Ohio RealEstateRama

Washington, D.C. - November 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- I set down a plate packed with turkey and all the trimmings before a homeless man, one of about 350 people fed Wednesday afternoon by Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. He smiled and said thank you.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Following a report in the Toledo Blade showing that the City of Toledo is on track to raze a record number of abandoned houses this year, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) renewed his call for Congress to pass Project Rebuild, a key component of the American Jobs Act that is aimed at revitalizing neighborhoods hit hard by the foreclosure crisis. Brown also raised the abandoned home crisis in a meeting today with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) commissioner nominee Carol Galante. Galante was nominated by President Obama to serve as FHA commissioner in October.

COLUMBUS, OH - November 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Midwest Regional Administrator Antonio R. Riley, United States Department of Rural Development State Director J. Anthony Logan, and Ohio Housing Finance Agency Executive Director Doug Garver announced an interagency agreement to reduce duplicate physical inspections of local subsidized affordable housing – allowing developers and owners to focus on delivering more housing and resources to those in need.

COLUMBUS, OH - November 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- More than 1,400 affordable housing professionals across Ohio and the nation are expected to gather at the Greater Columbus Convention Center November 29-December 1 for the 2011 Ohio Housing Conference, one of the largest statewide housing conferences in the country. The 13th annual conference will once again be hosted by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH).

Washington, DC - November 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a longtime advocate for homeowners in Ohio, today released the following statement upon the news that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will move forward with a plan to review up to 4 million potentially improper home foreclosures.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the owners of Yorkshire Apartments, Thackeray Ledges and Wales Ridge Apartments in Massillon, Ohio, for discriminating on the basis of race and familial status when renting their apartments in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ohio public agencies and non-profit organizations in Meigs, Portage, Pickaway, and Pike counties will receive federal resources to improve rural housing in Ohio. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth, and Energy Innovation, announced new grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Housing Preservation Grant Program to make critical repairs and improve housing conditions in rural areas.

COLUMBUS, OH - August 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lieutenant Governor and Department of Insurance Director Mary Taylor announced Ohio’s 2010 average auto and homeowners insurance rates were among the most competitive in the United States. The Department annually compiles the state’s average auto and homeowners insurance rates.“Ohioans can count on the state’s dynamic insurance marketplace producing some of the lowest auto and homeowners rates in the country,” Taylor said. “We will continue to focus on attracting insurance companies to our great state to the benefit of the state’s consumers.”

DAYTON, OH - August 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the wake of reports that banks and mortgage processors have continued forging signatures and submitting false affidavits, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called for renewed federal efforts to crackdown on this risky, illegal practice that undermines Ohio’s housing market during a news conference today.

CLEVELAND, OH - July 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the wake of reports that banks and mortgage processors have continued a practice known as “robo-signing”—forging signatures and submitting false affidavits—U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) held a news conference in Cleveland today to call for renewed federal efforts to crackdown on this risky, illegal practice that undermines Ohio’s housing market. This unlawful act has forced thousands of homeowners into foreclosure and raised doubts about the ownership of hundreds of thousands of mortgages. Recently, both the Associated Press and Reuters reported that despite regulators’ assurances to the contrary, illegal robo-signing allegedly remains rampant in both foreclosure and non-foreclosure cases. The reports also suggest that some regulators are aware of these violations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons, Inc. in Cleveland has received federal resources to prevent homelessness among at-risk Cuyahoga County Veterans. The funds were made available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program to prevent homelessness among at-risk Cuyahoga County Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In the wake of reports that banks and mortgage processors have continued forging signatures and submitting false affidavits, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to federal regulators urging them to better protect consumers by publicly releasing information related to their settlements with 14 mortgage servicers in order to prevent further illegal practices. Also known as robo-signing, this unlawful act has forced thousands of homeowners into foreclosure and raised doubts about the ownership of hundreds of thousands of mortgages. Brown is chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection.

Washington, DC - July 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Mike Turner, Co-Chair of the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus, has introduced legislation to encourage homeowners to preserve homes of historical significance across the country. The Historic Homeownership Revitalization Act (H.R. 2555) extends the tax credit currently in effect for commercial property owners to families living in historic homes. This legislation encourages the maintenance and rehabilitation of buildings which exemplify the culture and heritage of our communities. Furthermore, the Act incentivizes new construction on historic buildings; creating jobs.

CLEVELAND, OH - July 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against foreclosure rescue company Diversified Real Estate Consultants LLC (DREC), its affiliates, and its owner for multiple violations of Ohio consumer laws."This company continually misled consumers," Attorney General DeWine said. "It charged substantial upfront fees for services and results that it promised but never delivered. It also encouraged homeowners to default on their mortgage loans, falsely stating that defaulting on their loans would help them get a loan modification. Such statements are completely false and caused homeowners to risk losing their homes."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced new relief for unemployed Ohioans facing foreclosure. Changes announced today to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requirements and the Making Home Affordable Program (MHA) would extend the timeline and remove hurdles for unemployed Ohioans to qualify for foreclosure

COLUMBUS, OH - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) has been awarded $1,461,561 to continue supporting the availability of foreclosure counseling and prevention services across the state.

CLEVELAND, OH - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --The Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced the settlement of a discrimination claim against the developers, designers, owners, and builders of Stonebridge Waterfront Apartments, Stonebridge Towers and Stonebridge Plaza (collectively, Stonebridge properties) located in Cleveland, Ohio.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that $229,140 has been awarded to the Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland, Inc. to provide foreclosure counseling to local families. The National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program funds are awarded on a competitive basis to help prevent foreclosures

COLUMBUS, OH - June 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- An amendment to the Senate’s version of the budget bill released yesterday would take millions from a fund that provides housing for poor, elderly and disabled Ohioans, and funnel it to county recorders offices for “general purposes.”

COLUMBUS, OH - May 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) Board yesterday approved $2.6 million in funding through the Housing Development Assistance Program (HDAP) to provide flexible, low-interest financing for affordable housing developments. Funding for HDAP comes from the federal HOME program and the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF).