HUD Updates

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a $22,500 settlement agreement with the owner and managers of at Cheyenne Villa Apartments, a 56-unit, HUD-assisted townhome complex in Sydney, Nebraska. The settlement resolves a complaint filed by a resident who uses a wheelchair and walker, who alleged that management the development failed to accommodate her request to transfer to the first available ground-floor unit. The resident also claimed that management denied requests for a parking space and a ramp to ease her access to her unit.

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Stuart F. Delery, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Helen Kanovsky, General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), and David A. Montoya, Inspector General of HUD, announced today that the United States has settled a civil fraud lawsuit against DEUTSCHE BANK AG, DB STRUCTURED PRODUCTS, INC., DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES, INC. (collectively "DEUTSCHE BANK" or the "DEUTSCHE BANK defendants") and MORTGAGEIT, INC. ("MORTGAGEIT").

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded nearly $41.18 million to 99 fair housing organizations and other non-profit agencies in 35 states and the District of Columbia to assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination (see attached list of grantees). Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $2.58 million in grants to four projects intended to protect children and families from health hazards in their homes. The awards will be made to academic and non-profit institutions that advance the recognition and control of residential health and safety hazards to improve our understanding of the link between housing and health. Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today.

WASHINGTON - It used to be that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would require more than 1,200 cities, counties and states to undergo a paper-based, time-intensive and costly planning process as a condition of receiving billions of dollars in federal funding. No more. Today, HUD is launching the eCon Planning Suite, a set of 21st Century data and technology tools to help communities ensure that scarce federal dollars are targeted to where they are needed most and can achieve the biggest impact.

WASHINGTON- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the April edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard - a comprehensive report on the nation's housing market. Data in the April Housing Scorecard show some promising signs of stability, though the overall outlook remains mixed. Mortgage delinquencies have declined for four consecutive months and remain substantially below year ago levels, while sales of existing homes in the first quarter were 5.3 percent higher than one year ago. Data on home prices were soft in many mortgage markets, though adjusting for the traditionally slow winter months reveals the first uptick in prices since April 2011. The full report is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

NEW ORLEANS - In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the B.W. Cooper Public Housing Development in New Orleans became uninhabitable. On that very site today, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan joined New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Senator Mary Landrieu, Congressman Cedric Richmond and Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) Administrative Receiver David Gilmore to cut the ribbon in front of one of the 50 new homes that are part of the first phase of construction for the Marrero Commons mixed-income community. B.W. Cooper is the last of "the Big Four" public housing developments in New Orleans being redeveloped after Hurricane Katrina rendered them uninhabitable.

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hosted a White House Forum on Housing to discuss programs and initiatives promoted by the Obama Administration that help responsible homeowners and struggling communities hit hardest by the housing crisis. The White House Housing Forum convened Georgia housing officials, regional and local leaders, housing and development alliances and community advocates in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building this afternoon for the discussion.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded more than $56 million to 76 tribal communities throughout the nation to improve housing conditions, promote community development and to spur local economies with construction projects and jobs. The competitive grants awarded are part of HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program that address a wide variety of community development and affordable housing activities for low- to moderate-income families (see grant chart below and project summaries here).

DENVER - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a commitment to insure a mortgage loan to Valley Citizen's Foundation for Health Care, Inc. which is doing business as Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, Colorado. It is estimated the refinanced debt will save the hospital more than $168,000 a year in principal and interest and more than $1.6 million over the life of the loan.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of Hawaii and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following severe storms, flooding and landslides last month.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it has reached settlement agreements with Magna Bank in Nashville, TN, and Home Loan Center, Inc., in Irvine, CA, resolving allegations that the two lenders denied mortgage loans to women because they were pregnant and temporarily on maternity leave. HUD is announcing the discrimination settlements as part of its annual Fair Housing Month commemoration kick-off.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the indefinite debarment of three South Florida mortgage loan officers and a Pittsburgh title agent following their criminal convictions on charges they defrauded elderly borrowers, mortgage lenders and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Marcos Echevarria, Louis Gendason, John Incandela and Kimberly Mackey pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their part in a $2.5 million nation-wide reverse mortgage scam. All four individuals are currently serving prison terms.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with Wilmette Real Estate & Management Company, LLC; WR Property Management, LLC; 14 affiliated limited liability companies and Mr. Cameel Halim in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois.

WASHINGTON- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the March edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard - a comprehensive report on the nation's housing market. Data in the March Housing Scorecard show some promising signs of stability, though the overall outlook remains mixed. Mortgage delinquencies continued a downward trend and were substantially below year ago levels, while sales of existing homes in January and February marked the strongest start to a year since 2007. However, data on home prices changed little from the previous month - marking a fifth month of seasonal lows. The full report is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it has signed a $3.7 million agreement with the city of Long Beach, CA, that will help to create job opportunities for low-income residents and contracting opportunities for the businesses that hire them. The agreement was reached after a HUD review determined that the city's Section 3 implementation plan was inadequate.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it has reached settlement agreements with Magna Bank in Nashville, TN, and Home Loan Center, Inc., in Irvine, CA, resolving allegations that the two lenders denied mortgage loans to women because they were pregnant and temporarily on maternity leave. HUD is announcing the discrimination settlements as part of its annual Fair Housing Month commemoration kick-off.

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that more than 1,200 extremely low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS will continue to receive permanent housing as a result of nearly $33 million in grants HUD is awarding. Annually, these grants will provide permanent supportive housing for over 1,200 households so they can manage their health and access needed supportive services such as case management and employment training.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide $72.6 million to public housing agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to supply permanent housing and case management for more than 10,000 homeless veterans.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of West Virginia and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following a severe storms, flooding, mudslides, and landslides this month.