MHI and MHARR Leadership Meets with HUD On September 22, 2011, a joint delegation of MHI and MHARR leadership and staff met with Ms. Carol Galante, the new Acting HUD Federal Housing Commissioner-Assistant Secretary for Housing. Ms. Galante, formerly a HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multi-Family Housing, was appointed …
Consumers’ Views on Current Economy Rise Data released Friday by the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters show that consumer sentiment rose in September after tumbling to a nearly-three-year low in August. The preliminary sentiment reading for September increased to 57.8 from 55.7 in August. The August reading was the lowest level …
More Changes in HUD’s Office of Manufactured Housing Former HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory Affairs, Teresa Payne is back at HUD. She left HUD earlier this year for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to continue working on SAFE Act and RESPA issues. Payne will serve as a …
Super Committee Meets, MHI Lobbies on Critical Industry Tax Issues The Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction or “Super Committee” held its first public meeting on Thursday. The 12-member bipartisan panel is responsible for determining how the government will trim $1.5 trillion from the deficit. The committee roster includes Senators John …
Manufactured home shipments for July 2011 were 3,679 new homes, down 13.6 percent from July 2010. Decreases were across the board with both single-section and multi-section homes shipments down compared with the same month last year. Compared with 2010, this year has seen declines in all of the seven months …
MHI Weighs in on CFPB Examination Authority Provisions (Sec. 1024) with the Dodd-Frank Act provide the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with new authority to examine non-depository financial institutions. Specifically, the Act provides the CFPB with authority to conduct regular examinations of lenders offering loans for personal and household …
Community Connections – Summer 2011 View, save or print this entire issue Click Here
FHA Unveils New Loan Limits Last week, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) released new maximum loans limits that will be effective 0ctober 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. As a result, and barring Congressional action to extend the existing higher conforming loan limits, all purchase, traditional and home equity conversion …
MHI Efforts on Dodd-Frank Remain Steady With bi-partisan support for MHI’s efforts on Dodd-Frank, the process has been moved into the bill drafting phase with Congressional legislative counsel. Congress is now in August recess and MHI expects to have language finalized in legislative format with our supporters shortly after they …
Home Builder Sentiment Stuck at Low Level in August The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo home market index held at 15 this month on a seasonally adjusted basis. Readings above 50, not seen since April 2006, are considered favorable. “The uncertain economic climate and concerns about job security …
MHI members have been busy working on various technology solutions to meet increased energy efficiency standards for manufactured homes that could be beneficial for HUD-Code manufacturers to meet anticipated new DOE energy efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and for modular builders to meet state energy efficiency codes utilizing less costly …
MHI Update on SBRA Advanced Envelope Design Project Read More
On August 5, 2011 the EPA announced changes to its Lead Renovation and Repair, and Painting Program (RRP) requiring contractors to conduct lead dust testing to determine whether a work area has been properly cleaned and ready for re-occupancy. This is a victory for MHI and other coalition partners, who …
EPA Addresses MHI’s Concerns Regarding Testing Requirements for Lead Paint Removal Read More
Earlier this month, the House Financial Services Committee approved legislation (H.R. 1751) sponsored by committee chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) that would require all new manufactured homes be equipped with NOAA weather radios. For a copy of the legislation click here, for a copy of the committee report, click here . …
MHI Continues Efforts on Weather Radio Legislation Read More
Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-1st-KY) who chairs the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power said that a new government report detailing a major increase in federal spending on energy subsidies should be considered by the bicameral committee charged with identifying more than $1 trillion in deficit reduction. The Energy …
New Deficit Panel Urged to Consider Report on Energy Subsidies Read More
This week, House and Senate Congressional leaders completed the process of formally selecting appointees to the newly established Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which is charged with developing at least $1.2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade. The new “super committee” is comprised of a total of …
Manufactured home shipments for June 2011 were 5,024 new homes, down 7.5 percent from June 2010. Trends by housing type were mixed with multi-section homes shipments down compared with the same month last year, while the single section homes shipments showed an increase. In comparison with the first half of …
In response to a request by the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC), the NFPA issued an update to its 2005 report on manufactured home fires. The updated report says that post standards homes had a 54 percent lower rate of civilian death and 22 percent lower rate of injuries than …
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Issues Report on Manufactured Home Fires Read More
This week, President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011 (S.365), which establishes a process for increasing the $14.3 trillion statutory debt ceiling by at least $2.1 trillion and results in deficit reductions of at least $2.1 trillion over 10 years. Overall, President Obama and Congressional Democrats …
MHI Focused on Industry Provisions as Debt Deal Legislation Signed Read More
CFPB Director Nomination Hearing Scheduled for Next Week; Warren Leaving CFPB August 1 Next week the Senate Banking Committee will be holding a hearing on the nomination of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to be the first-ever Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB). Once a …
Bank Challenger Picked to Run Consumer Agency President Barack Obama indicated on July 17 that he would nominate former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As Ohio attorney general, Cordray challenged banks over mortgage foreclosure practices, but his nomination is likely to …
