News

Washington, DC - January 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- REALTOR® Magazine’s Good Neighbor Society is seeking entries for Volunteering Works, a program that matches Realtors® who would like to expand their community service outreach with a mentor who is already a successful volunteer leader.

Washington, DC - January 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- NeighborWorks America, a Congressionally chartered nonprofit and one of the nation’s largest community development corporations, announced today that Leila Finucane Edmonds has joined the corporation as director of National Initiatives

January 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Effective January 1, 2011, the Bridgton District Court will retain all of the foreclosure cases filed in Bridgton that are referred to the Foreclosure Diversion Program for mediation. Bridgton District Court will hold informational sessions and mediations. Previously, Bridgton foreclosure cases on the diversion track were permanently transferred to the Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland.

Washington, D.C. - January 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Winter’s chill pervades much of the nation, and escalating gas prices are putting their own chill down the spines of U.S. consumers. But until the spring thaw arrives, simple energy-efficiency steps at home and on the road – potentially supplemented by federal income tax credits for specific energy-efficiency home improvements – can take the sting out of high energy bills, says the Alliance to Save Energy

Washington, D.C. - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is conducting a pilot project in collaboration with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) to help reverse mortgage borrowers who are struggling to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance

Washington, DC - January 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Today, the national talk radio show produced by the National Association of Realtors®, celebrates its 100th show this weekend. Now the fastest growing real estate show in the country, Real Estate Today can be heard on more than 120 stations across the U.S, including in every top-10 market.

McLean, VA - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey®(PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long- and short-term rates

WASHINGTON, DC - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today a joint partnership between the two agencies to help nearly 1,000 non-elderly Americans with disabilities leave nursing homes or other healthcare facilities to live independently. This is the first time two federal agencies are offering a combination of rental assistance, health care and other supportive services targeted to this population.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 created new declining cities, and posed further difficulties for cities already in decline. Some cities may not re-attain home price peaks for many years, and could see some neighborhoods cease to be viable economically, according to a study released today from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)

VIENNA, VA - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today released its third quarter 2010 mortgage fraud report, Mortgage Loan Fraud SAR Filings. The report shows that suspicious activity reports (SARs) characterized by filers as indicating possible mortgage loan fraud (MLF) increased 2 percent to 16,693 in the third quarter of 2010 up from 16,339 MLF SARs in the 2009 third quarter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing professionals from across the country and abroad will convene at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 12-15, for the 2011 International Builders’ Show (IBS), the housing industry’s largest annual trade show and exhibition. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) event, held in one of the largest convention centers in the country, will feature the most cutting-edge designs, technologies, and products for all segments of the industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the weeks ending December 24, 2010 and December 31, 2010. For the week ending December 24, 2010, the Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 3.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the prior week. For the week ending December 31, 2010, this index increased 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis.

WASHINGTON, DC - January 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Marin County, California today announced an agreement to promote access and overcome barriers to affordable housing for minorities and persons with disabilities throughout the County. A recent HUD review disclosed that Marin County had failed to meet its Fair Housing obligations in its use and expenditure of HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds.

WASHINGTON, DC - January 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Emerging Trends in Real Estate: The Americas® 2011, the oldest, most highly regarded annual industry outlook for the real estate and land use industry, will be released in Israel next month by the report’s co-publishers the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The findings, which suggest tempered improvement within the U.S. commercial real estate market in the months ahead, will be discussed during a special program January 12 at the Leonardo City Tower Hotel in Ramat Gan. “Emerging Trends Conference: U.S. Real Estate Investment in 2011” is being sponsored by ULI and PWC in partnership with Gross, Kleinhendler, Hodak, Halevy and Greenberg and Company and Goulston and Storrs

NEW YORK, N.Y. - December 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage rates climbed higher this week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rising to 5.02 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.44 discount and origination points.

McLean, VA - December 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which saw all but the 1-year ARM rise. This brings 30-year mortgage rates back to levels seen in May of this year, while the 15-year ties levels not seen since June. Even so, mortgage rates remain incredibly low

Washington, DC - December 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) --Pending home sales rose again in November, with the broad trend over the past five months indicating a gradual recovery into 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors®

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A fanciful castle, two major hotel renovations and a medical office that features a nod to local historic architectural styles are among the winners in this year’s National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Awards of Excellence.“Even as we recover from the economic slump in the commercial building sector, the best projects in the industry continue to impress the judges for their innovation, efficient use of materials and overall construction excellence,” said Carl Harris, chair of the NAHB’s National Commercial Builder Council, which sponsors the awards each year

WASHINGTON, DC - December 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today announced a $1.25 million agreement with Warren Properties Inc., Warren Village (Mobile) Limited Partnership and Frank R. Warren to settle allegations that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to grant a tenant’s requests for a reasonable accommodation. This settlement is the largest ever obtained by the department in an individual housing discrimination case.

Washington, D.C. - December 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Proposed changes to home lending rules from the Federal Reserve Board not only exceed its authority, but could actually encourage predatory lending targeted at the elderly.