Look at the headlines in much of mainstream or financial media. Affordable housing is needed. Manufactured homes are a solution hiding in plain sight. But talking about something is not always the same as doing something. That is arguably an implied part of the subtext for the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) media release below. A focused additional information, analysis and MHProNews commentary will follow.

 

 

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

 

TO:                 MHARR MANUFACTURERS
                        MHARR STATE AFFILIATES
                        MHARR TECHNICAL REVIEW GROUP (TRG)

 

FROM:           MHARR

RE:                 WHITE HOUSE INITIATES ENGAGEMENT WITH MHARR

On the heels of its February 10, 2022 meeting with senior Ginnie Mae executives regarding manufactured home consumer financing and the destructive “10-10” rule, MHARR representatives met on February 14, 2022 with the Director for Housing Efficiency of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and related HUD officials connected with a White House Task Force that will be addressing the utilization and availability of affordable manufactured housing.

As part of this meeting, MHARR stressed the two key post-production issues that have been particularly at fault in suppressing the utilization of mainstream HUD Code manufactured homes – (1) the lack of federal consumer lending support for manufactured home purchasers (and particularly discrimination against manufactured home personal property loans which comprise nearly 80% of the manufactured housing market) under the Duty to Serve (DTS) mandate and the Ginnie Mae “10-10” rule; and (2) discriminatory zoning and placement measures that have either excluded or severely restricted the placement of inherently affordable manufactured homes in many areas of the United States. These two crucial issues, not coincidentally, will be addressed in detail in MHARR’s upcoming White Paper on the exploitation of manufactured housing in federal housing and financial assistance programs for purely public relations purposes. In addition, MHARR also raised the pending U.S. Department of Energy manufactured housing energy standards rule which threatens cost increases that could well exclude millions of American families from the HUD Code market.

With the White House Task Force exploring the concept of a public meeting or similar forum to address issues surrounding the more robust utilization and availability of HUD Code manufactured housing, MHARR looks forward to participating further in this initiative and to forcefully advocating for reforms that are necessary to allow manufactured housing to reach its full potential as a key source for housing equity and affordable homeownership.

These matters will be discussed in greater detail at MHARR’s upcoming Board of Directors meeting.

Meanwhile, MHARR will continue to keep you apprised of further developments concerning its participation in the activities of the White House task Force.

cc: Other Interested HUD Code Manufactured Housing Producers, Retailers, Communities and Finance Companies

Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR)
1331 Pennsylvania Ave N.W., Suite 512
Washington D.C. 20004
Phone: 202/783-4087
Fax: 202/783-4075
Email: MHARR@MHARRPUBLICATIONS.COM
Website: manufacturedhousingassociation.org

##

 

Additional Information, More MHProNews Analysis and Commentary in Brief

For those who scan the headlines of various news websites, it is common to see headlines related to the escalating costs of housing in the U.S. Interest rates are set to rise. Costs on housing itself are increasing. The need for affordable housing could hardly be greater, with estimates ranging from 4 to 8+ million new units needed. Too few are connecting the dots to additional stress that is being brought to bear by the steady flow of an estimated 2+ million undocumented migrants – a.k.a. illegal immigrants – coming across the southern border with Mexico. Others are entering the U.S. legally.

The fact- and evidence-packed op-ed below examines those issues through the lens of what Florida Democrats have asked Governor Ron DeSantis and his response.

Op-Ed: “State of Emergency” – Democrats, Gov. DeSantis And Competing Affordable Housing Crisis Plans And Solutions Examined

 

Read the above carefully. Ponder the facts contained. Then ask yourself: does MHARR have a point when they say that manufactured housing is being exploited for public relations purposes?

The link below further explores the issue linked in the report above. The following is shorter. But it has added information and then ties into the topics above on the Tampa Free Press.

There are regrettably two perennial and a third looming issue that the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) is addressing. Each either limits and/or threatens the industry’s production.

