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NCAHMA welcomed roughly 100 professionals to Chicago for its 2010 Affordable Housing Underwriting Conference & Annual Meeting on October 5-6. The event was one of NCAHMA’s best turnouts ever! If you missed it, don’t worry! You can download all of the PowerPoint presentations offered during the conference.

White House officials and representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently held a conference call with industry stakeholders to discuss the third round of funding through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP3) and its impact on communities across the country.

Following up on a meeting held earlier in June with representatives from Obama Administration’s Domestic Policy Council, Council For Environmental Quality and Recovery Implementation Office, NH&RA’s Council for Energy Friendly Affordable Housing (CEFAH) has issued a set of recommendations to amend the rules governing the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

The National Council of Affordable Housing Market Analysts’ Executive Committee recently convened to reaffirm and clarify how our Model Content Standards apply to conducting a comprehensive market study. As a result of the discussion, NCAHMA as adopted the following definition for a “comprehensive market study.”

The United State’s Senate has issued a substitute amendment for HR 4213, “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010.”Â The Senate is currently scheduled to debate HR 4213 this week. Most of the housing related provisions from the House version remain unchanged, with the exception of a change to the taxation of carried interest provisions. Major features of the amendment include…

HUD has released its proposal to Congress for its Transformation of Rental Assistance (TRA) Program. The proposed legislation would authorize major changes to HUD’s rental assistance programs, aimed at rethinking the entire nature of rental assistance, making it more user-friendly, enabling more tenant mobility, facilitating more preservation and development.

The $350 million proposal would provide owners of public and HUD-assisted housing the opportunity to convert to Section 8 like property-based rental assistance contracts. This would provide owners an important new tool to sustain operations and leverage private financing to address long-term capital needs and implement energy-efficiency improvements. View the complete story for a section-by-section summary.

On March 16 HUD issued a new mortgagee letter that effectively raises the maximum FHA mortgage amount for multifamily FHA-insured loans by excluding land value from the calculation of the statutory mortgage limits. It is expected that this new determination by the FHA will expand the use of FHA insurance for multifamily housing in major high-cost cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia. NH&RA’s General Counsel Bingham McCutchen provided the following summary:

House Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee are reported to be considering amending the tax extenders bill (HR 4213) to shift an extension of the Build America Bonds (BAB) program from the small business bill (HR 4849) to the tax extenders legislation. The shift is being urged because of concerns that the tight Senate calendar may not leave enough time to move other tax bills this year. HR 4213 also includes extensions of the Section 1602/Exchange Program, New Markets Tax Credit and GO Zone Historic Tax Credit and Bonus Depreciation Provisions.

The House Financial Services Committee has released an update draft of comprehensive preservation legislation. The legislation addresses a wide-range of issues creating financing sources and mechanisms to preserve the affordability of HUD-assisted properties. The legislation is expected to be considered by the Ways & Means Committee some time shortly after the Spring recess (currently scheduled for March 29-April 9). Additionally, the legislation is expected to be a vehicle for other HUD oriented legislation including HR 4099, legislation endorsed by NH&RA’s Council For Energy Friendly Affordable Housing.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced today the Obama Administration’s intention to improve, extend and enhance the New Markets Tax Credit Program. “Distressed communities and their small businesses have a hard time attracting investments even in the best of times,” said Secretary Geithner. “The New Markets Tax Credit helps these communities attract new investors and ensure they stay invested long enough for businesses to overcome obstacles and grow. That’s why the President expanded the New Markets Tax Credit through the Recovery Act last year and why we’re seeking to reform, extend and broaden the reach of these credits going forward.”

On February 1, the White House unveiled a proposed federal budget for Fiscal Year 2011 that calls for overall funding cuts at numerous federal agencies, including at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Fiscal Year 2011 begins October 1st.

NH&RA’s Council for Energy Friendly Affordable Housing (CEFAH) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is amending the eligibility provisions applicable to multi-unit buildings under the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons. The new regulations will make it easier for owners of HUD, LIHTC and USDA assisted apartments to utilize weatherization grants. CEFAH will be providing its members with in-depth analysis of this new rule. CEFAH is a working group of some of the most active owners and managers of affordable housing. Its goal is to identify areas where significant savings could be found and work with policymakers to obtain regulatory and legislative changes that make such improvements feasible and permissible. Click here to learn more about CEFAH.