WASHINGTON, December 18, 2007 - Many families and individuals are one step closer to seeing tax relief, thanks to the passage of the Mortgage Cancellation Tax Relief Act by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, according to the National Association of Realtors

The Federal Reserve Board (FRB) is uniquely positioned to restore confidence in the housing market because it is the one federal agency with the authority to set standards for all home loan originators. Unfortunately, the proposed rules issued by the FRB today represent yet another missed opportunity for the agency to rein in practices that have hurt millions of American families.

PITTSBURGH, PA - December 18, 2007 - The Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank Pittsburgh) has approved more than $8.9 million in grants under its Affordable Housing Program (AHP). The grants will help finance 30 housing projects across Delaware, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia, creating 987 units of housing with total development costs of more than $157 million.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 14, 2007 - Today, the U.S. Senate passed S.2338, legislation aimed at resetting interest rates to refinance without the usual burdens associated with a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, by a vote of 93 to 1. Much of the bill language was taken from the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007 – legislation introduced by U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH) last month in order to spur action by the Senate to help ease the foreclosure crisis and increase homeownership opportunities for millions of American first-time home buyers

Dec. 14, 2007 - The Federal Reserve Board should bar prepayment penalties for subprime loans and limit the size and duration of any remaining prepayment penalties, 19 Democratic House Financial Services Committee members said in a letter yesterday to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Dec. 14, 2007 - A Senate counterpart to the House-passed H.R. 3915 was introduced late Wednesday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on behalf of Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and a dozen more panel members.

Online real estate firm Redfin offers seven recommendations for selling a home faster and for more money.

WASHINGTON, December 14, 2007 - The FHA Modernization Act of 2007, passed today by the U.S. Senate, would help protect the interest of America’s current and future homeowners by giving borrowers a safer alternative to riskier mortgage products while also helping many homeowners who may be facing foreclosure, according to the National Association of Realtors

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hitwise, a leading online competitive intelligence service, ranked REALTOR.com as the number one search term used in the real estate industry category during the month of November (1). REALTOR.com accounted for 1.56% of all searches on the Internet in the real estate category, far exceeding the next closest ranking term that captured .91% of all searches in November.

While gambles on up-and-coming neighborhoods and new developments paid off for many real estate investors during the boom, housing markets across the country are now awash with unsold condos and suffering from sluggish sales.

The Federal Reserve announced an agreement Wednesday with four foreign central banks to inject billions of dollars into the world’s financial system to make more money available for big banks to lend to smaller ones.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - December 13, 2007 - Wachovia Bank is ranked highest in customer satisfaction for primary mortgage loan originations in 2007, according to the 2007 Primary Mortgage Origination Study.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it had obtained approval from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to distribute $700,000 in monetary damages to 37 persons with disabilities pursuant to the consent decree entered in United States v. Edward Rose and Sons, et al., a case that was resolved by a consent decree entered in the Eastern District of Michigan in September 2005.

ALLAS, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Behringer Harvard announced today that it has closed on the previously announced acquisition of publicly traded IPC US REIT and its portfolio of 34 U.S. office properties. The transaction, valued at approximately $1.4 billion, includes all of Toronto-based IPC US REIT's subsidiaries at a purchase price of $9.75 per unit, of which approximately $600 million is equity and $800 million is outstanding debt.

Annual capital spending by all U.S. nonfarm businesses on structures and equipment varied cyclically, but went from about $1.05 trillion in 1999 to about $1.15 trillion in 2005, according to the Census Bureau’s

Washington, DC - December 12, 2007 - Senator Judd Gregg, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, has offered an amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill that will help millions of American homeowners hurt by the downturn in the housing market. Senator Gregg had filed the amendment in mid-November.

Washington, DC - December 12, 2007 - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announces the launch of the Education Provider Program (EPP). The program will result in an extensive "course catalog" of top-tier green building educational programs, peer-reviewed and approved by USGBC,

New York, N.Y. - December 11, 2007 - Turner Construction Company, the nation’s leading general builder, today announced that construction costs increase in the Fourth Quarter. According to the Turner Building Cost Index, the Fourth Quarter 2007 Index value is 876 which represents a 1.51 percent increase in construction costs over the Third Quarter 2007 and a 7.09 percent increase over the Fourth Quarter 2006 index.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed, increased 0.6 percent in October, marking the second consecutive monthly gain, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

WASHINGTON - December 10, 2007 - Existing-home sales are projected to trend up in 2008, with pending home sales showing a slight near-term rise, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®. However, a recovery for new-home sales is unlikely before 2009.

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) officially opened the newly renovated South Beach Addiction Treatment Center (ATC) on Staten Island today.

Imagine sitting in your cosy lounge, sipping tea while the rain patters softly outside. All seems right with the world—until you spot a faint watermark snaking across your ceiling. That seemingly innocent stain might be the first whisper of a hidden issue that could cost thousands in repairs.

Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) made the following statement regarding the data from the Point-in-Time Count released by the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness: “I’m encouraged by the decrease in the number of families and veterans who are unsheltered.

If you’d told me ten years ago that Auckland would become one of the busiest home renovation markets in the Southern Hemisphere, I might’ve raised an eyebrow. Fast forward to 2025, and I’m sitting in back-to-back meetings with homeowners looking to reimagine the spaces they’ve lived in for decades.

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