WASHINGTON, October 24, 2007 -- Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan today expressed support for provisions in a House bill that would set national standards for subprime mortgages comparable to federal banking agency standards, and provide enhanced regulation for all mortgage brokers, but expressed concern about some parts of the proposed legislation.

With more than 15,000 home plans to choose from, users may find the task of searching for a new home a bit daunting. But with HDA's new search features, finding that special luxury house plan is a breeze. Consumers are able to search by home plan style, size, and by estimated cost-to-build

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three-fourths of Americans surveyed believe that either being smarter about development or improving public transportation are both better long-term solutions for reducing traffic congestion than building new roads, according to a survey sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Smart Growth America.

Local real estate professionals discussed how to ride out a currently stormy housing market that holds promises of better times ahead at the eighth annual State of Real Estate in the Coachella Valley presentation, held today at the Doral Palm Springs Resort.

OCTOBER 16, 2007 -- The U.S. Census Bureau has released a series of 34 tables on the 40 million Americans who moved between 2005 and 2006, including characteristics of movers by type of move.

Washington, DC, October 10, 2007 --Thank you, Secretary Jackson, for being here today. And thank you to everyone here today with one common objective – helping homeowners stay in their homes. We all know well the turmoil in today's mortgage markets. A combination of stagnant or falling house prices, low down payment mortgages and resetting adjustable-rate mortgage rates are creating real challenges for many American homeowners.

Washington, DC, October 17, 2007 -- By a vote of 75-19, the full U.S. Senate last night approved the FY 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) funding bill, providing a $41.4 million or 12 percent budget increase for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the nation's single largest source of funding for civil legal aid for the poor. LSC would receive a total of $390 million, approaching the $400 million received in FY 1995, the high-water mark in the Corporation's 33-year history.

Washington, D.C., October 2, 2007 —Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Chris Dodd and Charles E. Schumer, and Reps. Barney Frank and Carolyn Maloney today offered a plan to stem the rising tide of home foreclosures created by the subprime mortgage market crisis

Washington, DC, October 22, 2007 - Reps. Brad Miller (D-NC), Mel Watt (D-NC) and Barney Frank (D-MA) today introduced comprehensive legislation to combat abuses in the mortgage lending market, and to provide basic protections to mortgage consumers and investors. The bill, H.R. 3915, the “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” will reform mortgage practices in three areas.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- American consumers give their own banks and credit card companies a 76 percent approval rating when it comes to being fair when disclosing terms to customers; they also rank their own personal banks and credit card companies far higher than the federal government when it comes to helping them handle their overall finances, according to the Second Annual Financial Fitness Survey released by The Financial Services Roundtable.

National Association of Realtors(R) Revised 2007-2008 Statistical & Forecast News Release Schedule All released at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time except November Forecast/PHSI

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice launched a new Web site today to educate consumers and policymakers about the potential benefits that competition can bring to consumers of real estate brokerage services and the barriers that inhibit that competition

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 , /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- The first-ever investigation of Wal-Mart's local property tax records finds that the retailer systematically seeks to minimize its payments that support schools and other government services. That's the finding of Rolling Back Property Tax Payments, a report released today by Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Many disaster survivors who have been forced from their homes will access critically needed housing information and assistance more quickly because of an agreement signed today between the American Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

CHICAGO, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Realtors(R) Center for REALTOR(R) Technology has released a free software toolkit to facilitate open standards-based Single Sign-On. SSO is an authentication process that allows users to enter one username and password to access all online real estate applications.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the country's first 10 Great Neighborhoods and 10 Great Streets to be singled out through the new national program, "Great Places in America." Launched last spring, Great Places in America is APA's flagship program celebrating places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pending sales of existing- homes activity will be dampened near-term as mortgage disruptions continue to impact the housing market, according to the National Association of Realtors(R).

Media Advisory: Center for Responsible Lending senior vice president Keith Corbett will be on a panel to discuss the impact of subprime lending on communities of color

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. General Services Administration has completed a draft master plan and draft environmental impact study at St. Elizabeths Hospital, marking another milestone in GSA's effort to establish a permanent, consolidated home for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Home Equity Lines of Credit --- Who Uses This Source of Credit? -- This report profiles single-family homeowners who used home equity lines of credit in 2001 and compares them to their counterparts from 10 years earlier, including age, home value, mortgage, age of home, number of loans for home improvements and proportion of people using home equity for debt consolidation.

The following civil and human rights organizations registered their dismay at facts revealed in a whistleblower complaint filed by five employees working at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The groups also pledged their support for the brave employees who have filed this alarming complaint.

The New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust (the Trust) today announced that a contract has been executed with the design-build team, Fifth Avenue Builders (FAB), that will perform over $93 million of renovation work in apartments and shared spaces at Bronx River Addition in the borough’s Soundview neighborhood.

This week, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed three energy bills that will drastically increase pollution, harm public health, and lead to higher energy prices. The bills – H.R. 1047, H.R. 3015, and H.R. 3062 – would clear the way for more dirty fossil fuel infrastructure and development and stymy investment in clean, affordable energy.

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