U.S. Bank announced on March 29 that IHDA, for the second year in a row, led the country as their largest HFA originator of single family mortgages in 2015.

After a record year in 2014, lenders closed more than $874 million in first mortgages and down payment assistance through the 1stHomeIllinois and @HomeIllinois programs to make homeownership possible for 7,200 first-time buyers last year, or 14 percent of all new buyers in Illinois during that time. While home sales are off to a strong start this year, first-time buyers continue to list saving for a down payment as their biggest challenge. But with IHDA's programs that provide up to $7,500 in down payment assistance, lenders and Realtors can offer some of the most attractive mortgage programs in the marketplace to make homeownership possible for more buyers throughout the state.

Visit our Lenders & Realtors page for more information.

We are excited to announce the launch of our newly designed website and all-digital Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report found at www.ihda.org.

The website and report each feature improved design, simplified navigation and a cleaner layout of content to make information about the state's housing resources, tools and trends more accessible to current and future partners, including those using smart phones and tablets. The website is divided into five main sections organized by audience so users can quickly navigate the site to find the information they need. Both projects were carried out to improve efficiency and transparency, and to create new opportunities to highlight the great work of our partners.

We look forward to hearing your feedback. Let us know what you think at communications@ihda.org.