Housing Affairs Letter

Builders Call For Useful E-Verify

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:50:00 -0400

Hurt by a lack of qualified construction workers in an industry undermined by a five-year housing slump, homebuilders ask Congress to develop a fair and workable E-Verify system to allow hiring of workers without fear of breaking immigration law.

Eminent Domain Foreclosures Return

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:48:00 -0400

Pomona, CA could become the first community to test a new concept of using eminent domain power to prevent foreclosures. The idea bounced around from coast to coast for more than a year before finding a taker. San Bernardino County, CA officials mulled the offer from Mortgage Resolution Partners for several months before passing

Taxpayers May Foot Fannie Mae Bill

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:44:00 -0400

A decision by Fannie Mae and its former auditor to settle a lawsuit filed by a group of Ohio pension funds could require taxpayers to pay Fannie�s share of the $153 million settlement. The agreement comes after nearly a decade of legal skirmishing over Fannie�s culpability in losses to the pension funds resulting from the firm�s manipulation of its earnings.

Advocate Details Mounting PHA Woes

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:42:00 -0400

A survey of 300 public housing authorities by the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association shows the national spending sequestration is beginning to strike deeply into the ability of PHAs to maintain operations. A common refrain among PHA administrators pegs the cuts in housing programs as a precursor to increased homelessness, which they

Spotlight On Housing Enterprise

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:36:00 -0400

Mortgage loan refinancings and home purchase filings slow through the week ending March 10 with volume falling 7.3% from a week earlier, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association survey. The drop follows a period of steady increases beginning in early April. The refinance index drops 8% after posting an 8% increase a week

News From Coast To Coast

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:30:00 -0400

As HAL told you last week that the political skids were being greased for Richard Cordray�s Senate confirmation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says he will call for a floor vote sometime the week of May 20 to confirm the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Reid appears confident he will have the votes and avoid a fight

Summit Panel Mulls Strategies for Affordable Transit-Oriented Housing

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:26:00 -0400

In affluent Montgomery County, MD, panelists at its 22nd annual Affordable Housing Conference discuss the challenges of housing lower-income residents as redevelopment takes place near transit stations.

Micro Housing Success Brings Problems

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:43:00 -0400

Micro-housing developers came to the Affordable Housing Conference in Bethesda, MD this year to promote their wares and air some of the difficulties accompanying the growing boomlet. The tiny apartments, meant to be affordable, have less than 400 square feet of

Sequester Anger, Panic Mount

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:28:00 -0400

To say housing advocates at the annual Affordable Housing Conference in Bethesda, MD are worried about the cumulative effects of the national financial sequestration on federal housing programs would be understating the mood. An undercurrent of anger and panic is pervasive among attendees, particularly about the loss of housing

News Flashes Coast To Coast

hal@cdpublications.com (HAL Editor) — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:02:00 -0400

HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity John Trasvina steps down after four years of beefing up the office�s enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Trasvina is credited with advancing the rule on equal access to HUD programs regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Trasvina becomes dean of the