connecticut RealEstateRama

July 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced she has signed three important bills that will help more Connecticut families who are struggling to pay their mortgages keep their homes, including a bill making the state’s foreclosure mediation process mandatory – rather than optional – for all foreclosures that began after July 1. The bills also set new standards for mortgage professionals, expand eligibility for state mortgage assistance programs and create the crime of residential mortgage fraud.

July 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) sent a letter to the heads of the bank regulatory agencies asking them to address whether banks are inflating the value of 2^nd mortgages on their balance sheets, thereby discouraging proactive efforts to modify and restructure mortgage loans and crippling programs designed to prevent foreclosures.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today praised the release of $16,960,432 to rapidly find housing...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Today, the Connecticut Congressional delegation announced that the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) will receive $34 million from the U.S. Treasury Department from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to spur the development of affordable housing across the state. In Connecticut, fewer houses are under construction, which means job losses in the building trades and related industries. And as more people are out of a job, affordable housing is in increasing demand.

July 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — State Senator Edith G. Prague (D-Columbia), Senate Chair of the legislature’s Select Committee on Aging, and Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) today welcomed final action on the bill that committee initiated to create a Nursing Home Bill of Rights for Connecticut. Senator Prague said Governor Rell’s signature indicates formal enactment into law

July 2, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, praised the release of $26 million for affordable housing projects and programs throughout Connecticut. The funding, which was announced today by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will allow the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to jumpstart affordable rental housing projects across the state while creating construction jobs.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 30, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today applauded the release of $26,170,888 for affordable housing projects and programs throughout Connecticut. The funds were released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) last week helped pass sweeping, bipartisan energy reform that will create jobs, strengthen national security, protect Connecticut consumers, and push back the tide of global warming. President Obama’s American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES Act) passed the United States House Friday and includes a provision written by Congressman Himes to make energy-efficient housing more affordable

June 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that her plan to distribute $3.6 million in federal stimulus block grants to help small cities and towns rebuild their neighborhoods hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis will be the subject of a public hearing Wednesday at the Legislative Office Building.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 21, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — At a ceremony at the White House yesterday, Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT) joined other affordable housing leaders in support of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. This landmark legislation enables more homeowners to refinance mortgages, especially those who are current with payments but owe more than their homes are worth. Provisions in the bill also help restore the flow of credit.

May 20, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, the Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, today attended President Obama’s signing ceremony for the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, legislation that Dodd sponsored to help prevent foreclosures and increase the availability of credit for consumers and businesses. Dodd was joined at the ceremony by two supporters of the bill from Connecticut: Tony Emerson, the Executive Director of the Credit Union League of Connecticut, and Carol Walter, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness

Washington, DC - May 20, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) today announced nearly $20 million in funding from the Recovery Act for water quality programs in Connecticut. The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the state of Connecticut two grants that will create jobs and invest in finance green infrastructure, storm water management, and low-impact development.

May 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, praised today’s Senate approval of his legislation aimed at preventing foreclosures and increasing the availability of credit for consumers and businesses. The “Helping Families Save Their Homes Act,” which is cosponsored by Banking Committee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL), would provide more tools to borrowers and banks to help prevent foreclosures and makes it easier for homeowners and loan servicers to use those tools. The legislation also includes important new protections for renters who find themselves facing eviction because their landlord is in foreclosure.

April 27, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state will receive $64.3 million in federal stimulus funds to greatly expand a statewide program that helps thousands of low-income families reduce energy costs and consumption by weatherizing their homes

April 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — State Senator Paul Doyle (D-Wethersfield) said today state funding to underwrite design work for renovations at the Connecticut Veterans’ Home in Rocky Hill will qualify for federal matching funds. Senator Doyle said the State Bond Commission approved $489,000 last week for architectural and engineering fees to get the project started but the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs will provide 65 percent of the estimated $10.3 million total construction cost.