Federal Supply Schedules: More Attention Needed to Competition and Prices, GAO-15-590: Published: Jul 9, 2015. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2015. Medicaid: Additional Reporting May Help CMS Oversee Prescription-Drug Fraud Controls, GAO-15-390: Published: Jul 8, 2015. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2015. Federal Real Property: GSA Needs to Determine Its Progress toward Long-term Sustainability of Its Portfolio,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Housing
CFPB – Three things to do before closing
Three things to do before closing: What we learned from studying eClosing: ” We’ve heard from many consumers about the overwhelming process of closing on a mortgage, which can be confusing and difficult. Closing is the part of the mortgage process where you accept the terms of your loan, the last step before you owe,… Continue Reading
More Millennials Living With Family Despite Improved Job Market
Pew Report – “Five years into the economic recovery, things are looking up for young adults in the U.S. labor market. Unemployment is down, full-time work is up and wages have modestly rebounded. But, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, these improvements in the labor market have not… Continue Reading
Characteristics of New Single-Family Houses Completed
The size of single family homes has increased following a decrease during the “Great Recession.” Larger homes are the norm, but lots sizes have not increased. Statistics from Census indicate the mean square footage of a newly constructed home in America is almost 2,600 square feet. Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Defense Infrastructure, Federal Green Building, IRS Examination Selection, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, Teacher Preparation Programs
Defense Infrastructure: Improvements in DOD Reporting and Cybersecurity Implementation Needed to Enhance Utility Resilience Planning, GAO-15-749: Published: Jul 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2015. Federal Green Building: Federal Efforts and Third-Party Certification Help Agencies Implement Key Requirements, but Challenges Remain, GAO-15-667: Published: Jul 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2015. IRS Examination Selection: Internal… Continue Reading
Millions of Children Living in High-Poverty Areas
Annie E. Casey Foundation: “The 2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book reports that 14% of children — 10.1 million total — are now living in areas of concentrated poverty. These numbers represent an unsettling trend: An increase of nearly 4 million more children living in high-poverty areas since 2000. State-by-state, the percentage of children living in… Continue Reading
Monetary Policy, Hot Housing Markets and Leverage
Ungerer, Christoph, Monetary Policy, Hot Housing Markets and Leverage (May 22, 2015). FEDS Working Paper No. 2015-048. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2628295 “Expansionary monetary policy can increase household leverage by stimulating housing liquidity. Low mortgage rates encourage buyers to enter the housing market, raising the speed at which properties can be sold. Because lenders… Continue Reading
Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2015
UK Institute for Fiscal Studies – Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2015. Chris Belfield, Jonathan Cribb, Andrew Hood, Robert Joyce.July 2015. “Average incomes are edging up slowly after falling sharply after the Great Recession. Income inequality has fallen back to levels last seen one or two decades ago. Relative poverty is lower… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Propane and Heating Oil Programs, HUD, IGs, International Space Station
Check-Off Programs: Observations from the Propane and Heating Oil Programs, GAO-15-769T: Published: Jul 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 10, 2015. HUD Public and Indian Housing Programs: Progress on Prior GAO Recommendations to Enhance Accountability and Efficiency, GAO-15-747T: Published: Jul 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 10, 2015. Inspectors General: Additional Efforts Needed by the Department of… Continue Reading
Confronting Suburban Poverty in America – data from new book
Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program – via the blog for the book, Confronting Suburban Poverty in America: “Between 2000 and 2012, poverty grew and re-concentrated in parts of metropolitan areas that were farther from jobs, particularly in suburbs, which are now home to more than half of the poor residents of the country’s 100 largest metro… Continue Reading
HUD – Family Options Study for Homeless Families
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Office of Policy Development and Research: Family Options Study – Short-Term Impacts of Housing and Services Interventions for Homeless Families, July 2015. “The study examines four interventions: 1. Permanent housing subsidy, or SUB, usually a housing choice voucher (HCV), could include assistance to find housing but no… Continue Reading
Agencies release list of distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies
“The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today announced the availability of the 2015 list of distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies, where revitalization or stabilization activities will receive Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) consideration as community development. Distressed nonmetropolitan… Continue Reading
