Laws & Taxes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Steve Brown:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 18, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department announced today that the manager and owner of the Linden House Apartments in Cleveland have agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve allegations that they refused to rent to individuals because the individuals had children . The settlement must still be approved by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr.

Reston, Virginia, - July 18, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that the Court of Appeal of the State of California Second Appellate District affirmed the trial court’s order dismissing a wrongful foreclosure lawsuit.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 18, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing production fell 9.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 893,000 units in June, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The drop was due primarily to a nearly 30 percent decline in the South. All other regions posted monthly gains

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - July 2, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, a national real estate law firm with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, announced that Asher Harrison Luzzatto has joined the firm as an associate in the Los Angeles office. Luzzatto’s experience includes a deep involvement with public interest organizations and environmental law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 20, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Insurance Committee Chair Kevin Cahill announced the passage of legislation this week to establish the Homeowners Bill of Rights to protect insurance policyholders from the problems experienced by individuals who suffered significant property losses and damages during Superstorm Sandy and Tropical

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to sign into a law a bill that will change the state’s real estate appraiser and appraisal management regulations to bring them into compliance with federal requirements, Valuation Review reported May 21

OLYMPIA - May 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The foreclosure crisis is anything but “over” for thousands of Washington families. Though the number of foreclosures is gradually decreasing, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed more than 25,000 homes in the foreclosure process at the end of 2013. Those numbers represent real people, real families, who are struggling to make ends meet — some who are facing homelessness.

Washington, D.C. - May 21, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and other leading national organizations sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calling on him not to give the current Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform legislation a floor vote in the Senate. The letter outlines the groups' concerns with the bill and warns of the negative impact for first-time buyers and minority, working-class, and rural families if the bill were to become law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Top Construction Official Urges Congress to Act Swiftly to Pass Water Resources Reform & Development Act Released Today By a House-Senate Conference Committee to Help Economy, Lauds Bipartisan Support for Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Senate Banking Committee approved S. 1217, the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2013, by a bipartisan vote of 13-9. The legislation included a bipartisan agreement drafted by Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Crapo and is designed to stabilize the housing finance market and strengthen the American economy. It will create greater competition in the housing finance system and reduce risk to the taxpayer while ensuring affordable, fair access to all creditworthy borrowers.

Reston, Virginia, - May 15, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that the United States District Court of New Hampshire granted MERS’ motion to dismiss a wrongful foreclosure lawsuit.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 15, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) resumed consideration of S. 1217, the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2013. The legislation being marked up included a bipartisan agreement drafted by Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Crapo and is designed to stabilize the housing finance market and strengthen the American economy. It will create greater competition in the housing finance system and reduce risk to the taxpayer while ensuring affordable, fair access to all creditworthy borrowers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 8, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- If the nation faced another major economic downturn, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could require an additional taxpayer bailout of around $190 billion, according to stress test results released April 29 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bloomberg reported.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 8, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Supporters of an “enhanced” but expired federal tax deduction for landowners who donate property for conservation or preservation want Congress to reinstate it and make it permanent, CQ Roll Call reported May 2.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 8, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released Norton’s testimony in advance of tomorrow’s hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on Government Operations on legislation passed by the District of Columbia decriminalizing marijuana. Norton is a senior member of the full committee, but is not a member of the subcommittee, which is chaired by Representative John Mica (R-FL). As a member of the full committee, she will be permitted to sit with the subcommittee and ask questions following her testimony as a witness. The hearing will take place on May 8 at 10:00 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

COLUMBUS - May 5, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) encourages first-time buyers to take advantage of multiple savings through the Agency's First-Time Homebuyer program. Qualified buyers receive down payment assistance of up to 2.5 percent of the home's purchase price, a new mortgage tax credit, and a special interest rate reduction of .25 percent on all home loans. The special mortgage rate is limited to the first 250 loans reserved through a participating OHFA lender.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 2, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Assemblyman Chris A. Brown was honored today by the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation with its Distinguished Arts Advocate Award at the organization’s Arts Day 2014 event held in Trenton.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 2, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation plan to meet with Secretary Shaun Donovan of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) May 8, announced Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Dean of the N.J. Delegation, to discuss questions and concerns from the delegation and state lawmakers as to why the process for helping homeowners recovering from Superstorm Sandy is taking so long. The lawmakers want to discuss the best way forward to assist thousands of homeowners who still waiting to fix and return to their homes nearly a year and half after the October 2012 storm.