• Zoning and placement issues that are limiting the sales of new manufactured homes. This is a point that the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and MHARR appear to agree upon.
• Obtaining More Competitive Financing. The lifeblood of housing is finance. So said Eric Belsky, then with the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS). It is widely acknowledged that manufactured housing finance has been restrained for years. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) identified 21^st Mortgage Corporation and Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance (VMF) as the two largest players in the manufactured housing finance space. Both are owned by Berkshire Hathaway (BRK). Berkshire also owns Clayton Homes, and a range of other housing and commercial real estate interests.
• Department of Energy (DOE) pending energy rule. Again, on paper, MHI and MHARR seem to agree that this is a genuine threat, especially to the ‘lower end’ of manufactured housing. Those entry level products also makes up a significant percentage of manufactured home production.

Beyond MHARR’s focus, which they continue to tease will be part of their upcoming White Paper on manufactured housing issues, is another that they rarely mention in depth. But from time to time, MHI leaders (corporate members/board members and paid MHI staff) to mention the following. Perhaps because it is widely recognized.

• Image and stigma. Note the first two of the three initial bullets above are post-production issues, which falls under MHI’s claim of being the industry’s “all segments” representation. MHI has producers (production issues) of manufactured homes. MHI and/or their state affiliates have post-production members too (retailers, communities, retail finance, various kinds of service providers, transporters, installers, etc.).

Where MHI and MHARR have apparently differed is that MHI appears to posture desire to expand opportunities to sell more manufactured homes. MHARR’s members are dependent upon selling as many manufactured homes as they can, because they are producers.

Renowned author and humorist Mark Twain quipped that there are ‘lies, damn lies, and statistics.’ Accurate data doesn’t lie. Facts are facts. But even accurate information can be spun. It is with good reason that some are celebrating that manufactured home production has crossed the 100,000 units produced threshold for the first time since 2006.

The facts are in. When millions of homes are needed, and the 2021 totals represent only some 29 percent of HUD Code manufactured home production in 1998, clearly something is wrong in MHVille.

The battle for the future of manufactured housing is well underway.

Part of that battle could aptly be described as information (accurate, half-truths, spin, paltering, or mis-information) warfare.

Even in a nominally free society, the truth often shines forth when it is told consistently and persistently. Even the once dreaded Berlin Wall fell, and the old Warsaw Pact once under the thumb of the now defunct Soviet Union ceased to exist. That was thanks to the consistent resistance and pleas to heaven of truth tellers and truth seekers. Watch for upcoming special reports, as well as MHProNews media releases to the broader news landscape.

—

Next up is our daily business news recap of yesterday evening’s market report, related left-right headlines, and manufactured housing connected equities.

The Business Daily Manufactured Home Industry Connected Stock Market Updates.  Plus, Market Moving Left (CNN) – Right (Newsmax) Headlines Snapshot. While the layout of this daily business report has been evolving over time, several elements of the basic concepts used previously are still the same. For instance. The headlines that follow below can be reviewed at a glance to save time while providing insights across the left-right media divide. Additionally, those headlines often provide clues as to possible ‘market-moving’ news items.

 

