Explore the
links below to find useful finance-related sources of information for builders
on the Internet.
Appraisal
Subcommittee: The ASC is part of the
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (see the FFIEC link listed
below). The ASC web site contains information on, and e-mail links to, the
state appraisal regulatory agencies. This site also has a searchable national database
of appraisers which can be useful in finding appraisers.
Community
Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI):
The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund was created to
expand the availability of credit, investment capital, and financial services
in distressed urban and rural communities. CDFI manages the New Markets Tax
Credit program, which permits taxpayers to receive a credit against Federal
income taxes for making qualified equity investments in designated Community
Development Entities (CDEs).
Davis-Bacon
Act Information (U.S. Department of Labor):
This Department of Labor Resource provides useful information for multifamily
builder/developers who plan to use loans or grants from certain federal
programs, such as an FHA-insured multifamily mortgage loan, Community
Development Block Grants (CDBG), or HOME funds.
Davis-Bacon
Survey Schedule (U.S. Department of Labor):
The Department of Labor periodically conducts surveys of wage rates paid in the
states as a way of determining wage rates to be paid on future federally
financed or assisted projects subject to the Davis-Bacon and related Acts. It
is important for home builders to participate in these surveys
for the resulting wage requirements to accurately reflect the wage rates that
are paid in the multifamily construction industry.
Fannie
Mae: In addition to providing
financial information about Fannie Mae, this site contains a wealth of
information about Fannie Mae's single-family and multifamily loan programs from
both the lender's and the home buyer's points of view.
Federal
Financial Institutions Examination Council:
The FFIEC is the interagency body that prescribes principles, standards, and
report forms for federal examinations of financial institutions by the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the
National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, and the Office of Thrift Supervision. This site contains links to
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data and financial institution examiner
educational opportunities, some of which are available to financial institution
staff.
Federal
Housing Finance Board: The Federal Housing
Finance Board oversees the activities of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB)
System, so this site is the main path leading to information about the
regulator of the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks. Select the "Federal Home
Loan Bank System and Programs" button to access information about the
individual FHLB banks and their programs. There are also summaries of how the
Affordable Housing and Community Investment programs work.
Freddie
Mac: Freddie Mac's web site contains
information about the firm's single-family, multifamily, and securitization
programs in addition to information about Freddie Mac-owned repossessed homes.
Homes
for Working Families: This
Washington, DC-based non-profit organization works to increase access to homes
within reach of working families by partnering with employers, policy makers,
and civic leaders to advance meaningful policy change at the local, state and
national levels.
House
of Representatives: This site
is a good avenue for access to information about the goings-on in the U.S.
House of Representatives. Access up-to-date committee hearing schedules, a
summary of floor activities, and, quite often, download copies of testimony.
This site also provides e-mail links to House members. The Internet Law Library
allows access to a searchable copy of the U.S. Code.
HUD
(Department of Housing & Urban Development):
HUD's web site is huge, but users will find that much information about HUD can
often be found via more than one path. It is helpful to create
"bookmarks" on your Web browser for key pages. The Library
"bookshelves" provide distinct paths to the most commonly sought
information. (Also refer to the link for FHA Mortgagee Letters listed below.)
HUD's four
homeownership Centers serve as builders' and lenders' main points of contact
for questions about FHA's single-family mortgage insurance programs. Select the
name of the
FHA
Mortgagee Letters: This is a shortcut to
the main source of communication between FHA's single-family mortgage insurance
program and approved lenders. This site offers on-line copies of Mortgagee
Letters back to and including 1976.
HUD
Information about RESPA: This site is the
most up-to-date government source of information relating to the Real Estate
Settlement Procedures Act, including a copy of the Act itself. The site has
historical information, such as previous rule changes, that may be very
difficult to find elsewhere.
HUD's
Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse: The
Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse was created to support state and local
governments and local organizations seeking information about laws,
regulations, and policies affecting housing affordability. Users can also
subscribe to the Clearinghouse newsletter.
HUD
User: This site, which is a service of
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), contains
information used in housing programs, such as estimates of area median family
income, Fair Market Rents, and lists of Qualified Census Tracts and Difficult
Development Areas.
Library
of Congress Legislative Information: The
Library of Congress' THOMAS Web site is the authoritative source of
information about the status of legislation in the U. S. Senate and House of
Representatives as well as committee and subcommittee activities and agendas.
National
Council of State Housing Agencies: NCSHA is
a non-profit organization representing state housing finance agencies.
NCSHA
Links to State Housing Finance Agencies:
This page provides links to the various state housing finance agencies' (HFAs) web sites, which often contain useful information
about the HFA's programs.
NARCL
Construction-to-Permanent Loan Builder Questionnaire: This form can be downloaded as a pdf file and used by home builders to provide information
to lenders for customers who are planning to use a construction-to-permanent
loan to fund the construction of a home. The form was developed by the National
Association of Residential Construction Lenders, whose members represent a
broad base of construction-to-permanent lenders.
Office
of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO): This agency is the regulator for Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac. The agency's web site contains links to a significant amount of
information and research into home prices.
Office
of The Comptroller of the Currency: The OCC site provides access to a broad range of
information about national banks and banking regulatory activities. Through the
"Public Information" path, users can access the National
Information Center of Banking Information to retrieve data about individual
banks. Banks' Community Reinvestment Act public evaluations are also
available here.
Office
of Thrift Supervision: The OTS
regulates all federal and many state-chartered savings and loan associations.
The home page of this site includes an index that provides direct access to
helpful information such as the laws, regulations and policies affecting thrift
institutions.
Securities
and Exchange Commission: Users can access a variety of information about
the activities of the SEC at this site. Of particular interest to investors is
the SEC's EDGAR database, where users can
access and download reports such as 10-K (annual) and 10-Q (quarterly)
financial statements filed by publicly-held corporations.
Senate:
This Web site contains links to information about the members, committees, and
legislative activities of the U.S. Senate.
USDA's
Rural Development (formerly Farmers' Home) Loan Programs:
This site provides paths to information on a variety of Rural Development
activities, including single-family, multifamily, and rural economic
development program.
USDA
Rural Housing Service Property and Income Eligibility:
This site provides information about the areas that are eligible for loans
insured or guaranteed by the Rural Housing Service and also shows income limits
for program users in each area.
Veterans
Affairs (VA) Loans: This is the VA's Loan
Guaranty Service's home page with links to a variety of very useful for
information about VA-guaranteed mortgage loans. Builders and lenders should
check out the choice listed as "VA Publications for Lenders and Loan
Servicers," for access to VA's handbooks.
VA
Registration for Home Builders: Builders
must be registered with the VA for their new homes to be eligible to be
financed using VA-guaranteed loans. The registration process is relatively
straightforward and quick. This is a link to the VA's builder registration web
page, which contains all of the information required for home builders to
register.
Veterans
Affairs (VA) Specially Adapted Housing Grant Program:
The VA can provide grants of up to $50,000 to disabled veterans to fund home
renovations, or changes to new homes, that will make the home accessible for
the veteran.
For more information about this item, please contact
William Renner at 800-368-5242 x8597 or via e-mail at wrenner@nahb.com.