News From Around the NAHREP Chapter Network

NAHREP Chair Alex Chaparro appeared at Social Media workshop hosted by NAHREP Orange County on March 25 along with social media experts Mirna Bard, Danny Morel and Neal Schaffer. NAHREP Atlanta will host an Atlanta Top Builders Panel this week on April 9 in collaboration with the Greater Atlanta Home Builder's Association and speakers from Bowen, Pulte and D.R. Horton. The panel will offer perspective about new construction options for buyers in today's market. FHA Streamline K will be the topic of NAHREP San Antonio's April luncheon this week. The two-hour luncheon will help members understand how to use this loan product to increase business and close transactions. NVHAREP is hosting a Wells Fargo/Wachovia market update on Short Sales, REOs, Diverse Market Segments, FHA & HAMP programs on April 14 at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino. Tim Sandos, Senior vice president /Diverse Segments Retail Program Manager and Dennis Geist, Vice President of Government Programs are among the guest speakers. NAHREP-LA and AREAA-LA will celebrate Cinco De Mayo at a cocktail mixer from 6-9 pm on May 5 at Solair Wilshire. NAHREP Houston will host the annual Texas state regional conference for NAHREP affiliate chapters and members on July 15-16 at The Renaissance Hotel in Houston. For more information, contact Michelle Hulse at [email protected].

 

INDUSTRY NEWS

HAMP/FHA Program Changes To Help Unemployed, Underwater Borrowers

The Administration announced changes to the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and the Federal Housing Administration programs that will help responsible homeowners that have been affected by the economic crisis through no fault of their own. The program will expand flexibility for mortgage servicers and originators to assist more unemployed homeowners and to help more people who owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth because their local markets saw large declines in home values. The goal is to stabilize the housing markets by offering a second chance to up to 3-4 million struggling homeowners through the end of 2012. The program will be funded through the $50 billion allocation for housing programs under TARP.

New Demographic and Economic Data on Hispanics by State

The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, has released updated profiles of the Latino population in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Derived from the 2008 American Community Survey, these profiles feature downloadable data on the demographic and economic characteristics of the Latino populations in each state.

The Center also updated the national portraits of Hispanics and the foreign-born population adding data on racial self-identification and health insurance coverage. Almost one-third of Hispanics identify with "some other race" compared with less than one percent of the non-Hispanic population. Hispanics are twice as likely as the overall population to lack health insurance coverage. Among foreign-born Hispanics, one-in-two lacks health insurance coverage.

Latinos and the 2010 Census: The Foreign Born Are More Positive

A new nationwide survey of Latinos finds that foreign-born Latinos are more positive and knowledgeable about the 2010 U.S. Census than are native-born Latinos. According to survey responses, the foreign born are significantly more likely than the native born to say that the Census is good for the Hispanic community.

The foreign born are also more likely to correctly say that the census cannot be used to determine if someone is in the country legally. They are more likely to trust the Census Bureau to keep their personal information confidential. And they are more likely to say they have received messages encouraging them to participate in the census. The survey was conducted by landline and cellular telephone from March 16-25, 2010 among a nationally representative sample of 1,003 Latinos. A report based on the survey has been released by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

Hispanics numbered 46.8 million, or 15.4 percent of the total U.S. population, in 2008, up from 35.3 million in the 2000 Census. Among Hispanic adults ages 18 and older, 47 percent are native born and 53 percent are foreign born. The report is available online at www.pewhispanic.org.