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RE/MAX Commercial Forges Strategic Alliance with GreenPoint Partners to Deliver Sustainability Solutions for Commercial Real Estate. Denver, CO - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- RE/MAX Commercial® has joined the GreenPoint Network, an alliance for real estate firms dedicated to helping clients achieve profitable sustainability.

Washington, DC - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of REALTORS® announced today that Realtor.com, NAR’s official website, will be going global, extending its lead as the world’s largest online source of residential property listings.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Homeowners will be protected by a new Federal Trade Commission rule that bans providers of mortgage foreclosure rescue and loan modification services from collecting fees until homeowners have a written offer from their lender or servicer that they decide is acceptable.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 19, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the November edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard (www.hud.gov/scorecard). The latest housing figures show continued signs of stabilization in house prices and high home affordability due in part to record low mortgage interest rates. The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market

Los Angeles, CA - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (CBRE) today announced that Mark Fewin has been promoted to Executive Managing Director and Global Leader of Project Management Services, effective January 1, 2011. Mr. Fewin succeeds Ken Loeber, who was named to Global Leader of Business Development for CBRE’s Global Corporate Services business line

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- CampusMBA, the award-winning education division of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), today announced it has extended its partnership with Stamford, Connecticut-based Insurance Advisors LLC. Under the agreement, CampusMBA, in conjunction with Insurance Advisors, will offer live online workshops addressing insurance issues for commercial/multifamily real estate loans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.13 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the third quarter of 2010, a decrease of 72 basis points from the second quarter of 2010, and a decrease of 51 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. The non-seasonally adjusted delinquency rate decreased one basis point to 9.39 percent this quarter from 9.40 percent last quarter. The delinquency rate includes loans that are at least one payment past due but does not include loans in the process of foreclosure.

Washington, DC - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Housing Opportunity Fund, a National Association of REALTORS® grant program, has presented $50,000 to 15 local and state REALTOR® associations. Those associations will use the funds to promote and expand affordable housing opportunities in their communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Housing affordability remained near its highest level nationwide for the seventh consecutive quarter as interest rates dipped below 5 percent for the first time since the series was first compiled nearly two decades ago, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released today.The HOI indicated that 72.1 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. The index for the third quarter almost equaled the record-high 72.5 percent set during the first quarter of 2009 and marked the seventh consecutive quarter that the index rose above 70 percent. Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65 percent and never reached 70 percent.

CHICAGO, IL - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference & Expo officially started this morning in Chicago as retired Gen. Colin Powell addressed a crowd of 10,000 in the opening keynote hall with a message of leadership and optimism for the future. Powell presented the Greenbuild 2010 opening keynote address at a plenary session that also included a discussion between political pundits Mary Matalin and James Carville and remarks from USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Chairwoman Waters, Ranking Member Capito, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today regarding loss mitigation and issues surrounding mortgage servicing. The testimony will cover two key areas: first, the steps we are taking to ensure that servicers participating in the Making Home Affordable (MHA) program are adhering to program guidelines in light of the recent foreclosure issues, and second, the accomplishments of MHA to date and its impact on mortgage servicing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Annual single-family housing production in 2008 and 2009 fell about one million units short of the housing that would be needed in a normally functioning economy, suggesting that builders will have a lot of catching up to do as the economy improves and household formations return to trend levels, according to a special study by economists at the National Association of Home Builders.The report, "Extent of Underbuilding in the Single-Family Housing Market," finds that there was an excessive amount of single-family building from 2003 through 2005, but overbuilding largely ended by 2006 and the subsequent downturn was severe enough to more than offset those annual surpluses. This year is likely to add to the growing deficit of single-family homes by another one million units, the report finds.

November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), which operates the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry (NMLS) on behalf of state mortgage regulators, today announced unique state test components are now available for all 50 states and two territories—the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

Washington, DC - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today renewed his push to help Colorado families stay in their homes by pressing for more transparency and clarity and a new appeals process in foreclosures.

CHICAGO, IL - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A national listing of energy efficient commercial buildings in the United States that are included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program is now available on a new mobile phone application offered by LessEn, an Urban Land Institute (ULI) initiative to help lessen energy consumption in commercial buildings around the globe

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 12, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 14.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. The results do not include an adjustment for Veterans Day. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 15.0 percent compared with the previous week.

Chicago, IL - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A broad and diverse coalition of over 30 organizations active in countries around the world announced a Call for Partners today for an international alliance advocating for sustainable building practices as a key strategy for combating climate change

Chicago, IL - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), developers of the LEED green building program today announced LEED Automation, a new program in collaboration with leading technology companies that is designed to streamline and create capacity for the LEED building certification process. LEED Automation enables LEED Online, the online tool projects use to submit documentation and certify LEED projects, to interact with third party technology platforms.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing starts declined 11.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 519,000 units in October, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department today. The decline was primarily registered in the more volatile multifamily sector, where starts retreated 43.5 percent to an 83,000-unit rate, while single-family starts posted a more modest 1.1 percent decline to 436,000 units."Home builders continue to be very cautious about starting new projects at this time," said Bob Jones, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "That said, in markets where consumer demand for new homes is reviving, builders are finding it almost impossible to obtain construction financing, and this frustrating situation is producing an unnecessary drag on both new home production and economic growth."

Washington D.C. - November 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) proudly recognized outstanding chapters and exceptional volunteer leaders with the annual Awards of Excellence. Awarded in Chicago at USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the awards are presented to chapters and individuals that excel in providing local green building outreach and education, and in fostering best practices among the green building community. The chapter award categories are Community Building and Education, and award categories for chapter leaders include: Green Building Community Champion; Premier Volunteer Programmer; Outstanding Emerging Professional; and Outstanding Green Advocate. Since the inception of the program, the awards have been supported by USGBC national member Milliken & Company.