MHI Financial Services and CFPB Update
Senate Approves Castro as HUD Secretary
On July 9th, the Senate approved the nomination of San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As HUD Secretary, he will oversee the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the agency’s Manufactured Housing Program. He replaces outgoing Secretary and new Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan.
Regulatory Update
DOE Selects Energy Efficiency Working Group
On July 10th, DOE announced its selection of members to serve on its Appliance Standards Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ASRAC) working group to develop consensus recommendations to update energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing.
Twenty members representing the industry, energy efficiency advocates, state energy officials, utilities and consumer representatives will serve as voting members. In addition to staff from MHI, MHARR, and the Systems Building Research Alliance (SBRA), seven MHI members will also serve; four manufacturers, two suppliers, and one member of MHI’s National Communities Council.
The working group has until September 30, 2014, to develop consensus recommendations, which will also need to be reviewed by the HUD Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee before DOE issues a proposed rule. As the basis for discussion, MHI plans to present to the working group a comprehensive proposal that was developed by the MHI Technical Activities Committee.
Click here to view a list of the voting members selected. An official notice will be published in the Federal Register soon.
Click here for more regulatory updates.
U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon Tours Champion Home Builder’s Factory and Factory Expo Home Center
The Arizona Housing Association reported that on June 3rd, U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon toured the Champion Home Builder’s manufacturing plant in Chandler, AZ. Rick Boles, General Manager of Champion Home Builders, hosted the Congressman along with his Chief of Staff, Adam Deguire, and Constituent Services Representative, Janet Bosley.
The Arizona Housing Association reported that the Congressman and his staff were very impressed with today’s manufactured homes and enjoyed the tour. The Congressman commented that he and his wife lived in a single section home when they were first married, and how astonished he was with the new modern manufactured homes he saw on the tour.
After the factory tour, they walked over to Factory Expo Home Center where they met up with AHA President Ken Anderson, Chairman Elect Cody Pearce of Cascade Financial Services, Factory Expo Home Center’s President, Jim Breen, Regional Director, Gary Wright, and General Manager, Steve Ladwig.
At the Factory Expo Home Center, they toured a beautifully furnished model home and spent more time discussing the advantages of today’s manufactured homes from affordability to energy efficiency to quality manufacturing. We feel that we have built a long-lasting relationship with the Congressman.
Cody Pearce was acknowledged for his help in bringing this visit together. In addition, Rick Boles and Jim Breen were acknowledged for their support and for hosting the tours and meeting, as well as all of the men and women of Champion Homes and Factory Expo Home Centers who helped to make this important event a success.
2014 RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Call for Nominations for the Class of 2015
The Recreation Vehicle/Manufactured Housing Hall of Fame Induction Dinner for the Class of 2014 and the Annual Golf Classic fund raiser will be held Monday, August 4th.
The day’s celebration begins at 7 a.m. with a full breakfast before the 8:30 a.m. shotgun start of the golf tournament, followed by an awards presentation. This year the golf classic will again be hosted by The Bent Oak Golf Club in Elkhart.
The Induction Dinner program begins with a private cocktail party in Champion Hall from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. honoring all the past Hall of Fame inductees, board members and the Class of 2014 inductees and their immediate families. A cocktail reception for everyone attending the Induction Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
MHI members being inducted in the Class of 2014 include: Barry Cole, president of Manufactured Housing Insurance Services; Thomas “Tom” L. Kern, CEO, Style Crest Enterprises; and Gary McDaniel, CEO, YES! Communities
Register to attend or become an event sponsor by visiting www.rvmhhalloffame.org.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame Selection Committee has issued a call for nominations for the Class of 2015. The Hall welcomes nominations from all RV and manufactured housing sectors – manufacturers, retailers, campgrounds, land-lease communities, suppliers, user groups, trade media, associations, etc. – for the class of 2015 and beyond.
The nomination guidelines and forms are available online at www.rvmhhalloffame.org/pages/nominations.cfm.
Anyone can nominate a person to the Hall of Fame that meets the eligibility requirements. The only people who may not be considered are those who currently serve on the Hall’s Selection Committee. To be eligible the nominee must be, or have been, an active participant in any segment of the recreation vehicle, campground or manufactured housing industries for a minimum of 25 years. The nomination form must be filled out in its entirety and be accompanied by three supporting letters. If the nominee is not selected within three years, he or she remains eligible only if the nomination is resubmitted and refreshed with additional information.
Nominations received by October 31st will be included in the pool of candidates considered for the following year’s class and for two additional years beyond that. The selection committee will announce the 2015 class in January and those chosen will be inducted at the Hall’s annual Induction Dinner in August 2015.
5,738 New HUD-Code Homes Shipped in May 2014
In May 2014, 5,738 new manufactured homes were shipped, an increase of 1.4 percent from May 2013. Trends varied by housing type with single section homes down 0.8 percent compared with the same month last year, while shipments of the multi-section homes increased by 3.3 percent. Total floors shipped in May 2014 were 8,925, an increase of 2.2 percent compared with May 2013.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of shipments was 61,867 in May 2014, down 7.8 percent from the adjusted rate of 67,092 in April 2014. The SAAR corrects for normal seasonal variations and projects annual shipments based on the current monthly total.
The number of plants reporting production in May 2014 was 123 and the number of active corporations was 46, both unchanged from the numbers in April 2014.
