News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 15.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 4, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- At $9.4 billion, Los Angeles County, Calif. leads the country for counties spending the most money on remodeling, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).Rounding out the top 5 list is Cook County in Illinois, Orange and San Diego counties in California, and Maricopa County in Arizona

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Efforts to combat mortgage fraud against lenders have proliferated into a number of initiatives including state and federal legislation criminalizing mortgage fraud and increased synergy between law enforcement and lenders. Hear from industry experts as they review the current status of the industry, law enforcement and government’s efforts in combating mortgage fraud.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Peter Polhemus, president and CEO of Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders in Chatham, Mass, has been named the Custom Home Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders."We are honored to be the first company in New England and also the first truly integrated architectural and building firm to receive this prestigious award," Polhemus said.

Upper Marlboro, MD - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- High-performance green homes don't happen by chance. Green homes achieve their above-code efficiencies and improvements for homeowners as the result of taking an integrated, whole-house approach to the entire building process. To help educators convey these important green construction concepts to construction students, the NAHB Research Center recently unveiled a new resource that is available online.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A recent study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that while consumer hesitation on home buying is waning, the recent housing downturn has changed what Americans are looking for in their next home.The survey research on consumer preferences, which is presented annually at the NAHB International Builders’ Show, suggests that the severity of the recession has left an indelible mark on prospective home buyers, who have shifted their perspective on the housing they want and need.

PORTLAND, OR - March 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in an effort to strengthen mortgage protections for servicemembers once they return home from duty.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an effort to protect consumers, increase transparency in the foreclosure process, and hold banks and servicers accountable for providing relief to qualified homeowners, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today introduced the Preserving Homes and Communities Act of 2011 based on similar legislation Reed introduced in 2009

WASHINGTON, DC - March 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Life -changing stories of working families benefiting from a range of federal housing programs will be at the forefront of this week’s annual Legislative Conference of the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s continuing crackdown on scams that target homeowners behind in their mortgage payments or facing foreclosure, the FTC has charged a national operation with marketing bogus loan modification services. The FTC seeks to stop the illegal practices and make the defendants pay refunds to consumers

Washington, D.C. - March 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A group of 18 U.S. Senators, led by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), urged government agencies to take action to prevent foreclosures and help families keep their homes.The senators made their request in a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke

Alexandria, VA - March 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- An analysis in the March issue of the ABI Journal found that several bankruptcy courts are dealing with the foreclosure crisis through the adoption of loss-mitigation programs (LMPs). As Congress examines a possible repeal of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) due to ineffectiveness in modifying mortgages, John Rao of the National Consumer Law Center Inc. in Boston writes that several bankruptcy courts have provided a useful solution through the adoption of LMPs.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 6-12, NeighborWorks America, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, HOPE Now, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and a coalition of national government agencies, nonprofit organizations and financial institutions are empowering homeowners to combat loan modification scams.

NEW YORK, NY - March 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Labor has taken legal action to seek debarment of Lettire Construction Corp., a New York City general contractor, and Nicholas Lettire, president of the company, from working on future federally funded contracts for a period of three years.

Ladera Ranch, CA - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 300 homeowners attended a Foreclosure Prevention Workshop hosted by the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) and the Orange County Home Ownership Preservation Collaborative. Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-44) was a special guest at the event, which was held Saturday, February 26, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) urges members of the House of Representatives to show their support for homeownership and the mortgage interest deduction by co-sponsoring H. Res. 25."This resolution acknowledges the importance of homeownership to individual households, the economy and the nation," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. The resolution also states that the mortgage interest deduction "may well be the most important component of housing-related tax policy in America today" and should not be further restricted, he said

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- During the fourth quarter of 2010, commercial and multifamily mortgage delinquency rates remained low for life insurance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; fell for banks and thrifts for the first time since the 2006 and rose slightly for loans held in commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Commercial/Multifamily Delinquency Report.

Washington, DC - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The total number of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed foreclosure prevention actions in 2010 more than doubled from one year earlier, according to the FHFA’s Fourth Quarter 2010 Foreclosure Prevention & Refinance Report. Although loan modifications declined for the second consecutive quarter, refinancings through the Home

WASHINGTON, DC - March 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Multifamily Information and Transactions Standards (MITS) initiative, the apartment industry’s coordinated effort to create data standards so different software programs can “talk to each other,” has released a new "Renters’ Insurance 4.0" standard.

SIOUX CITY, IA - March 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- MyPad Down Payment Assistance Program was created to overcome the greatest barrier to homeownership, down payment. MyPad provides an opportunity for qualified low to moderate income individuals and families to purchase affordable homes by receiving money from the Home Investment Partnership for down payment on a home. Homebuyers will never have to repay the gift from MyPad as long as the home purchased remains owner occupied throughout the 5 year period of the deferred payment loan