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VHC News Clips, volume 2009-35 (March 4, 2010)
Virginia LISC Begins Work with Richmond 's Northside Neighborhood to Hear Residents' Ideas and Begin Quality of Life Improvement Process
Press Release, Virginia LISC, March 4
(RECAP: Vivian H. Bagby, who has lived in Richmond 's Northside for 45 years, loves her neighborhood, but has noticed deterioration in the area which now has more vacant houses and crime than the community with which she originally fell in love. Bagby decided to act now and is working with Virginia LISC on its neighborhood improvement program called United for Progress Neighborhoods.)Charlottesville to Pay $1.55 million to Buy Property to House the Needy
Charlottesville Daily Progress, March 2
(RECAP: Charlottesville will pay $1.55 million to purchase the land known as the Fourth Street Station, located at 401 Fourth St. N.W. , for the city's first single-room occupancy facility, a type of transitional housing for the homeless and working poor.)HUD, Groups Debut Site to Fight Foreclosure Rescue Scams
eCreditDaily.com, March 1
(RECAP: Scams that prey on desperate homeowners seeking mortgage modifications are soaring and U.S. housing officials have partnered with a national coalition to launch PreventLoanScams.org.)Fannie Mae Hints at New Mission
Portfolio.com, March 1
(RECAP: Its new mission statement focuses on providing liquidity for lenders, according to some mission statement changes noted by blog Housing Doom.)How Low is Low Enough to Refinance?
Virginian Pilot Online, March 1
(RECAP: A year ago, Chesapeake home-owner Joe Badali was paying about $2,328 a month on mortgages for his Great Bridge home and a nearby rental condo. He watched as mortgage rates began to fall a year ago and decided to refinance both properties.)Richmond-Area Housing Market Seems to be on Upswing
Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 28
(RECAP: The housing market in the Richmond area is a long way from its peak in 2005. But it seems to be improving, with the area posting double-digit increases in sales of homes, much like the rest of the state, in the final quarter of 2009 from the same period a year ago.)Fannie Mae Asks U.S. Treasury for $15 Billion More in Aid
Epoch Times, February 27
(RECAP: Last Friday, Fannie Mae asked the U.S. Treasury for $15.3 billion in additional funding. Fannie Mae disclosed total non-performing loans, or loans that are in default, of $216.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2009, up from $119 billion at the end of 2008.)HUD Secretary Announces Disaster Assistance for Virginia Storm Victims
Media-Newswire.com, February 27
(RECAP: U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to 31 counties and nine cities in Virginia and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following a severe winter storm and snowstorm.)$25 Million Set Aside for Appalachian Housing
ABC News, February 26
(RECAP: A Kentucky-based nonprofit group will help low-income home buyers tap into $25 million in federal funding set aside for four central Appalachian states, including Virginia .)Housing: Time to Pull the Plug on Government Support
Business Week, February 26
(RECAP: America 's housing market implosion was the epicenter of the Great Recession. It's hardly surprising that the federal government directed enormous resources at the market. The Herculean efforts may be understandable. But they were a mistake in the early months of the downturn—and now stand as a public policy blunder in the early months of a recovery.)Williamsburg-Area Market Hit Harder than Peninsula by Real Estate Slowdown
Daily Press, February 26
(RECAP: The Williamsburg-area real estate market is more closely tied than the rest of the Peninsula is to other parts of the country, which have suffered more than Hampton Roads did when the real estate market went from hot to cold.)Additional Tools For Reaching Hard to Count Populations for 2010 Census
NLIHC's Memo to Members, February 26
(RECAP: New online tools are available to help nonprofits encourage their clients to participate in the 2010 census, which will get underway in March when census forms are mailed to every household. All forms must be returned by April 1.)HUD Plans Listening Sessions on Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program
NLIHC's Memo to Members, February 26
(RECAP: COMMENTS DUE MARCH 12th. HUD's Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) has announced the dates and locations of listening sessions the agency will hold to receive input regarding the structure of the new Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program.)Secretary Testifies on FY11 HUD Budget
NLIHC's Memo to Members, February 26, 2010
(RECAP: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies heard testimony from HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan on HUD's FY11 budget proposal at its February 23 hearing.)VHDA to Visit in March
The Highland Cavalier, February 26
(RECAP: VHDA will visit the UVA-Wise campus on March 16 as part of its “Wealth Starts at Home” college tour—which is designed to educate students about making wise financial decisions so that their ability to purchase a home later in life is not jeopardized.)City Endorses Subsidized Housing Rehab
The News Leader, February 26
(RECAP: A proposal that would use an undetermined amount of VHDA tax credits to renovate Gypsy Hill House Apartments received City Council's blessing Thursday.)Alexandria : Affordable?
