Housing

FHFA: Correction and Extended Comment Period for Proposed Rule Amending FHLB Affordable Housing Program Regulation

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that it is extending the comment period for the Agency’s proposed rule to amend the Federal Home Loan Banks’ Affordable Housing Program by 30 days.  The comment period was previously set to close on May 14, 2018, 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.  The comment…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in March 2018

Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from February to March, 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 4.49 percent for loans closed in late March, up 21 basis points from 4.28 percent in February….

HUD: Secretary Carson Proposes Rent Reform

Reforms to make current rent policies simpler, more transparent and predictable WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today unveiled a package of reforms designed to offer Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), property owners and HUD-assisted families a simpler, less invasive and more transparent set of rent structures, and places HUD’s rental…

HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for March 2018

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for March 2018: New Home Sales Sales of new single-family houses in March 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 694,000. This is 4.0 percent (±18.6 percent)* above the revised February…

FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.6 Percent in February 2018

U.S. house prices rose in February, up 0.6 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.8 percent increase in January was revised upward to 0.9 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…

HUD: University of Maryland Wins HUD’s Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the University of Maryland, College Park as the winner of its 2018 Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. A team of graduate students received top honors for their project, Beacon Crossing—a plan for public housing in Dover, N.H., that will provide…

HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report for March 2018

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for March 2018. Building Permits Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,354,000. This is 2.5 percent (±1.4 percent) above the revised…

FEMA: Recovery Progress Continues in Puerto Rico with Agreement on Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Guide

FEMA Administrator Brock Long announced today that FEMA and the Government of Puerto Rico have coordinated the guidelines for permanent work restoration in Puerto Rico. FEMA is releasing the “Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Guide for Permanent Work (Section 428)” document specifically for permanent work projects in Puerto Rico. Using these procedures, FEMA will develop fixed-cost…

HUD: Justice Department and HUD Join Forces in Nationwide Initiative to Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing

Today, as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice recognizes the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Secretary Carson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the nationwide rollout of an initiative aimed at increasing awareness and reporting of sexual harassment in housing. The announcement includes an interagency…

HUD: $1.6 Billion Awarded to Help the U.S. Virgin Islands to Recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Disaster recovery funds to help repair damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $1.6 billion to support long-term disaster recovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. These funds are provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR)…