HUD: $2 Billion Available for Local Homeless Programs
WASHINGTON – In an effort to prevent and effectively end homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is making $2 billion available to support thousands of local homeless assistance programs nationwide. Funded through the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Program, HUD’s funding notice continues to encourage local applicants to use a Housing…
CFPB: Changes Proposed to HMDA Mortgage Data Rule Reporting Threshold for Community Banks and Credit Unions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today issued a proposal on reporting requirements for banks and credit unions that issue home-equity lines of credit. Under rules that are scheduled to take effect in January 2018, financial institutions are generally required under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) to report home-equity lines of…
OCC: Report Shows Improved Mortgage Performance in First Quarter of 2017
WASHINGTON—Performance of first-lien mortgages improved during the first quarter of 2017 compared with a year earlier, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) quarterly report on mortgages. The OCC Mortgage Metrics Report, First Quarter 2017, showed 95.6 percent of mortgages included in the report were current and performing at the end…
Census Bureau: Statistics on Race, Hispanic Origin, Ancestry and Tribal Groups
Today the U.S. Census Bureau released detailed statistics of social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics for hundreds of race, tribal, Hispanic origin and ancestry populations. These tables from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey contain the most detail for these populations and are available at numerous geographic levels. The tables released today are: The 2011-2015 American…
Census Bureau: Number of Minority-Owned Employer Firms Increased in 2015
Minority-owned employer firms in the United States increased by approximately 4.9 percent in 2015 to 996,248 from 949,318 in 2014, according to findings from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs. Payroll and employment for minority-owned employer firms in the nation also increased from 2014 to 2015 by approximately 7.0 percent ($237.5 billion…
FHFA: Final Rule Regarding Minority and Women Inclusion Regulations Amended to Require Diversity and Include Strategic Planning
Washington, D.C. — The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), is publishing a final rule that amends its existing Minority and Women Inclusion regulations to require Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance (the regulated entities), to develop and implement strategic plans to promote diversity and inclusion of minorities,…
HUD: Winners for 2017 Healthy Homes Awards Announced
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) today announced that four model programs around the nation are recipients of the HUD Secretary’s Award for Healthy Homes, an award recognizing excellence in making indoor environments healthier through healthy homes. For the third consecutive year, HUD and…
CFPB: Rule Issued to Ban Companies from Using Arbitration Clauses
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced a new rule to ban companies from using mandatory arbitration clauses to deny groups of people their day in court. Many consumer financial products like credit cards and bank accounts have arbitration clauses in their contracts that prevent consumers from joining together to sue their…
Census Bureau: Census Business Builder Now Includes “My Own Data” Upload
The latest version of Census Business Builder — version 2.2 — now includes the ability for a user to upload their own data and to view it along with U.S. Census Bureau and other data. The Small Business Edition and Regional Analyst Edition of Census Business Builder allow business owners and regional planners to easily…
CFPB: Buying a Home? Watch out for Mortgage Closing Scams
Summer is a busy homebuying season. If you’re in the market for a new home this year, watch out for email phishing scams. According to reports, the scams target homebuyers who are nearing the closing date on their mortgage loan. The scammers attempt to steal the homebuyer’s closing funds—for example, their down payment and closing…