FHFA: Extension of COVID-19 Related Loan Flexibilities Announced
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced today that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will extend some temporary loan origination flexibilities until May 31, 2021. All temporary flexibilities were originally set to expire on April 30, 2021. Alternative appraisals on purchase and rate-term refinance loans are among the flexibilities that will now be…
ABA: Bank Volunteers Encourage Saving for the Unexpected on 2021 Teach Children to Save Day
Bank employees across the country will bring financial education to more than 70,000 K-8 students as part of the ABA Foundation’s Teach Children to Save Day on April 22. The annual event is a centerpiece of the banking industry’s longstanding commitment to youth financial education. Since 1997, the ABA Foundation’s financial education initiatives have reached 11.6 million…
HUD: Federal Housing Administration Standard Single Family Servicing Policies Revised
Updates to Single Family Handbook policies strengthen loss mitigation approaches for struggling borrowers while streamlining key requirements for servicers The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced the publication of its update to the Servicing and Loss Mitigation section of the FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1. This update streamlines many standard operational requirements for mortgage servicers, including revising…
HUD: Access to Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Funds Accelerated
Department removes onerous restrictions that limited island’s access to funds, obligates $8.2 billion in federal mitigation funding The Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the obligation of $8.2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds for Puerto Rico, along with the removal of onerous restrictions unique to Puerto Rico that limited…
HUD: Winners of 2021 Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition Announced
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a graduate student team with members from Pratt Institute and New York University as the winners of HUD’s eighth annual Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. For the 2021 competition, HUD partnered with Fresno Housing in Fresno County, California. The combined Pratt Institute…
SBA: Official Restaurant Revitalization Fund Application and Guidelines Announced
Economic relief prioritized for underserved communities SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman today announced key details on application requirements, eligibility, and a program guide for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). The restaurant industry has been among the hardest-hit sectors during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help bring jobs back and revive the industry, the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden, established the $28.6…
CFPB: Interim Final Rule Clarifies Tenants Can Hold Debt Collectors Accountable for Illegal Evictions
Bureau Issues Interim Final Rule on Fair Debt Collection Practices Act The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today issued an interim final rule in support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s eviction moratorium. The CFPB’s rule requires debt collectors to provide written notice to tenants of their rights under the eviction moratorium…
HUD: $1.5 Million Awarded to Improve the Main Street in Three Communities
Kit Carson, Colorado, El Cerrito, California, and Stayton, Oregon to each receive a $500,000 grant to expand redevelopment efforts The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $1.5 million to help build affordable housing in Colorado, California, and Oregon. Kit Carson, Colorado will receive a $500,000 grant to redevelop two sites, the…
EDA: $3.3 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Support Production of PPE and Develop Related Training in Lowell, MA
Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3.3 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts, to continue the production of PPE and to develop related training and curriculum, creating new job and economic opportunities following the pandemic. “President…