On May 29, the Federal Housing Administration published a request for information in the Federal Register regarding single-family minimum property requirements which have “long supported the safety and soundness of the single-family homes the agency insures,” seeking to modernize the program.
U.S. District Court judge in California granted final approval of a $110 million settlement resolving a lending and hiring discrimination lawsuit against Wells Fargo. Under the settlement agreement, Wells Fargo will create a $100 million borrower assistance fund for mortgage assistance.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced that it is making enhancements to FHA Connection to streamline internal processes for case number assignments for units in condominium projects eligible for single-unit approval.
Access Living, a leading advocacy organization for people with disabilities, announced the resolution of an eight-year-old civil rights lawsuit that alleged the city of Chicago funded and developed tens of thousands of affordable rental housing units without the required number of accessible units.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) posted a draft Mortgagee Letter (ML), entitled “Updates to Borrower Eligibility Requirements,” for review and feedback. The draft ML proposes new requirements for determining eligibility for borrowers with delinquent child support subject to federal administrative offset through an automated process to be implemented in the FHA Connection technology system.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner presented a statement on May 14 before the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies regarding the president’s fiscal year 2027 budget. Turner addressed the end of the Community Development Block Grant program, the funds secured to aid aged-out foster youths and the reasoning for HUD’s relocation.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acting director Russel Vought submitted a notice of appeal to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on May 11, challenging a lower court’s summary judgment in the case of Rise Economy, et al. v. Russell Vought, et al., which concerns agency funding. A few days later, lawmakers voted on several joint resolutions of disapproval seeking to roll back changes to the bureau’s regulatory guidance.
The Department of Justice announced on April 27 that a Kentucky owner and manager of residential rental properties agreed to pay $510,000 to resolve allegations that he sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The Department of Justice announced on April 30 that it secured the “second-largest [settlement] ever obtained by the department in an individual housing discrimination case.” The $750,000 settlement resolves allegations that Georgia apartment owners and managers violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to grant a reasonable accommodation to a family who requested to move to a ground-floor unit.
On May 4, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a mortgagee letter entitled “Updates to Multiple Environmental Requirements for the Multifamily Accelerated Processing Guide,” to remove outdated provisions that have increased costs for lenders and developers seeking FHA-insured financing.
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