Washintgon, DC – The Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network, led by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE), the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and NeighborWorks America, today announced a national campaign to prevent loan modification scams through public education, complaint reporting and coordination with local, state, and federal enforcement agencies.
As part of the...
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Real Estate And Mortgage News
- HUD Secretary announces disaster assistance for Connecticut storm victimsWASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to three counties in Connecticut and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following last month's severe winter storms and snowstorms. […]
- HUD Secretary announces disaster assistance for Mississippi storm victimsWASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to five counties in Mississippi and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes due to April's severe storms, tornadoes and flooding. […]
- Northern California Fair Housing Groups Awarded $2.2 Million to help fight DiscriminationSAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today presented over $2.2 million to several fair housing organizations to help fight housing discrimination in Northern California. John Trasvina, HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, made the grant presentations to Bay Area Legal, California Rural Legal A […]
- NAR Urges Extension of Rural Housing ProgramNAR asks the Senate to approve House bill to extend loan commitment authority to help families purchase homes in rural areas, which is set to expire Friday, April 30. […]
- Borrowers Who Refinanced in First Quarter Will Lower Their Interest Expense an Aggregate $2 Billion Over the Coming YearMcLean, VA – In the first quarter of 2010, one-half of borrowers who refinanced their conventional loan lowered their mortgage interest rate by at least 16 percent according to Freddie Mac’s quarterly Refinance Report. […]
The Economy
- Housing Vacancies and HomeownershipHomeownership Rate (HR) The homeownership rate in the first quarter 2010 (67.1 percent) was not statistically different from the first quarter 2009 rate (67.3 percent). In the West, the homeownership rate was lower than a year ago, while no other region showed any significant change from corresponding first quarter 2009 rates. Rental Vacancy Rate (RVR) The r […]
Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network
National Housing Survey
Our purpose was to gauge the public’s current attitudes toward housing, especially in light of the current housing crisis. This comprehensive research project asked more than 3,000 consumers about their confidence in homeownership as an investment, the current state of their household finances, their views on the U.S. housing finance system and their overall...
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New Construction Housing Sees Upturn
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for March 2010:
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000. This is 7.5 percent (±1.3%) above the revised February rate of 637,000 and...
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Geen Housing
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that Washtenaw County, Michigan is being awarded a $250,000 grant to produce 30 new affordable green rental units in Ann Arbor. The County will use Avalon Housing, Inc., an established community-based affordable housing developer, to create these new apartments which will...
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FHA Mortgages Get Modern
FHA TO ACCEPT ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES ON THIRD PARTY DOCUMENTS
Action begins broader effort to modernize FHA’s application process
WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced plans to modernize the application process for FHA mortgage insurance, making the process easier for borrowers and faster for lenders. FHA will begin accepting electronic signatures on third...
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Action On Flood Insurance Renewal
The National Association of Realtors® said today that it will continue to press Congress for speedy action to renew authority for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program that expired March 28.
Congress is on its spring recess and will return April 12.
Flood insurance is required by...
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How does radon get into buildings?
Studies of the geology of radon include research into how uranium and radon sources are distributed in rocks and soils, how radon forms in rocks and soils, and how radon moves. Studying how radon enters buildings from the soil and through the water system is also an important part of the geology of radon.
Radon...
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Investment Sales Down
Vacation-home sales recovered in 2009 while investment sales fell sharply, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
NAR’s 2010 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2009, shows vacation-home sales rose 7.9 percent to 553,000 last year from 513,000 in 2008, while investment-home sales fell 15.9 percent to 940,000 in...
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Mortgage Rates Inch Up
McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.99 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending March 25, 2010, up slightly from last week when it averaged 4.96 percent. Last year at this time,...
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New Flood Plain Maps For Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began a six-month process to develop revised flood maps for Washington, D.C., designed to help local officials and residents identify known flood risks, and assist in making insurance and development decisions.
FEMA continues to update its flood hazard maps nationwide...
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New Lead Based Paint Rules
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A significant new rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dealing with lead-safe work practices goes into effect on April 22, 2010.
Anyone receiving compensation for renovating, repairing and painting work in residences built before 1978 that disturbs painted surfaces is subject to the new Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP)....
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Loan Modifications
Number of permanent modifications increases by 45 percent
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today released February data for the Administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). As of the end of the month, more than one million borrowers were receiving a median savings...
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Greater Philadelphia Region
- Local Artist Springs into SpringPhiladelphia painter, muralist and landscape artist, Paulette Bensignor annouces the opening of her latest exhibit, Spring 2010 Landscapes, at the Tyme Gallery in Havertown PA. The Tyme Gallery is located at 17 W. Eagle Road, Havertown, PA 19083, 610-853-1215, www.tymegallery.com hours: Tue – Fri. 10am to 6:30pm, Sat. 10am-4pm For more info contact Paulette […]
- National Junior Tennis League Celebrates 40th AnniversaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Join us on Friday, August 13, 2010 as Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL). We are marking the longevity of NJTL. This celebration honors its founders and key program leaders as well as four decades of players and staff. The USTA/National Junior Tennis and [.. […]