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HARRISBURG, PA - June 29, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) – Governor Edward G. Rendell today signed a pair of bills to combat mortgage fraud by strengthening communication between homeowners and their lenders and encouraging employees at mortgage companies to report illegal activity.

HARRISBURG, PA - July 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) – More than 475,000 senior homeowners, renters and people with disabilities will be issued rebates today totaling $222.7 million through the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program. The number is approximately 58,000 more rebates than were issued last year on July 1.

Winfield, PA - June 30, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- In an effort to protect the housing of nearly 80 veterans at a state veterans’ home in Chester County, Rep. Russ Fairchild (R-Union/Snyder) has successfully amended land transfer legislation that would maintain the residential units as long as veterans are housed there.

Glenside, PA - June 25, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) - As the mortgage foreclosure crisis escalates, the scammers have found a lucrative new business: helping people avoid foreclosure, for a price.

Glenside, PA - June 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) - Critical state programs that create jobs, save homes and build our economy and communities are on the chopping block. Please ask your state Representatives to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter supporting funding for Housing and Redevelopment Assistance, New Communites and HEMAP.

HARRISBURG, Pa., - June 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) - Secretary of Banking Steve Kaplan announced today that Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corporation, or TBW, will modify loans for struggling homeowners and pay $9 million in fines as part of a settlement with Pennsylvania and 13 state mortgage regulators

PHILADELPHIA, PA June 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) - Mahn Huu Doan, a/k/a "Bruce Doan", 40, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for a massive mortgage fraud and identity theft scheme, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy. Doan, a self-described real estate investor, would purchase houses, using false or borrowed identities, using government insured loans which he secured using fraudulent information.

Washington, D.C. - June 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) - According to the Veterans Administration, about one-third of the adult homeless population are veterans, with...

HARRISBURG, PA - June 11, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) – Several brownfield sites in southwestern Pennsylvania will enjoy a rebirth with a $6 million state investment, Governor Edward G. Rendell said.

STEELTON, PA - June 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) – Governor Edward G. Rendell today said 1,000 families will receive thousands of dollars to help make down payments on new homes, more than 5,000 families in dozens of communities across Pennsylvania will find affordable housing, and some 3,000 workers will have jobs with the award today of more than $380 million in federal economic recovery funds.

HARRISBURG, PA - June 11, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) – The Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® (PAR) today commended Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s plan to award a portion of the $380 million in federal economic recovery funds to assist Pennsylvania homebuyers.

Lititz, PA - June 10, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) – On Wednesday, at a rally held on the Capitol steps, Rep. John C. Bear (R-Lancaster) introduced legislation creating a one-time incentive program for new and existing homes and qualified renovations in an effort to revive Pennsylvania’s slumping housing market and overall employment picture.

Coraopolis, PA - June 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Brentwood Bank was honored before its industry peers today for its exceptional record of community investment and service.

HARRISBURG, PA - June 3, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The deadline to apply for Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program for older adults and residents with disabilities has been extended from June 30 to December 31.

Glenside, PA - June 1, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The same economist who issued a recent study saying that state investment in housing could provide a stimulant to economic recovery, now warns that proposed cuts in state investment could have just the opposite effect – a further slowing of the recovery.

Washington, DC - May 21, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) helped the House pass, by a 367-54 margin, legislation to help Americans stay in their homes and to avoid many of the estimated 8.1 million additional defaults on mortgages predicted over the next four years when potentially 5 million homes could be lost through foreclosure or short sales.

Washington, D.C. - May 21, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Today, 16 members from the Pennsylvania delegation sent a letter to Shaun Donovan, Secretary of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 18, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan today announced that HUD is offering nearly $1 billion to make substantial improvements to thousands of public housing units nationwide. The Public Housing Capital Funds being offered are provided through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) and are designed to help public housing authorities improve the quality of their housing stock, promote energy efficiency and create jobs.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 7, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) voted for H.R. 1728, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2009, which the House passed by a vote of 300 to 114. The measure is aimed at curbing “predatory” lending – a major factor in the nation’s highest home foreclosure rate in 25 years.

Harrisburg, PA - May 4, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Hailing it as the single most important step Pennsylvania lawmakers could take to jumpstart the state’s economy, prime sponsor Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) today unveiled the School Property Tax Elimination Act (SPTEA).