Market Indicator Closing Summaries – Yahoo Finance Closing Tickers on MHProNews…

Headlines from left-of-center CNN Business – from the evening of 2.16.2022

• Behind the curve
• A pedestrian passes the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, in New York.
• Larry Summers says the Fed should stop stimulus ASAP to fight inflation
• The Fed’s cure for rising prices could actually do more harm than good
• California gas prices just hit a new high. $5 gas could be next
• Wall Street’s metaverse dreams take a hit
• Families are struggling to keep up with inflation
• Top CNN exec resigns as WarnerMedia chief accuses her and former network boss Zucker of standards violations
• OPINION How we can solve the nation’s affordable housing crisis
• Union vote at Arizona Starbucks put on hold
• Development bank accused of lending millions to companies allegedly linked to forced labor in Xinjiang
• Dry January was popular. That’s good news for the alcohol industry
• Employers: Most remote workers don’t want to go back to the office
• Right-wing media said it was exposing a scandal. What it really revealed is how bad information spreads in MAGA world
• Mercedes reveals 677-horsepower electric performance sedan
• Horror-film actor Zachary Horwitz, 35, flanked by attorneys Ryan Hedges, left, and Anthony Pacheco, was sentenced to a maximum of 20-years by a federal judge for running what prosecutors say is the biggest Ponzi scheme in Hollywood history, as he exitis [SIC] the U.S. District Court on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. Horwitz is required to pay $230 milliion [SIC] in restitution to victims and must self surrender on March 14, 2022. He fabricated HBO and Netflix contracts that made it look like he had distribution rights for hundreds of films in markets overseas, but in reality had no deals at all.
• Hollywood actor’s Ponzi scheme, explained: Why investors keep falling for scams
• Alejandro Castaneda of Nevada gets a bottle of water and a bucket of popcorn before seeing a movie at AMC Town Square 18 on August 20, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Why one movie theater chain wants you to stay home
• SPACE TRAVEL
• A billionaire CEO will go further into space than anyone in 50 years
• Virgin Galactic reopens space tourism ticket sales
• Elon Musk gives hotly anticipated Starship update
• Space in 2022: Mars rocket, tourism, and billionaire battles
• Virgin Galactic is raising $425 million in debt
• WORKPLACE
• A Peloton stationary bike for sale at the company’s showroom in Dedham, Massachusetts, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021.
• What it was like for Peloton employees who lost their jobs
• Amazon rolls back mask mandate for some workers
• Walmart won’t require masks for some employees
• Former Amazon employee sentenced for bribery scheme
• Now there’s a LinkedIn for ex-felons

