Washington, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Administration plays a critical role in the nation’s housing financing system, providing safe, affordable mortgage financing to consumers in all markets during all economic conditions, the National Association of Realtors® said in testimony today

WASHINGTON, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded 10 public housing authorities nearly $34 million in grants today that will be used as seed money to create early childhood education and adult training facilities for public housing residents.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home builders who have embraced social media strategies for marketing their business, have seen extraordinary results. According to the second edition of Social Media for Home Builders 2.0: It's Easier Than You Think, builders have seen results ranging from a 25-300 percent increase in website traffic, to increased customer referrals through using social media. This popular resource recently released by BuilderBooks, the publishing arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) teaches builders and residential construction professionals how to use social media tools such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, to increase their visibility and improve their sales results.

Washington, D.C. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Vermont received national recognition for award-winning affordable housing programs on May 3 when the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development announced the Doorknocker Awards at the 20th anniversary of the HOME Program. The HOME Program is a block grant to states and cities used to fund housing affordable to lower-income Americans. The Green Mountain State took home two awards and an honorable mention in the competition, with only 14 awards presented nationally.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- At a time when qualified home buyers are experiencing difficulty in obtaining mortgages because of overly restrictive underwriting requirements, the federal government needs to ensure that a reliable and adequate flow of housing credit is available through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)."If we look to the dramatic increase of FHA's market share over the past few years, we can see how essential the program is for our nation's economic recovery," NAHB First Vice Chairman Barry Rutenberg, a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., told the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity.

CALABASAS, CA - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Porky Products, Inc. one of the largest independent meat and seafood distributors in the country, has signed a seven year lease for approximately 6,000 square feet of office space at 5230 Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, CA, according to Robert D. Erickson, a Principal with Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura, Inc., who represented the tenant in the transaction.“

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --A 15-unit multifamily asset here was sold for $2,450,000, among the highest prices paid on a per square foot and on a gross rent multiplier basis in the North Hollywood submarket since 2007, according to Jeff McGuire, Senior Vice President, Special Assets and a Principal of Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura, Inc, who represented the buyer and the seller in the transaction.

HOBOKEN, N.J. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- One of Hoboken’s newest luxury rental communities, 800 Madison Street, traded this week. Commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.’s Metropolitan Area Capital Markets Group orchestrated the property’s sale from Tarragon Corp. to CB Richard Ellis Investors.

New York, NY - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Flatbush Gardens Tenants Association filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court today against David Bistricer, a principal of Renaissance Equity Holdings LLC, which owns and operates Flatbush Gardens, the sprawling 59-building housing complex in Brooklyn. Renaissance and an affiliated LLC are also named as defendants.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of North Dakota and provide support to homeowners and low-income r...

WASHINGTON, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HUD’s failure to keep pace with the volume of multifamily mortgage applications is exacerbating the nation’s shortage of workforce housing, jeopardizing the thousands of jobs created by new apartment construction and reducing the new revenues the program could be generating for the federal government.

Washington, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.80 percent based on loans closed in April. This is a decrease of 0.04 percent from the previous month.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of Idaho and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following flooding, landslides, and mudslides storm during March and April.

May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lee & Associates, one of the largest national commercial real estate providers with regional expertise, has closed a $1.9 million sales transaction for a 42,700-square-foot industrial building located at 7260 Sycamore Canyon Boulevard in Riverside, California.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing affordability during the first quarter of 2011 rose to its highest level in the more than 20 years it has been measured, according to National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) data released today.The HOI indicated that 74.6 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the first quarter of 2011 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. This eclipsed the previous high of 73.9 percent set during the fourth quarter of 2010 and marked the ninth consecutive quarter that the index has been above 70 percent. Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65 percent and never reached 70 percent.

May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- WHATg>: Vermont will be recognized nationally for its outstanding work in producing affordable housing and creating sustainable living environments

PITTSBURGH, PA - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A resident of Richland Township, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to 27 months in prison and two years of supervised release on his conviction of wire fraud conspiracy, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the creation of the California Attorney General's Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, staffed by Department of Justice attorneys and investigators charged with protecting innocent homeowners and bringing to justice those who defraud them.

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Buellton man was sentenced today to 21 months in federal prison for defrauding banks by nearly simultaneously seeking home equity lines of credit from four different federally insured financial institutions. Larry P. Corbi Jr., 36, who resided in Marina del Rey during the course of the scheme and has since relocated to the Central Coast, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer. In addition to the prison term, Judge Fischer ordered Corbi to pay $356,644 in restitution.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mitigation specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be in Memphis Lowe's and Home Depot stores this week. They will answer questions and offer home improvement tips and proven techniques to prevent and lessen damage from future disasters.

