CRA Newswire

SBA: Celebrating National Veterans Small Business Week 2017 Oct. 30 through Nov. 3

The U.S. Small Business Administration will celebrate veteran, service member, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouse entrepreneurs during National Veterans Small Business Week, Oct. 30-Nov. 3. “Veteran-owned businesses are a critical pillar of the U.S. economy as they contribute more than $1.14 trillion to the nation’s annual total sales and receipts,” SBA Administrator…

SBA: 2017 InnovateHER Challenge National Competition Award Winners Announced

Linda McMahon, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, today announced the winners of the 2017 InnovateHER Challenge, the SBA’s nationwide live-pitch competition highlighting the innovative products, services, and technologies developed by visionary entrepreneurs that have a measurable impact on the lives of women and families, and in the marketplace. “It is my pleasure to…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Decreased in September 2017

Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages decreased from August to September, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.00 percent for loans closed in late September, down 5 basis points from 4.05 percent in August….

Federal Reserve: New Members of Community Advisory Council Announced

The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced five new members of its Community Advisory Council (CAC). The CAC is composed of a diverse group of experts and representatives of consumer, workforce, and community development organizations and interests, including from such fields as affordable housing, economic development, labor, small business, and asset and wealth building. CAC…

HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for September 2017

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for September 2017: NEW HOME SALES Sales of new single-family houses in September 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the Department…

FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.7 Percent in August 2017

U.S. house prices rose in August, up 0.7 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI).  The previously reported 0.2 percent increase in July was revised upward to 0.4 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…

ABA: ABA to Congress – GSE Reform Essential to Stability of Housing Finance

The American Bankers Association outlined a set of key principles that should guide GSE reform, and explained why legislative action is needed to preserve access for lenders of all sizes and from all regions of the country in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee today. Brenda Hughes, senior vice president and director of mortgage…

HUD: Observing National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

HUD and its partners to generate awareness of lead poisoning and solutions October 22 – 28 Nearly half a million children living in the United States have elevated levels of lead in their blood that may cause significant harm to their health. To help increase awareness of this preventable disease, the U.S. Department of Housing…