RiskSpan Inc. has announced that it has hired Allen H. Jones as managing director of its federal services consulting practice in Washington, D.C. Jones most recently served as Bank of America's (BOA) government lending executive where he managed the transition and integration of Countrywide under the BOA umbrella. He was subsequently named BOA's executive for default management public policy and national outreach.Read more

I want to begin by saying that I support all channels of loan origination if they are operated with integrity and are ethically compliant. To say our industry has gone through change is a severe understatement. While these changes have made a quick impact on how we operate, it’s not over yet. More changes are coming, and in the next several days, we will have an idea on how the final draft of this new bill will impact our business on all channels as financial reform will happen in one way or another. Is that bad? Depends on who you ask …Read more

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) have announced that it is making $189 million in grants available to transform public and assisted housing and to revitalize communities. Appearing in today’s Federal Register are the Notices of Funding Availability, the federal application, for two revitalization initiatives: The Choice Neighborhoods FY 2010 and the HOPE VI FY 2010. Read more

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have released the August edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard, a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. In July, housing prices remained level after 30 straight months of decline, while some price predictions have improved. In addition, historic low interest rates continued to promote home affordability and refinancing options for the nation’s families.Read more

The nation's homeowners paid a median of $1,000 in monthly housing costs in 2009, compared with $808 for renters, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). However, renters usually paid a higher percentage of their household income on these costs than did owners (31 percent compared with 20 percent). These new figures come from the 2009 American Housing Survey, the definitive source of information on the quality of housing in the United States.Read more

As percentages for permanent modifications in the government's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) have continued to increase over the past several months, Fifth Third Mortgage Company's modification rates are continuing to excel beyond the national average.Read more

The Obama Administration has announced additional support to help homeowners struggling with unemployment through two targeted foreclosure-prevention programs. Through the existing Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets (the Hardest Hit Fund), the U.S. Department of the Treasury will make $2 billion of additional assistance available for HFA programs for homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments due to unemployment. Additionally, the U.S.Read more

The Obama Administration has announced additional details about its Aug. 17 Conference on the Future of Housing Finance, including a list of panelists and the conference agenda. This event will provide a forum for public input as the Administration continues its work developing a comprehensive housing finance reform proposal for delivery to Congress by January 2011. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.  at the Cash Room of the U.S. Treasury Department, located at 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., NW in Washington, D.C. Read more

The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Real Property, Trust & Real Estate Law has appointed James L. Gosdin and Bruce Hawley of Stewart Title Guaranty Company (STG) to leadership chair positions for the 2010-2011 bar year. Gosdin, senior vice president, chief underwriting counsel and chief reinsurance counsel for STG, was appointed as chair of the Title Insurance and Surveys Committee of the Commercial Real Estate Transactions Group.Read more

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced that it is postponing implementation of its premium changes until Monday, Oct. 4. Originally, it was announced by FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens that a target date of Tuesday, Sept. 7 had been set for implementation of its premium changes. FHA will lower its upfront premium simultaneously with the increase to the annual premium.Read more