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Pending home sales cooled in September for the second straight month and to their second lowest index reading in 2015, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All four major regions experienced a pullback in activity in September.

Second Century Ventures, the National Association of Realtors®’ strategic investment arm, has hired top technologist Alex Lange, former Market Leader chief technology officer, as an operating partner. Adding to SCV’s future success is the promotion of Mark Birschbach to vice president.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced approximately $13.2 million in supplemental funding through the Revolving Loan Funding (RLF) program for 44 communities to cleanup and redevelop contaminated properties. The agency also has released a new electronic decision tree that helps users explore the feasibility of siting renewable energy projects on formerly contaminated properties and underutilized sites.

Safety professionals aren’t yet aware of all the emerging green building systems. To meet this need in the building industry, AGC of Washington and its AGC Education Foundation partnered with others on a grant to develop a curriculum and a mobile app specific to safety concerns while working on a green building.

The White House and leaders in Congress struck a significant two-year budget deal on Tuesday to restore 90% of the sequestration budget cuts for non-defense discretionary programs in fiscal year 2016. The House passed The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 this afternoon.

In an effort to remind individuals and businesses to renew their licenses early, the State Regulatory Registry, LLC (SRR), operator of the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS), will launch its second annual “Your License is Your Business” campaign Nov. 2

Mortgage applications decreased 3.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 23, 2015. The previous week's results included an adjustment for the Columbus Day holiday.

EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Iowa have reached a proposed settlement of alleged Clean Water Act violations by the City of Waterloo, Iowa, that will require the city to assess its sanitary sewer system and develop a master plan to eliminate unlawful sewer overflows and bypasses

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today announced new leaders for its Independent Mortgage Bankers Network and Community Banks and Credit Unions Network.

Mortgage Bankers Association Opens Doors Foundation (MBA Opens Doors) today announced that it has secured more than $735,000 in pledged donations at, or associated with, MBA's 2015 Annual Convention.

California’s Orange County real estate agents are more dependent on technology to help them buy and sell homes than ever before, and now when a computer crashes or a smartphone glitches out, they can get immediate assistance.

Iowa clean energy business leaders, parents, public health leaders and students called on presidential candidates to learn from Iowa’s bipartisan example and embrace clean, renewable energy policies such as the Clean Power Plan and renewable energy tax credits

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater knows that Florida’s homeowners carry insurance to protect their property in the event of an emergency, natural or otherwise. Floridians have seen the costly destruction hurricanes can cause as well the financial volatility that storms can create in the property insurance market. Each year, the Office of Insurance Regulation tests the financial soundness of property insurance companies that conduct business in the state of Florida to ensure they can withstand the catastrophic losses generally associated with major storms.

Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 11.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 468,000 units in September, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau

Ten communities from around the country have been selected for an initiative that will help them attract and retain residents, businesses and investment, announced NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and sustainable community building, has been awarded an $800,000 grant from The Kresge Foundation to support efforts by the ULI Center for Sustainability to make communities more resilient and adaptable to the impacts of climate change and reduce the environmental imprint of the real estate industry.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies held a hearing titled “Review of Rural Development in 21st Century America” on October 21. Witnesses in the two-panel hearing included US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) officials and industry stakeholders. The hearing focused on RD programs including Rural Utilities Service and Rural Housing Services (RHS)

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are launching a demonstration program to offer a permanent home and supportive services to Native American veterans who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD-VASH) Program will combine $4 million in rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA to serve approximately 600 Native American veterans.

Four individuals recently moved into their new home in Santa Fe. The four-bedroom house, located at 7205 Rio del Luna, is the first house owned by Community Options in Santa Fe

Permits for new single family homes reached their highest monthly count since October 2014, according to the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City’s (HBA) monthly Residential Building Permit Statistics report.  Four hundred, sixty-two permits for single family homes were issued in September, an increase of 37 permits over August.