Housing

HUD: Anna Maria Farias Sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity

WASHINGTON – Texas native Anna Maria Farías is the new Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Following her confirmation last week by the U.S. Senate, HUD Secretary Ben Carson today administered the oath of office to Farías who will now lead the Department’s…

HUD: “Worst Case Housing Needs” Increased in 2015

8.3 million households paid more than half their income for rent or lived in substandard housing WASHINGTON – The number of very poor unsubsidized families struggling to pay their monthly rent and who may also be living in substandard housing increased between 2013 and 2015, according to a new report released today by the U.S….

HUD: $38 Million Available to Fight Housing Discrimination

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it is making $38 million available to fight housing discrimination through the Department’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). The grants offered through three FHIP funding notices will support a variety of critical fair housing activities, including fair housing testing in the rental and…

Census Bureau: 2015 Rental Housing Finance Survey Available

The 2015 Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS) are now available on census.gov. This survey provides measures of financial, mortgage, and property characteristics of rental housing properties in the United States. Statistics include property, residential structure(s), and mortgage characteristics, ownership status, commercial use of space and benefits received. Internet address: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/rhfs.html>.

CFPB: Three Tools to Help Your Homebuying Process

Buying a home is exciting. It’s also one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make. Choosing a mortgage to pay for your new home is just as important as choosing the right home. You have the right to control the process. Check out our other blogs on homebuying topics, and join the conversation on…

FHFA: Progress Update on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Credit Risk Transfer Program

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today issued a Credit Risk Transfer Progress Report updating the status and volume of credit risk transfer transactions through the first quarter of 2017.  The Report gives a comprehensive picture of how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) transfer a portion of credit risk to…

CFPB: Don’t Let Marketers Tell You How to Age in Place

We often hear that older Americans want to “age in place.” Aging in place means living at home in the community, rather than in an institutional setting, like a nursing facility. This is the choice most people want to make even if they need services and support to do so. With over ten thousand people…

FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.4 Percent in May

Washington, D.C. – U.S. house prices rose in May, up 0.4 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI).  The previously reported 0.7 percent increase in April was revised downward to reflect a 0.6 percent increase. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using…

HUD: East Baltimore Redevelopment Earns 2017 HUD Secretary’s Award for Historic Preservation

WASHINGTON – For years, dozens of historic rowhouses in an East Baltimore neighborhood sat vacant, boarded up and crumbling from neglect while nearby families were in need of affordable housing. Then, a $9.3 million redevelopment project rehabilitated 32 vacant rowhouses into beautiful affordable housing homes complete witha coffee shop and a workforce development center inside…

HUD & Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report June 2017

WASHINGTON – 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 June 2017. Building Permits:  Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,254,000. This is 7.4 percent (±1.1 percent) above…