Category: What We're Reading

What We're Reading: May 7

By Michael Stubel
May. 7, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

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What We're Reading: April 27

By Michael Stubel
Apr. 27, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Housing downturn spurs a boom in foreclosure-to-rental conversions
By Brady Dennis
The Washington Post

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"The real estate data firm CoreLogic estimated in a report this month that the burgeoning foreclosures-to-rental business could become a $100 billion industry this year as bigger investors get involved in hard-hit markets from Florida to California to Arizona to the Midwest." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: April 23

By Michael Stubel
Apr. 23, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The Biggest X-Factor in the Housing Market? Where Baby Boomers Will Choose to Retire
By Nate Berg
The Atlantic

"America's aging population is already placing different demands on the housing market and affecting what developers will likely be focused on providing, according to Terry Holzheimer, director of economic development in Arlington County, Virginia. He's expecting to see more infill housing, more housing in areas that are walkable, and more pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods with high levels of services and amenities." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: April 12

By Michael Stubel
Apr. 12, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Foreclosures reach lowest quarterly level since late 2007, RealtyTrac data show
By Brady Dennis
The Washington Post

"The number of foreclosures during the first three months of this year was the lowest quarterly total since the final quarter of 2007. The numbers show that, in March, foreclosures were filed on just fewer than 199,000 properties, a 17 percent decrease from a year earlier and the first time the monthly total has dipped below 200,000 since July 2007." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: April 3

By Michael Stubel
Apr. 2, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Foreclosures give rise to a new industry
The Washington Post

"The cost of renting in the United States reached an all-time high compared with that of buying a home at the end of last year, indicating that it is a good time for investors to buy, according to Deutsche Bank analysts." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: March 15

By Michael Stubel
Mar. 14, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Foreclosures Pick Up In Many States
The Associated Press

"Foreclosure activity surged last month across about half of the nation's states, as banks tackled a backlog of homes with mortgages that had gone unpaid yet remained in limbo due to delays stemming from foreclosure-abuse claims." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: February 29

By Michael Stubel
Feb. 29, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Housing prices fell in December, continue to hurt economic recovery
By Michael A. Fletcher
The Washington Post

"The nation’s home prices have fallen to their lowest level since 2002, according to a private report, casting a troubling shadow over what has otherwise been a brightening economic recovery." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: February 24

By Michael Stubel
Feb. 24, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission will highlight news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

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What We're Reading: February 17

By Michael Stubel
Feb. 17, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission will highlight news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The Lead

Housing Starts Up On Surge In Apartments

The Associated Press

"Construction of single-family homes cooled off slightly in January after surging in the final month last year. But a rebound in volatile apartment construction kept builders busy and pushed housing starts to their highest level in more than three years. The Commerce Department said Thursday that builders broke ground on a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 699,000 homes in January. That's up 1.5 percent from December and the highest level since October 2008. Construction began on 508,000 single-family homes last month. That's a 1 percent drop from December and the first decline in four months. Still, December single-family homes were revised up strongly to show builders started 513,000 homes a 12 percent gain from November." Read more here.

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What We're Reading: February 13

By Michael Stubel
Feb. 12, 2012

Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission will highlight news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Forty States Sign On to Foreclosure ‘Robo’ Settlement

By Diana Olick
CNBC

"After more than a year of negotiations, attorneys general from more than 40 states signed on to a proposed settlement agreement with five of the nation's largest mortgage servicers over “robo-signing” foreclosure processing abuses, according to the lead negotiator, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. 'This enables us to move forward into the very final stages of remaining work. Federal and state officials, as well as representatives from the banks, continue to address matters that they must complete before finalizing any settlement,' Miller said in a statement released late Monday. The deal with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Ally Financial will reportedly total $25 billion. Some $17 billion of that would go toward writing down mortgage principal for an estimated 850,000 troubled borrowers, $3 billion could go toward restitution payments of $1,500 each to borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure, and the rest could go to state funds for foreclosure relief, according to reports and estimates by Inside Mortgage Finance." Read more here.

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