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Tag Archives: Neighborhood Stabilization Program

States Divert Nearly Half of Settlement Money Earmarked for Housing

Less than half of the states' $2.5 billion from the national mortgage servicing settlement is being used for housing initiatives as intended, according to Enterprise Community Partners. It's been six months since a federal judge approved the agreement between the nation's five largest mortgage servicers and state and federal officials, and Enterprise says to date, states have announced housing- and foreclosure-related plans for $966 million of their settlement share; $988 million has been diverted to states' general funds or non-housing uses; and $588 million has yet to be allocated.

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NeighborWorks Program Rebrands Image of Hard-Hit Communities

To learn more about the NeighborWorks America Neighborhood Marketing Program, DS News asked Ascala Sisk, Senior Manager for Community Stabilization at NeighborWorks, a few questions about the effort. The new program is one of many initiatives from the nonprofit to rebuild communities.

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LA Puts NSP Funds to Use Creating Jobs for Property Renovations

The city of Los Angeles, California, is putting its Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds to work with the launch of a new initiative to create jobs rehabilitating foreclosed properties in communities impacted by the housing crisis. The new ""Bridges to Business Success"" program is a public-private initiative providing small minority business owners with procurement training and contract opportunities to create and retain jobs. Los Angeles has been awarded $143 million in NSP funds.

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Illinois Introduces Two Initiatives to Tackle Foreclosure Issues

To alleviate issues of foreclosure in one of the hardest hit areas, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn launched two initiatives. One effort will connect homeowners to resources to keep them in their homes, and another will help revitalize areas affected by foreclosed and vacant properties. Illinois is consistently ranked among the top 10 states with the highest number of foreclosures.

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Experts Advocate Stabilizing Neighborhoods with Short Sales

Foreclosures are going to go up before they go down, according to Craig Nickerson, president of the National Community Stabilization Trust. Nickerson says estimates put foreclosure tallies at 850,000 this year, as high as 1.5 million in 2013, and then back to the levels we're at today by 2015. With all these distressed properties potentially making their way to an already stressed marketplace, Nickerson, along with a panel of industry professionals at the inaugural MPact Conference advocated for bulk short sales to investors and nonprofits.

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Bachus Calls for Higher Guarantee Fees, Cuts in Housing Programs

Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee point to the GSEs and the Obama administration's housing programs as areas for Congress' deficit reduction super-committee to examine as it works toward cutting $1.5 trillion of the nation's debt. A letter drafted by Chairman Spencer Bachus and signed by 20 Republican committee members first calls for an increase in the GSEs' guarantee fees and then the elimination of such programs as HAMP and HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

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Congress Scrutinizes Federal Housing Programs

Federal housing programs came under attack during a congressional hearing Thursday titled ""The Obama Administration's Response to the Housing Crisis."" Members of the Senate challenged witnesses with questions about the effectiveness of several programs, including the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Home Affordable Modification Program. Industry experts also discussed the potential of new initiatives, such as the REO rental proposal.

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Fed Uncovers Sharp Drop in Lending in Foreclosure-Ridden Areas

Mortgage lending has declined sharply in neighborhoods with high levels of foreclosures, according to the Federal Reserve. The U.S. central bank looked at what the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) identified as ""highly distressed"" census tracts. Based on information gathered under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HDMA), the Fed found that home-purchase lending in these highly distressed tracts was 75 percent lower in 2010 than it had been in these same tracts in 2005, and primarily reflects tighter credit for higher-income borrowers.

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Neighborhood Stabilization: A Nationwide Community Effort

Nonprofits across the country are partnering up with lenders and government agencies to minimize neighborhood blight caused by vacant foreclosed properties. The topic was part of the curriculum at the Five Star Default Servicing Conference and Expo, and the panelists found themselves speaking to a full house. Paul Kaboth with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland started the discussion by stressing that a marketplace strained with high levels of REOs and vacancies will persist for at least another five years.

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Distressed Real Estate Makes Its Way Into Obama’s Jobs Plan

In addition to refinancing assistance for mortgage holders, President Barack Obama's proposed American Jobs Act includes a handful of elements that relate to the distressed real estate market, all part of what the administration has labeled Project Rebuild. The new $15 billion program is based on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and will attempt to connect Americans looking for work in distressed communities with jobs needed to repair and repurpose residential and commercial properties.

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