FDIC: Q&As for Consumers as Part of National Consumer Protection Week
In observance of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) March 4-10, 2018, the FDIC will post a new question and answer (Q&A) on a different banking topic each weekday at www.fdic.gov/ncpw. The five Q&As — covering mobile banking, credit and debit card security precautions, safe deposit boxes, credit reports, and debt collectors — along with other…
FEMA: Six Months after Two Category 5 Hurricanes Struck, the U.S. Virgin Islands is Recovering
Roads have been cleared of debris. Electricity is flowing. Stores are open. Students are in school. Six months after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, recovery is well underway, led by the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency and local officials with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency…
CDFI Fund: Application Demand for FY 2017 Round of BEA Program Released
REPRESENTS OVER $500 MILLION IN INCREASED LENDING IN DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced today the application data for the fiscal year (FY) 2017 round of its Bank Enterprise Award Program (BEA Program). A total of 119 applications were received requesting awards of more than…
CDFI Fund: Revised Opportunity Zones Resource Data Now Available
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released revised information concerning census tracts that are eligible for nomination as Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs). Specifically, data in the Opportunity Zones Information Resource has been updated from information provided in a February 8, 2018, release to include all census tracts that meet the New Markets Tax Credit…
Census Bureau: Housing Vacancy Survey Annual Results Available for 2017
Today the U.S. Census Bureau released annual statistics for the 2017 rental and homeowner vacancy rates, homeownership rates and characteristics of units available for rent for the United States, regions, states and the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas. Data for all geographies are from the Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey and are available annually. Homeownership…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in January 2018
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from December to January, 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 4.12 percent for loans closed in late January, up 4 basis points from 4.08 percent in December….
SBA: Office of the National Ombudsman Releases Annual Report on Small Business Issues
The Office of the National Ombudsman at the U.S. Small Business Administration recently released its annual report to the 115th Congress, rating federal agencies’ responsiveness to the regulatory enforcement issues small businesses faced during fiscal year 2016. Created by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act in 1996, the Office of the National Ombudsman works…
HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report January 2018
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 January 2018. Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,396,000. This is 7.4 percent (±1.2 percent) above the revised…
FHFA: Refinance Volume Increases in Fourth Quarter 2017
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed more than 446,295 refinances in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with 362,934 in the third quarter. FHFA’s fourth quarter Refinance Report also shows that 6,309 loans were refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), bringing the total number…
Census Bureau: New Census Bureau Data Repository Launched
A new U.S. Census Bureau data repository has been launched as a result of key recommendations made by the 2017 “Report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking,” in conjunction with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). The repository, hosted by the ICPSR, improves transparency by establishing a searchable inventory, through which the…