WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) initiated an administrative proceeding against PHH Corporation and its affiliates (PHH), alleging PHH harmed consumers through a mortgage insurance kickback scheme that started as early as 1995. The CFPB is seeking a civil fine, a permanent injunction to prevent future violations, and victim restitution.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Construction firms added jobs in 34 states over the past 12 months, but construction employment declined in 32 states and the District of Columbia between November and December as many parts of the country coped with weather, according to an analysis released today by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials noted that while weather in parts of the country likely contributed to many of the declines, they urged Washington officials to take steps to ensure continued growth for the industry and the economy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Statement from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) by Cindy Chetti, NMHC Senior Vice President of Government Affairs

Washington, DC - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continues to sit in limbo, it remains unclear what the future holds for our system of housing finance. Despite the fact that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have played a valuable role in helping to grow the middle class in America, the reform debate has largely centered around their elimination, without fully considering the consequences for working Americans and the housing market. And troublingly, none of the current reform legislation makes any tangible commitment to ensuring access to conventional lending for the full range of creditworthy borrowers, including millennials, working-class people, rural residents and minorities.

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today issued the following statement in response to reports that President Barack Obama will sign an executive order to increase the minimum wage on new federal contracts from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour.

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jason Grumet, president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, issued the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union address:

CONCORD, N.H. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- ROC USA® has been awarded a $4 million grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation on behalf of three non-profit lenders to expand resident ownership opportunities in affordable manufactured housing communities. The grant is part of the foundation’s new CDFI Collaboratives program, a $33 million commitment to help CDFIs build capacity and jumpstart job creation in low- and moderate-income communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 29, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- It’s going to be a good year for the commercial real estate finance markets. While there are still some bumps in the road that leads to complete recovery, the signposts point increasingly to a clear path ahead. That was the upshot of the recent roundtable held by the Washington, DC-based Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC). The discussion appears in the most recent issue of the association’s CRE Finance World magazine.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Join a phone briefing today on Woodstock Institute’s new report, Unresolved Foreclosures: Patterns of Zombie Properties in Cook County. The report examines the extent to which servicers are walking away from foreclosures in Cook County, Illinois, creating zombie properties, and how that practice may vary by the characteristics of the neighborhood in which the property is located.

Washington, DC - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- It’s common practice for real estate professionals to give closing gifts to their home buying and selling clients, and a new offer through the REALTOR Benefits® Program gives members of the National Association of Realtors® a new way to thank and stay connected with their clients.

ST. LOUIS - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Over the past century, Little Rock has transitioned from an economy that produced lumber and cottonseed to one that predominantly provides services—the lion’s share of which is in health, education and state government.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000 units in December, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the monthly drop, home sales in 2013 were up 16.4 percent over the previous year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders will present its annual Educator of the Year awards to individuals who have excelled in teaching NAHB education courses to builders, remodelers and other industry professionals.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Steve Brown:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of new single-family houses in December 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 7.0 percent (±17.5%)* below the revised November rate of 445,000, but is 4.5 percent (±19.8%)* above the December 2012 estimate of 396,000

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that $600 million has been made available to community agencies to assist very-low income veterans and families facing homelessness. These funds are offered through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, a homeless-prevention and rapid re-housing program.

IRVINE, CALIF. - January 28, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Award-winning national firm KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, is pleased to announce that Bellasol (known as "The Zero Home") in Herriman, Utah, received the Platinum award for Single-Family Production - 2,001 SF - 3,100 SF in the 2014 Professional Builder Design Awards competition. Last year, Garbett Homes and KTGY won the Platinum award for The Solaris Collection at Daybreak in South Jordan, Utah, in Professional Builder Design Awards' Single-Family Production - 2,000 SF or below category

WASHINGTON - January 27, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, the ConsensusDocs Coalition is publishing a new Construction Management Agency standard agreement. The ConsensusDocs 830 Agreement Between Owner and Construction Manager (CM Provides General Conditions) and related exhibits will replace the current ConsensusDocs 801 Construction Management Agreement.

CHICAGO - January 27, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- A new report from Woodstock Institute estimates that there are more than 11,700 zombie properties in Cook County, including more than 5,800 in the City of Chicago. A property becomes a zombie when a mortgage servicer files for foreclosure and then does not complete the process and take ownership of the property or resolve the foreclosure by other means. For its report, Woodstock defines a zombie property as a foreclosure that has not been resolved for more than three years. Because neither the borrower nor servicer has clear control of the property, neither has a strong incentive to assume responsibility for the property. Zombie properties, therefore, are likely to be poorly maintained or blighted, which threatens the stability of surrounding communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 27, 2014 - (RealEstateRama) -- According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the Remodeling Market Index (RMI) held steady at 57 in the fourth quarter of 2013. This is the same level as the third quarter of 2013 and the highest reading since the first quarter of 2004

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®) will convene the nation’s top Latino real estate professionals, entrepreneurs, and cultural influencers September 18–21, 2025, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Sponsored by Wells Fargo, this landmark event celebrates NAHREP’s 25th anniversary and introduces an array of inspiring speakers, transformative sessions, and innovative programming.

Competitive Grant Opportunity Incentivizes Municipalities Aiming to Reduce Costs and Lower Tax Burden Efficiency Grant Will Help Enhance Productivity for Local Governments Facing Capacity Constraints. Municipalities Across the State Can Now Apply for Funding Through this Program

People often arrive in Las Vegas with a specific picture already in mind. They imagine nonstop noise, fast weekends, and neon everywhere. What they usually don’t expect is how normal the city feels once you step into the neighborhoods where people actually live. The everyday version of Las Vegas looks nothing like the Strip.

52 New Dems led by Housing, Infrastructure, & Transportation Working Group Chair Norma Torres (CA-35) and Housing Task Force Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13) penned a letter to President Trump urging the Administration to take immediate steps to help make housing more affordable and accessible for more Americans.

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