Headlines from right-of-center Newsmax – evening of 2.16.2022

• Texas AG Sues Biden Administration Over Airport and Airplane Mask Mandate
• Ukraine in Crisis
• Ukraine Blames Russia for Huge Hack; Is More to Come?
• Grenell to Subcommittee: US Stance on Ukraine ‘Aggressively Alarmist’
• High Gas Costs From Ukraine Threat Pose Biden Political Risk
• Ukraine: On Unity Day, Flags Convey Endurance, Defiance
• Secretary Blinken: No Evidence of Russian Troops Withdrawing | video
• Russia: Armed Forces to Return to Normal Positions in 3-4 Weeks
• Ukraine Marks ‘Day of Unity’ as US Warns Russia May Yet Attack
• More Ukraine in Crisis
• Newsmax TV
• Fallon: Biden Should Have Aided Kyiv in October
• Burchett: Hillary ‘Dangerous,’ Won’t Answer to Findings | video
• Van Drew: Options Limited on Ukraine
• Sessions: White House Foreign Policy ‘Fails to Meet the Test of Common Sense’ | video
• Giuliani: Failed ‘Frame-up’ Against Trump Exposed | video
• George Papadopoulos: Panic Settling in for Dems, Media Over Durham | video
• Rand Paul: ‘Reasonable Chance’ Russia Won’t Invade Ukraine | video
• Dan Bishop: GOP Will Win House, Investigate Hillary Clinton | video
• More Newsmax TV
• Newsfront
• Hillary Clinton Allies Hold Key Roles With Black Lives Matter
• Two Hillary Clinton allies have assumed key positions with Black Lives Matter, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday…. [Full Story]
• S&P 500 Reverses Losses, Closes Slightly Higher After Fed Minutes
• Wall Street bounced off session lows Wednesday with the S&P 500 [Full Story]
• Experts on Andrew Cuomo’s Comeback: ‘Never Say Never’
• Was F. Scott Fitzgerald wrong when he wrote, “There are no second [Full Story] | Platinum Article
• US Intel Warns Russia-Sponsored Hackers Targeting Defense Dept.
• The U.S. intelligence community warned in an alert on Wednesday that [Full Story]
• CDC Could Loosen Indoor Mask Mandates as Early as Next Week
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could ease its [Full Story]
• Related
• WHO: New COVID Cases Drop by 19 Percent Globally, Deaths Stable
• Germany Eyes End to Most COVID Restrictions on March 20
• Texas AG Sues Over US Airport and Airplane Mask Mandate
• Jake Sullivan’s Credibility Shot After Russia Hoax Revelations
• With Russia on the brink of a military conflict with Ukraine – or the [Full Story] | Platinum Article
• Ukraine Blames Russia for Hack; Expert: It’s ‘Precursor’
• Ukraine is pointing the finger at Russians hacking their military [Full Story]
• Racist, Anti-Semitic Flyers Litter Houston Neighborhoods
• Two Houston-area neighborhoods were littered over the weekend with [Full Story]
• Prosecutors Reduce Requested Sentence for Ex-cop Kim Potter [Full Story]
• Sailor With Bomb-Making Materials Stopped at Naval Base Near San Diego
• Navy security stopped a sailor with bomb-making materials in his [Full Story]
• GOP Sen. Rob Portman Endorses Jane Timken for His Seat
• S. Sen. Rob Portman endorsed Republican Jane Timken on Wednesday [Full Story]
• NBC’s Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski Express Outrage Over Kamila Valieva Doping Scandal
• Kamila Valieva is facing widespread backlash after she was ruled [Full Story]
• Democrat Senators Petition Biden for Election-Security Grants
• Democrat Senators are calling for $5 billion in election security [Full Story]
• Rand Paul to Cincinnati Bell Customers: ‘Quit Them’ Over Newsmax Cancellation
• On Tuesday night host Sean Spicer asked Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., about [Full Story] | video
• Truckers Protesting in Canada End Last US Border Blockade
• A Canadian official says truckers protesting the country’s COVID-19 [Full Story]
• Federal Prosecutors Probing Short-Sellers: WSJ
• Federal prosecutors are investigating if short-sellers conspired to [Full Story]
• National Archives Tells Trump Jan. 6 Panel Will Get WH Visitor Logs March 3
• The National Archives on Wednesday notified former President Donald [Full Story]
• Trump Teases Social Media Return on TRUTH
• Former President Donald Trump teased his highly anticipated return to [Full Story]
• Coachella Music Festival Returns Without COVID Safeguards
• After a two-year hiatus, the Coachella music festival will be [Full Story]
• Grenell to Subcommittee: US Stance on Ukraine ‘Aggressively Alarmist’
• Grenell to Subcommittee: US Stance on Ukraine ‘Aggressively Alarmist’
• The U.S. is being “aggressively alarmist” about Russia and Ukraine [Full Story]
• Shark Kills Swimmer in Sydney’s First Fatal Attack in Decades
• A shark killed a swimmer off a Sydney beach on Wednesday in the [Full Story]
• Bob Saget’s family has filed a lawsuit to prevent the release of [Full Story]
• Chris Cuomo Faced Sexual Assault Allegation Before CNN Firing: Report
• Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN soon after being accused of sexually [Full Story]
• Secretary Blinken: No Evidence of Russian Troops Withdrawing
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday there had been no [Full Story] | video
• Marco Rubio Leads Democrat Demings in Florida Senate Race: Poll
• Marco Rubio, R-Fla., holds a commanding lead over Rep. Val [Full Story]
• Trump: DOJ ‘Absolutely’ Should Declassify Remaining Russian Probe Records
• Former President Donald Trump said the Justice Department [Full Story]
• US Retail Sales Beat Expectations in January; December Figures Revised Lower
• S. retail sales rebounded sharply in January amid a surge in [Full Story]
• Blackburn, Blumenthal Introduce ‘Kids Online Safety Act’
• Two U.S. senators will introduce legislation on Wednesday, called the [Full Story]
• Girl, 9, Dies After She’s Mistakenly Shot by Robbery Victim
• A man who had just been robbed at gunpoint at an ATM in southeast [Full Story]
• A Stunning Fall for Ex-Honduran President Wanted in US for Drug Trafficking
• The arrest of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernndez [SIC] and the [Full Story]
• South Korea Weighs Penalty Against Tesla for Exaggerating Mileage
• South Korea’s antitrust regulator is considering imposing penalties [Full Story]
• More Newsfront
• Finance
• NYSE Moves Closer to NFT Trading With Trademark Application
• The New York Stock Exchange has filed an application to register the term “NYSE” for a marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), taking a step closer to setting up an online trading place for cryptocurrencies and NFTs…. [Full Story]
• Cisco Raises Annual Earnings Forecast on Strong Demand for 5G Gear
• US Sanctions on Russian Banks Are the West’s Most Potent Economic Threat
• Texas AG Sues Over US Airport and Airplane Mask Mandate
• Morgan Stanley’s Role in Archegos Collapse Sped Up Block Trade Probes: Bloomberg
• More Finance
• Health
• CDC Could Loosen Indoor Mask Mandates as Early as Next Week
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could ease its indoor masking guidance as early as next week. The agency is weighing a new benchmark for whether masks are needed, basing it on the level of severe disease and hospitalizations in a given community, two…… [Full Story]
• Cardiac Therapy Proves Effective Against Symptoms of Long COVID
• These Foods Can Cause Dangerous Interactions With Common Medications
• Exercise After Vaccines Increases Antibodies
• New Depression Drug Improves Symptoms in Three Days

