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HARRISBURG - August 8, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for projects to improve the availability and affordability of housing in the Marcellus Shale region of the state.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 8, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New England Governors' Conference on July 30 passed a resolution to launch a coordinated regional procurement of renewable energy. The leaders of six states—Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont—have agreed to release a request for proposals (RFP) in 2013 for a significant amount of renewable energy.

Washington, DC - August 8, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has sent to the Federal Register a Notice indicating its concern with the proposed use of eminent domain to restructure performing home loans and inviting public input.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced more than $363 million in grants to fund a wide variety of highway improvements, from interstate rehabilitation and reconstruction to technologies that result in improved safety and reduced construction congestion.

Washington, D.C. - August 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its June Refinance Report, which shows that one of every three refinances through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were made through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), the highest number since the inception of the program in April 2009. The continued increase in HARP volume is attributed to record-low mortgage rates and program enhancements announced last fall including removal of the loan-to-value (LTV) ceiling for borrowers who refinance into fixedrate loans and the elimination or lowering of fees for certain borrowers

August 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) is expected to introduce the Housing Subsidy Fairness Act in early September. This bill would provide dedicated funding for the National Housing Trust Fund with savings generated by ...

WASHINGTON, DC - August 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) along with Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Michael Grimm (R-NY) have intro...

WASHINGTON, D.C., DC - August 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction professionals will be able to take a wide range of mandatory and optional safety training programs online thanks to a new collaboration between the Associated General Contractors of America and ClickSafety, who is authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide its online Outreach Training Program. Association officials added that the collaboration will provide a range of online construction-related safety courses, including the mandatory OSHA 10- and 30-hour safety training programs for employees of its member firms.

DENTON, TX - August 7, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently approved requests from the state of Oklahoma for Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) for fires burning in multiple counties. This includes t...

CHICAGO, IL - August 6, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Pat Quinn today signed two new housing laws to provide people with disabilities with more access to affordable rental housing, and to further protect homeowners from mortgage fraud. The suppor...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 6, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- A total of 80 metropolitan statistical areas across 32 states and the District of Columbia were listed as improving housing markets on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) for August, released today. This included 75 markets that retained their places on the list along with five new ones, while nine areas fell from the list due primarily to slight movements in house prices.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 6, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the July edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. Data in the Housing Scorecard show continued signs of recovery as foreclosure starts and completions declined in June, though officials expect activity to increase in the coming months as firms lift delays in foreclosure processing. In addition, the inventory of houses for sale remained low; at current pace, it would take 6.6 months to sell the supply of existing homes on the market and 4.9 months to clear the new homes on the market.

Washington, DC - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to increase the supply of affordable rental housing available for middle-income seniors, who are ineligible to...

August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction employment declined by 1,000 in July even though the industry’s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since 2008, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The sector’s unemployment rate has steadily declined since 2009 as hundreds of thousands of out-of-work construction workers have left the industry seeking other opportunities, the association’s economist cautioned

New York, NY - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency today announced the approval of an economic development compact for a proposed $93 million complex in down...

New York, NY - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The following statement on the City’s comprehensive study of New York City buildings can be attributed to Mike Fishman, President of 32BJ, one of the largest building service workers union in the co...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department announced today that the owner and former manager of the Lowrey Hotel and Café in New Richmond, Wis., has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging they had sexually harassed a homeless woman who sought shelter at the hotel.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mold in flood-damaged homes and other structures can cause health problems if it is not eliminated. People with asthma, allergies and other breathing conditions may be more sensitive to mold, and people with immune suppression are more susceptible to infections caused by mold, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sparrowbush, NY - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that $326,250 in federal funding was awarded to the New York State Department of Transportation to allow Orange County to purchase ...

WASHINGTON, DC - August 3, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced today the launch of the National Mortgage Servicing Settlement’s first public servic...