The City Council on Tuesday raised much-needed awarenes of important issues facing residents throughout the region and state. The Council presented a proclamation recognizing Wildfire Awareness and Prevention Season, highlighting the importance of preparedness, public education, and regional coordination.

Walk into almost any Aventura office suite or retail space at three in the afternoon and you can feel the problem before anyone explains it. The west-facing side of the floor is warm enough that tenants have brought in personal fans. The east side is fine.

Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, is pleased to announce that the Town of Windham has been awarded an $80,000 Community Action Grant from the Community Resilience Partnership. The partnership, administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs, helps Maine communities lower energy costs, reduce emissions and prepare for climate effects such as severe storms, flooding, extreme temperatures and public health risks.

Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, led a hearing titled Reliable Water in the Digital Age: Examining Legislation to Strengthen Drinking Water Systems and Protect Ratepayers.

Community partners and public- and private- sector stakeholders came together yesterday to celebrate the Grand Opening of MidPen Housing’s Jessie Street Terrace in Santa Cruz. Once a 14-room hotel, Jessie Street Terrace has been transformed into 50 studio and one-bedroom permanent supportive housing apartments for residents earning up to 20-50% of Area Median Income (AMI) ($27,692-$79,100 for households of one to two people).

This week, New Dem Members hosted a roundtable with housing policy experts and industry representatives to solicit ideas on what Congress’s next steps should be to address the affordable housing crisis. New Dem Vice Chair for Outreach Salud Carbajal (CA-24) hosted the roundtable alongside Housing, Infrastructure, & Transportation Working Group Chair Norma Torres (CA-35) and Housing Task Force Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13).

“More than 32,000 housing discrimination complaints were filed in 2024, and disability-related complaints made up 54.6 percent of all complaints. Decades after the Fair Housing Act amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act, too many residential buildings continue to be built inaccessibly and in violation of the law, preventing people with disabilities from living there comfortably.

Last week, Senator Reverend Warnock met with Gullah Geechee community members at the historic Harrington School in St. Simons Island to discuss environmental health concerns, land ownership, and cultural preservation. Community members discussed high levels of toxic chemicals found in the blood of Glynn County residents living near Brunswick Superfund sites

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) today announced that $2.2 million has been awarded to help extend the life of a homeless shelter in Erie County and two shelters in Suffolk County. The funding was awarded by OTDA's Homeless Housing and Assistance Program.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is alerting consumers about the dangers of television (TV) tip-over hazards. Millions of New Yorkers will watch the Super Bowl this Sunday either on TVs at home or at parties with friends. DCP is taking this TV-focused occasion to remind consumers of critical TV safety tips.

Fast-growing Florida has been a favorite of real estate investors for many years. With so much interest having been focused on the state, though, investors need to take care to seek the best available opportunities.

Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced that the Senator Walter J. Mahoney State Office Building located at 65 Court Street in Buffalo will be sold at auction in 2020. A work group formed earlier this year made up of City, County, and State officials working with professional real estate consultants CBRE, determined that in the current competitive and robust Buffalo real estate market

The Bureau of Land Management today announced that Karen Mouritsen has been named the new California State Director—a key leadership position based in Sacramento. As State Director, Mouritsen will direct a team that manages lands encompassing 15% of the Golden State’s total land mass

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) today announced the opening of the new JLC Recovery and Wellness Center in New York City. JLC is operated by Exponents Inc. and provides free help and support services for people affected by addiction and for their families.

In spite of a robust U.S. economy, a strong employment rate, and steadily increasing 401(k) plan earnings, Black homeownership rates continue to drop. Drawing from the 2019 release of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, asked the Department of the Interior about its commitment to the Yakima River Basin during a hearing on the president’s FY 2017 budget request. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor agreed with Sen. Cantwell that the Yakima River Basin plan “is a model for the rest of the nation in water management.”

“Consumers Energy is thankful to be a part of holiday celebrations across the state as warm Thanksgiving memories are being made, and we are committed to providing many more generations of Michigan families with reliable, affordable energy in all seasons,” said Garrick Rochow, Consumers Energy’s vice president and chief customer officer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a final rule that creates exemptions from certain appraisal requirements for a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans. The exemptions are intended to save borrowers time and money while still ensuring that the loans are financially sound

Atlanta, Georgia - November 13, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) entered into a Consent Order with Equity Loans, LLC, License Number 23300, located at 1150 Hammond Dr., Building E, Suite 650, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, to resolve allegations pertaining to violations of the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act