Alexandria Times, February 25
(RECAP: When it comes to finding a place to live, Alexandria has a variety of options — affordable ones, sometimes, for various sects of the population. But depending on who you are and what resources you have, finding a home within your means can be a severe uphill battle.)Babysteps Toward Moving Forward?
Augusta Free Press, February 25
(RECAP: It's another report bound to collect dust on a forgotten bookshelf. That's the cynic's view of the latest and greatest Downtown Vision Report aiming at guiding whatever it is that Waynesboro is going to do to breathe life into its downtown.)Obama May Prohibit Home-Loan Foreclosures Without HAMP Review
Bloomberg, February 25
(RECAP: The Obama administration may expand efforts to ease the housing crisis by banning all foreclosures on home loans unless they have been screened and rejected by the government's Home Affordable Modification Program.)A Path to Homeownership
Americanprogress.org, February 24
(RECAP: Homeownership continues to provide real social and economic benefits and remains a high priority for most American families, but the United States is experiencing significant declines in the ownership rate for the first time in decades. What we need is greater availability of targeted purchase assistance programs that address wealth barriers to homeownership.)Geithner: No change to Fannie, Freddie until 2011
Yahoo News, February 24
(RECAP: The Obama administration will wait until 2011 to propose an overhaul of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Wednesday.)Chesterfield Property Values Expected to Decline Next Year
Chesterfield Observer, February 22
(RECAP: Tax revenues in Chesterfield County are likely to continue declining next year because existing residential assessments are projected to drop 2 percent while commercial assessments fall another 8 percent.)She Uses Faith to Create Housing
Free Lance-Star, February 21
(RECAP: Fronce Wardlaw has helped bring more than $13 million in affordable housing to King George County --without asking for a dime of county funds.)Uncle Sam Insuring More Loans in Hampton Roads
The Virginian-PilotFebruary 21
(RECAP: The share of loans insured by either the Federal Housing Admin istration or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2009 grew to 63 percent, the highest point in more than a decade, according to figures compiled by Old Dominion University economists.)Plot on Hampton Blvd. Awarded to Norfolk
The Virginian-Pilot, February 20
(RECAP: This week, city officials finally gained title to 3918 Hampton Blvd. and several other nearby properties, ending a two-year court battle over the future of development around the university.)What Happens to Housing After Life Support?
The Motley Fool, February 19
(RECAP: Nationwide housing prices have risen for six consecutive months. Plenty of people are now asking whether we can finally move on from this three-year housing assault. But as we limp toward economic recovery, nothing depends more on stimulus for its survival than housing.)Fannie, Freddie Housing Goals May Exclude Subprime
Business Week February 17
(RECAP: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would no longer be able to rely on subprime mortgages to meet their government-mandated goals for helping lower-income Americans obtain home loans, according to proposed regulations.)Richmond Road Student-Housing/Retail Project on Hold for a Month
Daily Press, February 17
(RECAP: Consideration of the Triangle Retail Project — also known as the Wawa project, a mixed-use student housing development proposed by the William and Mary Real Estate Foundation — was tabled for at least a month by the Planning Commission after nearly two hours of discussion Monday.)S&P: Shadow Inventory Still a Concern. Reason to Extend Fed's MBS Program?
Mortgage News Daily, February 16
(RECAP: Standard & Poors today released "The Shadow Inventory Of Troubled Mortgages Could Undo U.S. Housing Price Gains".)Winchester EDA Purchases Nine Lots for Redevelopment
NVDAILY.com, February 16
(RECAP: The city Economic Development Authority has completed its purchase of nine downtown lots for redevelopment. The adjoining parcels along South Loudoun , East Clifford and South Cameron streets sold for $1.05 million.)News Clips Archives
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