FEMA: Agency and Emergency Management Partner Organizations Release PrepTalk on Financial Literacy
FEMA, in partnership with organizations that collectively represent the emergency management profession, released today the seventh video presentation from the inaugural PrepTalks Symposium, John Hope Bryant’s “Financial Literacy and Overcoming Liquid Asset Poverty.” Bryant is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Operation HOPE, Inc., a nonprofit provider of financial dignity education and economic…
HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for February 2018
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for February 2018: New Home Sales Sales of new single-family houses in February 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 618,000. This is 0.6 percent (±13.3 percent)* below the revised January…
SBA: Vancouver Business Owner Named 2018 SBA Washington State Veteran-Owned Business of the Year
Tony Curtis of Current Home Technologies Takes Top Honors, Celebration to Recognize All Local SBA Award Winners May 3 The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 2018 Washington State Veteran-Owned Business of the Year is Tony Curtis, owner of Current Home Technologies in Vancouver, Washington. Founded in 2008, Current Home Technologies specializes in custom residential design…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in February 2018
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from January to February, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.28 percent for loans closed in late February, up 16 basis points from 4.12 percent in January….
Federal Reserve: FEDS Notes – Mobile Banking: A Closer Look at Survey Measures
Ellen A. Merry1 The growing use of smartphones and the Internet has brought rapid change to financial services. These new technologies have given consumers and banks new tools for managing money and changed the customer-bank relationship. They have also raised new concerns about security and access. Mobile banking may help to address some challenges consumers…
FEMA: SBA Provides Federal Disaster Assistance for Businesses in Puerto Rico through June 20th
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available for businesses and private nonprofits that suffered physical damage or economic losses due to hurricanes Irma and Maria. Uninsured and underinsured losses caused by a disaster can impact business owners’ ability to recover. SBA loans can help cover repairs and replacement of damaged physical…
Census Bureau: New Population Estimates Show Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Has Largest Growth in the U.S.
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area’s 146,000-population increase last year was the most of any metro area and Maricopa County, Ariz., saw a population increase of nearly 74,000 — the most of any county last year — according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s July 1, 2017, population estimates released today. The statistics provide population estimates and…
FEMA: Beware of Frauds and Scams When Natural Disasters Occur
When natural disasters occur, it is common to find people who want to take advantage of survivors by posing as official disaster aid workers or as relatives trying to help survivors complete their applications. FEMA encourages survivors to be aware of fraud and scams. FEMA also encourages survivors to report any suspicious activity or potential…
FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.8 Percent in January 2018
U.S. house prices rose in January, up 0.8 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.3 percent increase in December was revised upward to 0.4 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…
FHFA: Report Shows Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Foreclosure Preventions Surpass 4 Million
Hurricanes Impact Delinquency Rate The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its fourth quarter Foreclosure Prevention Report, which shows that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) completed 67,569 foreclosure prevention actions in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing the total number of homeowners helped to 4,040,258 since the start of the conservatorships in…