NEW YORK, NY - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- New York City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about the Congressional hearing today on irregularities in the foreclosure process:

November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Good morning and thank you Chairman Lopez, Chairman Weinstein, Chairman Towns and members of the committees for inviting me here today to discuss New York's response to the foreclosure crisis.

Washington, DC - November 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel’s office at 3655 Johnson Avenue will collect toys for the homeless children as part of a drive by the Coalition for the Homeless to get toys to children in the City’s homeless shelters for the holidays

NEW YORK, NY - November 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- New York City Comptroller John C. Liu, on behalf of the trustees of the New York City Pension Funds, is calling on directors at Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) to conduct an independent audit of their banks’ mortgage and foreclosure practices. The four banks are the largest mortgage servicers in the country representing 56 percent of the nation’s $10.64 trillion mortgage industry

November 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York; Rene Febles, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in New York; John F. Pikus, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Lt. John D. Durling, of the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, announced that Elmer J. "Joe" McIndoo was sentenced today by United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy in Albany to six months of home detention and five years of supervised release for his role in a local mortgage fraud scheme. McIndoo also was ordered to make full restitution in the amount of $135,148.45, due jointly and severally with the other defendants convicted in the case, and he was required to surrender his New York state real property appraiser's license as a result of his conviction.

November 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Those who hope to fulfill the dream of owning their first home were given an edge today when Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced a new program that will provide down payment assistance.

November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor David A. Paterson today continued his campaign urging the Federal government to fully fund the Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at last year's level of $5.1 billion to help families cope with cold winter temperatures and higher energy costs. In a letter to President Obama, Governor Paterson outlined the need for quick action to fully fund the program and requested the immediate release of LIHEAP contingency funds, in order to avoid a potential early shut down of New York's Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which opened for the season November 1

November 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) which consists of the all the state's newly-integrated housing and community renewal agencies, launched a new $25,000,000 Preservation Initiative Program that uses existing funds and leverages multiple program resources to preserve and upgrade New York's existing stock of affordable housing. The program will provide financing to upgrade the physical conditions of this aging portfolio

November 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit for the third quarter of 2010, which shows that consumer debt continues its downward trend of the previous seven quarters, though the pace of decline has slowed recently. Since its peak in the third quarter of 2008, nearly $1 trillion has been shaved from outstanding consumer debts

November 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- "One of the great strengths of our Administration is the expertise and insight not only of our Commissioners but also of their deputies. Before joining the New York City Housing Authority, Mike Kelly led the housing authorities of San Francisco, New Orleans and the District of Columbia. When our former City Housing Commissioner and current HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Mayor Nutter asked about the prospect of Mike temporarily leading the Philadelphia Housing Authority through this transition period, I offered my full support.

November 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced that with the passage of his 2011 No Property Tax Increase Budget, Nassau County’s finances have begun to be repaired after years of mismanagement, a poor economy and overspending. Mangano praised Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt and the Republican Legislative Majority for joining him in holding the line on property taxes while adopting reforms to close a $343 million deficit – the largest in our County’s history

BUFFALO, NY - November 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal judge has ordered the forfeiture of two parcels of real property in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village which were purchased with drug proceeds from an international drug organization. The properties, a commercial building located at 427 Elmwood Avenue, and a single-family residence at 262 Bryant Street, were forfeited as part of a five-year Boston, Massachusetts-based Organized Crime Drug Task Force investigation and prosecution. Buffalo-based DEA and ICE agents and forfeiture specialists in the Buffalo U.S. Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation and prosecution

NEW YORK, NY - October 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Thursday, October 28, 2010--New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) today approved $287.8 million in financings and grants to build and rehabilitate 1,854 affordable homes, create jobs and stimulate local economies

October 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Ms. Caldwell, you and the Department of Treasury deserve substantial credit for pushing an industry towards mortgage modifications and preventing avoidable foreclosures when that industry failed to appropriately act. In this way, Treasury’s HAMP program has shown great potential. Thanks to your work, we have a new industry standard that has kept more people in their homes than otherwise would have been able – certainly more than HAMP’s monthly reports demonstrate on their own.

New York, NY - October 26, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn joined with leaders from City agencies Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), as well as representatives from developer Artimus Construction and Citi Community Capital in celebrating the groundbreaking of Elliott Chelsea on West 25th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan. The 22-story new construction development will provide 168 units for low-to- middle-income families. The $65 million development is located on land provided by NYCHA and is part of a larger plan to develop more affordable housing on NYCHA properties in Chelsea. The sale of this site will bring in an estimated $4 million in revenue to the Housing Authority, a critical component in preserving public housing in a time of diminishing Federal spending

New York, NY – October 21, 2010 – Home sales across 25 of the largest metropolitan areas in the country declined roughly 10 percent in August compared to July, according to the August 2010 RPX Monthly Housing Market Report released today by Radar Logic Incorporated. This was the largest decline in sales activity from July to August observed in Radar Logic’s data set, which dates back to January 2000. The rapid declines in home sales during August are a continuation of the record declines from June to July, and reflect a continued weakening in demand for home purchases.

October 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- PREET BHARARA the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARK ALAN SHAPIRO, the founder of the Cobalt Companies was sentenced today to 85 years in prison on charges stemming from a fraud that raised more than $23 million from over 250 investors in private placement real estate offerings. SHAPIRO was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by U.S. District Judge KIMBA M. WOOD, who presided over the three-week jury trial at which SHAPIRO, along with codefendants IRVING STITSKY and WILLIAM B. FOSTER, was found guilty.

New York, NY - October 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) wrote to the Federal Housing Finance Agency...

Washington, DC - October 11, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY 17) called for a fair and just settlement for Local 32BJ workers who are in negotiations with the Building and Realty Institute of Westchester and the Mid-Hudson Region, Inc. The Congressman’s statement and his letter to the management company follow below

Huntington Station, NY - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Suffolk Executive Steve Levy joined Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone and town board members on October 5 for the razing of dilapidated structures as part of a program to transform Huntington Station blight into attractive, affordable housing.

New York, N.Y. - October 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The New York State Banking Department today announced that more than 76,744 90-day pre-foreclosure notices were sent to New York homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments since May 31, 2010.

Middletown, NY - October 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Congressman John Hall (D-NY) today announced they helped secure a federal investment to help pay for new supportive housing in the Village of Walden for female veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who face difficult economic and other challenges.

Albany, NY - September 28, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor David A. Paterson today joined Mayor Bob Duffy, Senator Joe Robach, Assemblyman David Gantt, Commissioner/CEO of the recently integrated housing agency NY State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR)

Mineola, NY - September 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As Nassau County once again achieves the dubious status of having the second highest property taxes in the United States, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano again vowed not to implement a hefty property tax increase to close a massive deficit facing the County in 2011.

New York, NY - September 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) today announced a major milestone for seniors across the country as legislation he sponsored passed the Senate Banking Committee.