Housing

HUD: FHA Announces Temporary Guidance for Insuring Single Family Homes in Forebearance

Temporary policy provides FHA insurance safeguards for borrowers and lenders  Today, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced a new, temporary policy that provides guidance for lenders to obtain FHA insurance endorsements on mortgages where the borrower has requested or obtained a COVID-19 forbearance. This policy will ensure that the safeguards of the FHA program continue to work…

HUD and Census Bureau: Findings of Rental Housing Finance Survey Released

Survey Finds Nearly Half of Rental Units are in Rental Properties with Four or Fewer Units Of the 48.2 million rental housing units, nearly 49 percent are located in rental properties of one to four units, according to the latest Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS) data released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development…

FHFA: Final Rule Published on the FHLBank’s Housing Goals

Rule provides greater availability of mortgage financing for underserved borrowers To help underserved borrowers, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today sent to the Federal Register for publication a final rule on the Federal Home Loan Banks’ (FHLBanks) Housing Goals. The new goals take effect in 2021 and enforcement of the rule will be phased…

Census Bureau: 2019 Characteristics of New Housing Report Released

The U.S. Census Bureau released today the 2019 Characteristics of New Housing Report, which provides annual statistics on the characteristics of new privately owned residential structures by census region. The report includes characteristics such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location of laundry facilities, the presence of a homeowner’s association, the buyer’s source of…

ABA: Foundation Highlights Housing Relief Resources in Recognition of American Housing Month

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have found themselves facing financial hardship and struggling to make monthly housing payments. While relief options are available to homeowners and renters alike, it can be difficult to know where to look for information. To help consumers navigate this challenging situation, and in recognition of…

Census Bureau: 2018 Rental Housing Finance Survey Summary Tables Now Available

New summary tables from the 2018 Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS) are now available in the RHFS table creator. The RHFS provides measures of financial, mortgage and property characteristics of residential properties with at least one housing unit for rent in the United States. It is the only data source that provides a comprehensive picture of…

FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.7 Percent in First Quarter 2020; Up 5.7 Percent from Last Year

U.S. house prices rose in the first quarter of 2020, up 1.7 percent according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI).  House prices rose 5.7 percent from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020.  FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for March was up 0.1 percent from February. “Home price growth in the first…

Census Bureau: New Report on Housing Readiness for Aging Population Released

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new population report on the readiness of housing to meet the needs of the nation’s aging population. The report – Old Housing, New Needs: Is America’s Housing Ready for an Aging Population? – uses data from the 2011 American Housing Survey (AHS) to provide national-level estimates of housing units with aging-accessible features,…

HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report for April 2020

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 April 2020. Building Permits Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,074,000. This is 20.8 percent (±0.9 percent) below the revised…

CFPB: CSBS and CFPB Issue Consumer Guide on Mortgage Relief Options

To guide homeowners with federally backed loans through the process of obtaining mortgage relief, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors today released a Consumer Relief Guide with borrowers’ rights to mortgage payment forbearance and foreclosure protection under the federal CARES Act. Kathleen L. Kraninger, CFPB Director: “CFPB is working hand-in…