Supreme Court Ruling May Spell Bad News For “Underwater” Homeowners

Supreme Court ruling may spell bad news for “underwater” homeowners. In a near unanimous decision, the high court ruled that when a mortgage lien is worth more than the market value of the property the Bankruptcy Code (Chapter 7) does not allow courts to reduce the second lien to the property’s market value.

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2014

The Federal Reserve Board recently published a new Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2014. The report provides a snapshot of the financial and economic well-being of U.S. households and the issues they face.

ERS Reports Increase in Rural Veterans Who Are Women

The percentage of rural veterans who are women has more than doubled since the First Gulf War, and rural female veterans tend to be younger than the men, according to the Economic Revenue Service.

Ending Rural Veteran Homelessness in 2015

Ensuring that veterans have access to safe, secure housing is critical, and President Obama and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have made a significant push to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Data shows declines in the homeless veteran population across the country, including in Rural America. However, in rural areas where accurate homeless counts are more difficult, this data may not tell the whole story. Read HAC’s latest post on the Rooflines blog to learn why.

Photo: Stormi GreenerPhoto: Stormi Greener

Rural Job Loss Returns

Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that nonmetro counties lost 330,000 jobs from January 2014 to January 2015, according to The Daily Yonder. Year-to-year changes in rural employment consistently showed improvements in 2014.

RAPIDO Housing

A custom three-bedroom house for $69,000? Welcome to the new model for disaster relief. A Public Radio International (PRI) segment features RAPIDO, an innovative housing for hurricane affected families in Texas’s border colonias.

Report Highlights Innovation in Affordable Housing Financing Policy

TAC has released a new report on creating integrated PSH opportunities for extremely low income and disability households. The report highlights important innovations in affordable housing financing policy designed to benefit these households.

Manufactured Home Retailer Investigated

Lending and business practices at the nation’s largest manufactured home retailer investigated. The Seattle Times, in conjunction with the Center for Public Integrity, published an in-depth article on Clayton Homes and its Fortune 500 backer.

Rural counties continue to lose population

For the fourth year in a row the smallest rural counties have generally lost population according to The Daily Yonder’s analysis of USDA ERS data. Population in counties with no cities of 10,000 residents and up dropped of half a percent.

As Economy Rebounds, Government Still Plays Role In Mortgage Business

As the economy rebounds, the federal government still plays a role in the mortgage business. NPR’s Planet Money investigates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s recent activity within the context of conservatorship.