 

MHProNews has pioneered in our profession several reporting elements that keep our regular and attentive readers as arguably the best informed in the manufactured housing industry. Among the items shared after ‘every business day’ (when markets are open) is our left-right headline recap summary. At a glance in two to three minutes, key ‘market moving’ news items are covered from left-of-center CNN Business and right-of-center Newsmax. “We Provide, You Decide.” Additionally, MHProNews provides expert commentary and analysis on the issues that others can’t or won’t cover that help explain why manufactured housing has been underperforming during the Berkshire era while an affordable housing crisis and hundreds of thousands of homeless in America rages on. These are “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use” ^© features and others made and kept us the runaway #1 in manufactured housing trade publisher for a dozen years and counting. 

 

Manufactured Housing Industry Investments Connected Equities Closing Tickers

Some of these firms invest in manufactured housing, or are otherwise connected, but may do other forms of investing or business activities too.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • NOTE: The chart below includes the Canadian stock, ECN, which purchased Triad Financial Services, a manufactured home industry lender
                          • NOTE: Drew changed its name and trading symbol at the end of 2016 to Lippert (LCII).
                          • NOTE: Deer Valley was largely taken private, say company insiders in a message to MHProNews on 12.15.2020, but there are still some outstanding shares of  the stock from the days when it was a publicly traded firm.  Thus, there is still periodic activity on DVLY.

Manufactured Home Communities (a.k.a. ‘Mobile Home Parks’ – SIC) – Exploring UMH Properties; Fellow Manufactured Housing Institute Member Yes! Communities Suits and Settlements; plus MH Markets Updates

Clayton-21st Storm Watch – Sinatra’s Summer Wind Blows Early? – Manufactured Housing Moat Breach – Manufactured Home Values Increasing Faster than Site-Built – Case for Something New in 2022

• 

  

   

  

  • 2022 …Berkshire Hathaway is the parent company to Clayton Homes, 21^st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and other factory-built housing industry suppliers.
    · LCI Industries, Patrick, UFPI, and LP each are suppliers to the manufactured housing industry, among others.
    · AMG, CG, and TAVFX have investments in manufactured housing related businesses. For insights from third-parties and clients about our publisher, click here.
    Enjoy these ‘blast from the past’ comments. MHProNews. MHProNews – previously a.k.a. MHMSM.com – has celebrated our 11th year of publishing and have completed over a dozen years of serving the industry as the runaway most-read trade media.

Sample Kudos over the years…

It is now 12+ years and counting…

Learn more about our evolutionary journey as the industry’s leading trade media, at the report linked below.

· For expert manufactured housing business development or other professional services, click here.
· To sign up in seconds for our industry leading emailed headline news updates, click here.

Disclosure. MHProNews holds no positions in the stocks in this report.

That’s a wrap on this installment of “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes and Factory-Built Housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, stock, investing, data, metrics, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)

By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship along with numerous awards in history. There have been several awards and honors and also recognition in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.