NAHB - "NAHB Highlights Green Products, Services At The International Builders' Show" (12-12-07)

"In recognition of the phenomenal growth of green building, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will celebrate 'Green Day' on Thursday, Feb. 14, at the International Builders’ Show® in Orlando, Fla. On Green Day, the association will officially launch the NAHB National Green Building Program and will unveil the new Certified Green Professional educational designation for home builders, remodelers and other industry professionals."

NAHB - "New Guide Helps Builders Navigate Residential Code" (12-12-07)

"A new pocket guide co-published by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the International Code Council (ICC) provides critical answers to the most frequently asked residential construction jobsite code questions. Available through BuilderBooks, NAHB’s publishing arm, Home Builders’ Jobsite Codes: A Pocket Guide to the 2006 International Residential Code, is a portable guide for home builders, contractors, inspectors, architects, engineers, and other construction professionals. The convenient field guide is a quick reference to the 2006 International Residential Code (IRC), and provides easy-to-read code requirements for every aspect of residential construction."

Mortgage Bankers Association - "MBA's Quinn Cautions on Dodd's Anti-Predatory Lending Bill" (12-12-07)

"The introduction of this bill is an important development as it will jumpstart the debate in the Senate over how to prevent a reoccurrence of the current troubles facing the mortgage market. We are still reviewing the specific language in the bill, but there are several provisions that concern us deeply. Senator Dodd's bill does not provide a uniform national standard to protect consumers from predatory lending, a step we feel is necessary to ensure a smooth and efficient marketplace. Further, we are troubled by the bill's 'duty of care' and assignee liability requirements."

CNN - "House ponders mortgage bankruptcy bill" (12-12-07)

"A House committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on legislation that would permit judges to shrink the size of home loans for bankrupt homeowners - a mortgage-mess remedy supported by consumer advocates and ardently opposed by the lending industry. Many Democrats say the proposal is a better way to help homeowners than a plan to freeze interest rates announced by the Bush administration last week and negotiated with lenders and investors."

CNN - "Mortgage applications rise" (12-12-07)

"Mortgage application volume increased 2.5 percent for the week ending Dec. 7, according to the trade group Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly application survey. The MBA's weekly application index rose to 811.8 from 791.8 the previous week. Refinance volume increased 4.3 percent, while purchase volume grew 1.7 percent. Refinance applications accounted for 57.6 percent of total mortgage applications during the week ending Dec. 7, compared with 56 percent during the prior week."

Seeking Alpha - "No, Pending Home Sales Index Did Not Rise" (12-12-07)

"'The worst part of the credit crunch' is already reflected in the data, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR. Um, no. That is not what their own data suggested (you can always tell when these folks are lying -- the clue will be their lips are moving)."

LewRockwell.com - "The Mirage of the Mortgage Fix" (12-12-07)

"The sea of inflationary credit is the core problem behind the falling dollar, the subprime crisis, the housing meltdown, not to mention the rise in the national debt and a thousand other problems. And how do they deal with it? More credit and more calls for controls. No one in Washington seems to understand the reason for the crisis, much less how to fix it. The markets go for this stuff for a while until it looks like Washington is in panic mode. Even Wall Street is starting to sense that something is very wrong."

New York Times - "The Capital of Slumping Home Sales" (12-12-07)

"Just south of Los Angeles, there is a small city called Paramount where houses have all but stopped selling. It’s a city of bungalows and manicured lawns, far enough from downtown to have long been affordable to working-class families. But as home prices rose ever higher in other parts of Southern California, Paramount became all the more attractive — and prices eventually soared there as well. By last year, the typical house sold for almost $500,000, up from $200,000 in early 2003."

Orange County Register - "Billionaire pays IRS $52 million in back taxes" (12-12-07)

"Billionaire developer Igor Olenicoff pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying on his tax returns and paid $52 million in back taxes, one of the largest individual tax cases in Southern California history."

Real Estate Journal - "Online Sleuthing For Home Buyers" (12-12-07)

"sites allow house hunters to screen prospective neighbors, evaluate school districts and see how members of the community rate a street's Internet connectivity and cellphone service. Shoppers can keep abreast of the news in a neighborhood they're considering, and get alerts when houses list for sale or restaurants open -- or when a registered sex offender moves to the area. Consumers can find energy-efficient homes and compare locations by levels of toxic waste or drought conditions. And both buyers and sellers can join discussions with others who are in the market and real-estate professionals."

Real Estate Journal - "Mortgage Pain Hits Prudent Borrowers" (12-12-07)

"Some of the costs of cleaning up the nation's mortgage crisis are beginning to hit innocent bystanders: people who pay their bills on time and avoid excessive debt. Fannie Mae, the giant government-sponsored mortgage investor, last week raised costs for many borrowers by quietly adding a 0.25% up-front charge on all new mortgages that it buys or guarantees. On a $400,000 mortgage, that would mean an extra $1,000 in fees, almost certain to be passed on to the consumer. Freddie Mac, the other big government-sponsored mortgage investor, is expected to impose a similar fee soon, according to a person familiar with the situation."