CRA Newswire

HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report for August 2019

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 August 2019. Building Permits Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,419,000. This is 7.7 percent (±1.2 percent) above the revised…

FHFA: End of Mortgage Servicing Rights Financial Pilot Program Announced

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the end of the Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSR) financing pilot program for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises).  The MSR pilot began in 2018 to provide financing to non-bank servicers as they continue to account for a growing percentage of the Enterprises’ overall servicing portfolio.  While…

EDA: $150,000 Invested to Advance Broadband Disaster Resiliency Efforts in Jasper, TX

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $600,000 grant to the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, Jasper, Texas, to help complete an engineering plan needed to prepare for the development of rural broadband infrastructure critical. The EDA grant will be matched with $150,000 in local investment. “The Trump…

EDA: Investment Made to Support Entrepreneurial Growth in Russell, PA

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $860,000 grant to the Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc., Russell, Pennsylvania, to assist in the creation of the Pennsylvania Wilds Maker Marketplace and virtual retail platform. The grant, to be matched with $277,500 in local investment, is expected to create 75…

EDA: Investment Made to Support Workforce Development at Midwest Energy Research Consortium in Milwaukee, WI

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $835,592 to the Midwest Energy Research Consortium (M-WERC) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to support the expansion of workforce development training services offered by the organization. The grant, to be matched with $835,592 in local investment, is expected to create 250 jobs. “President Trump is…

CFPB: Bureau to Enhance Consumer Complaint Database

Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it will continue the publication of consumer complaints, data fields and narrative descriptions through the Bureau’s Consumer Complaint Database while making several enhancements to the information available to users of the database. The enhancements include: modified disclaimers to provide better context to the published data; integrating…

SBA: Small Businesses Encouraged to Discover Untapped Workforce Talent

Acting Administrator Pilkerton Hosted Workforce Development Expo Today, SBA Acting Administrator Chris Pilkerton held an expo at Catholic University’s School of Business to connect small businesses with peers who have found success in exploring new pools of workforce talent in their communities. The “Small Business Hiring: Discovering Untapped Talent in the DMV” event brought together innovative businesses…

EDA: Investment Made to Support Development on Unmanned Aerial System Test Range in Pendleton, OR

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3 million grant to the city of Pendleton, Oregon, to make infrastructure improvements at Eastern Oregon Regional Airport needed for the development of an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) test range. “President Trump is working diligently to improve…

CDFI Fund: $25 Million Awarded to Banks that Increased Investments in Severely Distressed Communities

Over Half Billion Dollars has now been awarded through the Bank Enterprise Awards Program Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced over $25.2 million in awards to 113 banks, through the fiscal year (FY) 2019 round of the Bank Enterprise Award Program (BEA Program), for increasing investments…

FEMA: President Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Arkansas

FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Arkansas to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding from June 23-24, 2019. The President’s action makes federal funding available to the state, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit…