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

Chicago, IL - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sustainable buildings are expected to generate stronger investment returns than traditionally managed properties, according to an ongoing study of a national office portfolio managed by CB Richard Ellis. The study found that owners of sustainably managed buildings anticipate a 4% higher return on investment than do owners of traditionally managed buildings, as well as 5% [more] increase in building value. Roughly 79% of owners surveyed believe that sustainable properties perform well in attracting and retaining tenants, yielding a 5% increase in building occupancy and 1% increase in rental income.

San Jose del Cabo, MX - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associa Mexico Realty Services recently expanded its already diverse company profile by adding the Las Mananitas condominiums, one of the area’s finest beachfront properties.

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.

San Antonio, TX - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- USAA Real Estate Company announces the purchase of Patterson Court, a Class-A multifamily community located at 8112 Patterson Wood Drive in Little Lake Bryan, a master development in Orlando. The property was purchased from Atlanta-based Woods Partners. Details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Improving financial conditions and recent encouraging signs from the labor market should set the stage for an above-par growth trend by mid 2011, according to the November 2010 Economic Outlook released today by Fannie Mae's (FNMA/OTC) Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. Despite challenges, including uncertainty on the domestic fiscal policy and international fronts, improvement in economic activity will likely occur at a gradual pace moving into 2011. The economy showed a slight pickup in growth in the third quarter to 2.0 percent at an annualized pace, up from 1.7 percent in the previous quarter, and consumer spending posted the best showing since the end of 2006. Even with stronger than expected economic growth in the third quarter, the group forecasts continued sluggish growth at least through the first quarter of 2011.

PLEASANTON, CA and LA JOLLA, CA - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ellie Mae®, the enterprise mortgage origination technology provider for mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, community banks, credit unions and other mortgage lenders, and Closing.com, the largest one-stop-shop for real estate closing services on the Web, have announced the launch of Encompass Assured GFE™ service powered by Closing.com’s SmartGFE® Service. With Encompass Assured GFE, Encompass360™ users can now create Good Faith Estimates, which are backed by a ClosingCorp compliance guarantee, directly from their Encompass360 systems.

McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC:FMCC) today issued its 2011 funding calendars, which provide optional announcement dates for Reference Notes® securities and announcement and auction dates for Reference Bills® securities. The 2011 funding calendars are available on the Debt Securities page of the company’s Web site

McLean, VA - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) and the 15-year (FRM) rose dramatically this week, as did the 5-year ARM. The 1-year ARM remained unchanged from the previous week.

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

To highlight Deaf Awareness Month in September, the New Hanover County Office of Civic Engagement has partnered with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office to host a special community event titled, “Law Enforcement and Me”.

The California Building Industry Association issued the following statement today in response to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s approval of a new wildfire catastrophe model aimed at paving way for insurers to close coverage gaps statewide.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have each approved THUD budget bills that reject the deeply harmful cuts and policy changes proposed in the President’s Budget Request.

First Senate funding package of the year includes Kelly-led provisions to expand veterans’ health care access, prevent suicide, and support military installations across Arizona

U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) secured critical funding for defense projects benefiting Georgia’s servicemembers, military families, and base communities. The funding was secured in the military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill, which is one of several legislative vehicles used to annually fund the federal government.

If you’re dealing with pests in North York—whether it’s cockroaches in your condo or mice in your basement—Just Bugs Pest Control offers fast, affordable, and professional service. With pest issues on the rise across the city, it’s more important than ever to have a trusted team on your side.

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