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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: housing industry

housing industry stories: 13 news summaries

(Newser) - Four years after Katrina, the rebuilding of New Orleans is becoming an exercise in environmentally friendly reconstruction, Bryan Walsh writes in Time. Global Green USA, the American arm of a group founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, is leading the pack by building a sustainable village in the city's Lower Ninth... More »

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Hurricane Katrina New Orleans green building construction reconstruction housing industry rebuilding Global Green USA

Churches
Put Faith
in Housing Biz

More launch own programs to provide affordable homes

(Newser) - Churches that have long called for an increase in affordable housing have started taking matters into their own hands, the Washington Post reports: A growing number of them have launched their own housing projects, partnering with developers to build whole communities. Their weekly flow of donations allows them to qualify... More »

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real estate housing market church housing industry parishioners megachurches women's issues

(Newser) - Homebuilders were busy in May, as housing starts took an unexpected 17% leap, Bloomberg reports. Lower prices and tax incentives were enough to bring in the buyers, bumping the annual rate to 532,000 homes, up from 454,000 in April. Building permits were also up more than forecast. “... More »

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housing market homebuilders housing industry housing starts

MARKETS
(Newser) - Markets rose significantly today on indications of a turnaround in the housing sector, the Wall Street Journal reports, with an industry confidence metric at its highest since September 2008. Financials—Bank of America was up 9.8%—led the S&P to a symbolic close above 900. The Dow was... More »

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NASDAQ Bank of America Dow Jones recession Home Depot Lowe's housing industry financial sector S&P 500

(AP) - The Senate voted tonight to give a tax break of up to $15,000 to homebuyers in hopes of revitalizing the housing industry. The move is a victory for Republicans eager to leave their mark on the mammoth economic stimulus bill. The proposal would allow a tax credit of 10... More »

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tax cuts housing industry economic stimulus package President Obama

 Housing Crash Spawns
 Ghost Subdivisions

Residents live solitary lives in half-built developments

(Newser) - The housing bust has left ghost towns scattered across the nation, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a tour of half-built or largely empty developments, the paper finds residents who moved in early, only to find themselves leading lonely lives surrounded by eerily deserted homes and weed-strewn lots. One woman... More »

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housing market housing housing industry housing bubble vacant homes

Housing Industry Funnels 
Cash to Lawmakers 

Campaign contributions soar compared to 2006

(Newser) - The housing industry has given more campaign cash to lawmakers and political parties this election cycle than it gave through the entire 2006 cycle, the Wall Street Journal reports, as an emergency housing bill containing favorable provisions for the industry has been working its way through Congress. Cash has flowed... More »

Congress Cashes In on Subprime Lobby

Campaign donations from housing, financial industries skyrocket

(Newser) - The subprime crisis isn’t bad for everyone: congressmen and lobbying firms are doing great, Politico reports. Industries caught in the crunch have drastically scaled up their campaign contributions, and dozens of new lobbying firms have sprung up to cash in. Securities and investment PACs, for example, have already given... More »

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lobbying lobbyists housing industry economic stimulus package subprime crisis housing legislation

Soaring Costs Force Workers Out of Key West

Few remain to service the island's tourists
and millionaires

(Newser) - High Key West housing costs are sparking an exodus of residents and leaving the island's tourists with too few people to serve them, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some 2,000 workers have fled in the past 7 years, a crushing blow to a county that houses 75,000 residents... More »

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workers US economy housing industry Key West service industry Florida Keys

Comcast's Growth Slows

Company falls short of several key metrics due to 'challenging economic environment'

(Newser) - Comcast believes its business will fall short of predictions as a declining economy and strengthened competitors slow the cable giant’s growth. The Wall Street Journal reports the firm will add 500K fewer subscribers than it had previously expected, and expects to pay out 5% more in capital spending than... More »

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DirecTV Comcast cable TV housing industry Brian Roberts cable industry

Subprime Nightmare to Get Worse

With rates about to reset higher, expect more foreclosures

(Newser) - The subprime mortgage crisis is only just beginning, new data suggests. Hundreds of billions of dollars in subprime adjustable-rate mortgages are due to reset to higher rates in the year ahead, reports the Wall Street Journal. Analysts say this means the steep rise in defaults and foreclosures this year may... More »

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subprime mortgages foreclosure mortgage US economy housing industry homeowners

Top Chicago Homebuilder Goes Bankrupt

Neumann becomes second largest builder to fall in subprime collapse

(Newser) - Neumann homes, a top Chicago homebuilder, will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Chicago Tribune reports, making it the second-largest builder felled by the dive in the housing market. The company has laid off all but 20 of its 110 workers. “I’m not overly optimistic about the... More »

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Chicago housing market subprime mortgages Detroit home prices housing industry home builders housing starts housing crisis

August Home Price Plunge
Is Biggest
Since 1970

New-home sales also off more than forecast

(Newser) - New-home sales fell 8.3% in August, Bloomberg reports, a greater decline than predicted. Housing prices fell over last year, with the 7.5% decrease the biggest drop since 1970. Sales fell to an annual pace of 795,000, lowest in seven years. And that may not signal the housing... More »

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subprime mortgages home sales Fannie Mae housing industry default borrowers

13 Stories