Good News for Green

A new study presented at the International Builder’s Show predicts dramatic growth in green building and remodeling, accompanied by declining costs and greater consumer interest.

States and Lenders Settle for $26 Billion

According to the New York Times, five national lenders and most of the states have agreed on a settlement of $26 billion to address alleged abuses by lenders in foreclosure practices, the largest multistate settlement since the Tobacco Settlement in 1998. The deal grew out of an investigation into mortgage servicing by all 50 state attorneys general that was introduced in the fall of 2010 amid allegations that banks evicted people with false or incomplete documentation.

LiveCleveland Releases New Video "Live It Love It"

The nonprofit civic marketing organization, LiveCleveland, released this video recently, promoting the neighborhoods of Cleveland as great places to live. Organizations like LiveCleveland and LiveBaltimore work specifically to persuade buyers and renters to choose their city neighborhoods. They promote individual neighborhoods, citywide amenities, buyer incentives and in some cases, specific homes for sale. Their funding is usually a mix of contributions and sponsorships from local government, Realtors, foundations, major employers and other givers. They provide an important support to community development organizations and neighborhood CDCs working to improve places and attract and retain residents.

Half of all Housing Choice Voucher Recipients Live in the Suburbs But Without Good Access to Jobs

Brookings report says that within suburbs, HCV recipients are more likely than the overall population and the poor to live in low-income suburbs with inferior access to jobs - despite the fact that H.U.D. made program changes in the 1990s specifically to increase access to job-rich suburbs.

Daring to Look at the Whole Neighborhood

When organizations are engaged in neighborhood stabilization and revitalization, it can be challenging to examine and wrestle with issues in the neighborhood for which the organization doesn't currently have a program or resources to address. What if we can't find the resources to address them? What if we raise expectations in the community that we can't meet? How can we address an issue if we don't have in-house expertise on that topic?

Possible Large-Scale, REO-to-Rental Policy Described in Federal Reserve White Paper

There are about 60 metropolitan areas with at least 250 REO properties currently for sale by the GSEs and FHA--the scale that the Federal Reserve says could be large enough to realize efficiency gains in an REO-to-rental strategy. A recently released Federal Reserve white paper on the current state of the U.S. housing market and related policy considerations outlines a possible REO-to-rental policy as a way to reduce the supply of current and future REO – before it can do further damage to the market by depressing values and affecting quality of life in neighborhoods.