Senate Banking Committee Leaders Unveil GSE Reform Plan; Bill Includes Critical Personal Property Loan Provisions

On March 16th, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) released the legislative text to their GSE reform plan, which had been announced several days earlier on March 11th. The legislative draft released by the Committee includes language that would provide manufactured home loans secured by personal property with key access to a newly envisioned secondary market mechanism.

MHI Hill Visits Continue to Reap Benefits

During the recent 2014 Legislative Conference, MHI members made a record number of visits to Capitol Hill. Those trips to meet with elected officials in DC continue to pay dividends as more Members of Congress continue get on board with manufactured housing issues by cosponsoring the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act and by writing letters to Richard Cordray, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Doug Gorman, President of Home-Mart, Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Lois Starkey, MHI Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, attended the March 11th White House Green Mortgage Roundtable which focused on energy efficient and renewable energy underwriting issues, especially associated with the FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage and other FHA mortgage products. MHI received the invitation to participate after a discussion regarding appraisals and debt-to-income ratios for buyers of energy efficient and EnergyStar rated homes was held during the Federated States Division meeting in February. Kevin Stevens, Acting Director of FHA Single Family Program Development, who made a presentation at the division’s Winter Meeting, arranged for MHI to participate in the roundtable.

 

Congress Acts to Roll Back Flood Insurance Premium Increases

On March 13th the United States Senate voted 72-22 to approve the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (H.R. 3370). The bill, which is expected to be signed by the President this week, seeks to address various negative consequences resulting from the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, which authorized dramatic increases in flood insurance premiums and set broad requirements for the escrowing of funds to pay flood insurance premiums in connection with residential mortgage loans. The 2012 legislation was intended to address the financial woes faced by the National Flood Insurance Program following several years of extreme weather events, including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.

Early-bird Deadlines Expire on March 28th for the 2014 National Congress & Expo to be Held 

April 29 – May 1, 2014

Click here to register for the 2014 Congress & Expo. Early-bird registration is available until March 28, 2014.

MHI was able to secure a discounted room rate of $119 per night at Caesars Palace for conference guests. The deadline for this special hotel room rate is March 28, 2014. Click here to reserve online or contact Caesars Palace directly by calling at (866) 227-5944. Be sure to ask for the MHI Congress & Expo room block or mention our group code SCMHI4 when making your reservations. Caesars Palace is the contracted hotel for the 2014 National Congress & Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing and all reservations must be made directly with Caesars Palace via telephone or the special online reservation link above. If you are contacted by a company representing itself as MHI’s housing provider, please be advised that they are a scam and are not affiliated with MHI in any way. If you are ever unsure whether or not a company is legitimate, please e-mail Cheryl Berard atcheryl@mfghome.org or call (703) 558-0668.

The Congress & Expo is the largest annual gathering of industry leaders featuring outstanding speakers, workshops, exhibits, and networking opportunities!www.congressandexpo.com for details on this event. The theme for this year’s event is Creating Opportunities – Building Success.

Your Congress & Expo registration fee includes:

• Full Access to the Exhibit Hall

• Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall

• Wednesday Breakfast and Keynote Speaker Ken Segall

• Awards Luncheon

• Educational Workshops

• Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall

• Thursday Breakfast and General Session Speaker Chris Fisher

• Coffee breaks throughout each morning

• Complimentary WiFi in the Exhibit Hall, General Sessions, & Educational Workshops

The 10th Annual Oliver Technologies, Inc. Golf Tournament on Monday afternoon, April 28th andTuesday’s MHI-National Communities Council Spring Forum, April 29th are available for additional fees.

Reserve Your Exhibit Booth Space Today – Space is Filling Quickly!

For information on exhibiting, please click here to view the floor plan, booth prices, the list of 2014 exhibitors and to reserve your booth space. Booth prices have been reduced which makes exhibiting at the Congress & Expo an even greater value.

Sponsors

Interested in sponsoring? Excellent opportunities are available – click here and look under Tradeshow Sponsorship, Exhibiting and Advertising Opportunities. New sponsorship opportunities were added for 2014, so take a look!

For questions on exhibiting or sponsorships, please contact Cheryl Berard at cheryl@mfghome.org or call(703) 558-0668.

Thanks to the following sponsors for helping make this event possible.

Platinum Sponsors

Marcus & Millichap

Oliver Technologies, Inc.

RHP Properties, Inc.

Sunstone Manufactured Housing Consultants

Gold Sponsors

Assurant Specialty Property

Inspire Communities

UMH Properties, Inc.

Wells Fargo

YES! Communities

Silver Sponsors

CU Factory Built Lending

Lippert Components, Inc.

MHVillage, Inc.

Shaw Industries, Specialty Markets

Southeast Auction Company

Bronze Sponsors

CBRE National MHRV Team

Hometown America

Riverstone Communities

Style Crest, Inc.

U.S. Bank

Yale Realty & Capital Advisors

State Association Meetings and Events for March and April

Please see below for a list of state association meetings and events being held in March and April. Click here to view the full calendar of events. State association executives, please forward your meeting information for inclusion in our online calendar of events and Week in Review to Cheryl Berard at cheryl@mfghome.org. Listings for the online calendar of events should include the event name, dates, venue, city, state, contact name and phone number and a Web site link if you would like to include one.

2014 Tunica Show

March 26 – 28, 2014

Contact: Dennis Hill (770) 587-3350

Manufactured Housing Institute of South Carolina Spring Meeting

April 2 – 3, 2014
Contact: Andrea Westmoreland (803) 771-9046 Ext. 5

WMA Spring Seminar
April 26 – May 3, 2014
Contact: Regina Sanchez (916) 448-7002

MHI Welcomes New Members that Have Joined this Year and Thanks the Companies that Have Renewed Membership for 2014

MHI welcomes the following new members that have joined this year:

Advanced Distributor

Products LLC

Mission Peak Capital

PayLease

Purchasing Platform

Steel Dynamics Structural & Rail Division

MHI would also like to thank and recognize the members that have renewed their membership for 2014 for their continued support.  Click here to view the list of the companies that have renewed their membership.