments in California, Illinois, Texas and Washington State are the recipients of the 2016 HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Award. Each of these developments are recognized for excellence in affordable or accessible housing design.

Under President Obama, we have seen technological breakthroughs and strategic investments that have propelled the United States to the forefront of wireless broadband—with world-leading 4G/LTE coverage for more than 98 percent of U.S. citizens. Today, the Obama Administration is announcing new steps to maintain U.S. leadership and win the next generation of mobile technology with the launch of a $400 million Advanced Wireless Research Initiative led by the National Science Foundation (NSF).