Yearly Archives: 2010

Detroit, MI - August 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Quicken Loans Inc. Chairman and Founder Dan Gilbert today announced that Quizzle LLC will be joining Quicken Loans when it moves to Detroit’s Compuware building later this month. Quizzle (www.quizzle.com), which has more than 500,000 registered users, is a free online tool that helps consumers better manage their personal finances.

LANSING, MI - August 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the filing of a charge against Joseph Peters, 46, of Ada on one count of attempted felony false pretenses over $20,000. The charge comes as a result of an ongoing investigation into a questionable Michigan Film Tax credit application Peters filed with the Michigan Film Office

LANSING, MI - July 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the filing of 19 criminal complaints and a total of 69 charges against illegal advanced fee "foreclosure rescue" operations accused of defrauding Michigan families of thousands of dollars. Nine Michigan mortgage companies are accused of illegally charging homeowners facing foreclosure upfront fees for mortgage modification assistance. The defendants claimed they would help homeowners by working with their lenders in an attempt to modify the borrower's mortgage. After paying the upfront fee, borrowers found that the companies made no real attempt to secure a modification and were subsequently unable to get their money back. Many of the victims lost their homes to foreclosure.

EUGENE, OR - July 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- David Evich of Real Estate One has joined with IDX, Inc. to incorporate their dynamic MLS search tool, IDX Broker, on to his real estate website. Traverse City, Michigan is host to many lake front properties, now home seekers can find these homes conveniently by searching on his Traverse MLS (TRVMLS) synced website. The unique technology provided by the IDX Broker software pulls raw listing data from the TRVMLS database and displays it on the search pages. The adoption of such a revolutionary tool demonstrates on his website shows the dedication of Evich to his clients and home seekers around Traverse City

WASHINGTON, DC - July 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against Dalton Township, Mich., alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, charges that the township discriminated against persons with disabilities based on its treatment of a group home for persons recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and its failure to grant a reasonable accommodation or modification to the owner of the group home

WASHINGTON, DC - July 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) today announced the inclusion of $11,742,000 for 10 Michigan projects in the FY 2011 Appropriations bill for the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies. The funding was approved last week by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill still needs to be approved by the Senate and a House-Senate conference committee before being given final approval by Congress and sent to President Obama for his signature

LANSING, MI - July 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today visited Harbor Habitat's 100th build in the Benton Harbor community and said volunteering to help build a home for others offers a rewarding opportunity.

LANSING, MI - July 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said a new state fund will help protect thousands of people at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.

Michigan, MI - July 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Automobile and Home Insurance Consumer Advocate Melvin Butch Hollowell today said he is extremely disappointed by the Michigan Supreme Court's decision to allow insurers to continue using an individual's credit score in setting rates for automobile, home, and other personal lines of insurance.

LANSING, MI - July 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), along with banks, credit unions and nonprofit counseling agencies, will launch a statewide program to help eligible Michigan homeowners avoid foreclosure by participating in the state's new $154.5 million Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund.

WASHINGTON, DC - July 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The owners and operators of Ivanhoe House Apartments, an apartment complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., have agreed to pay $82,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleging that they had discriminated against African-American home-seekers, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

EUGENE, OR - July 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Steve Volkers Group, out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has created a unique real estate website with the help of their customized IDX Broker software. This software allows real estate agent Steve Volkers and Grand Rapids residents and home seekers to utilize the Grand Rapids MLS (GRAR) quickly and efficiently in searching for properties online. The website of Volkers now hosts one of the most comprehensive online real estate searches in the nation, thanks to the IDX Broker software.

June 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the summer season begins, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today unveiled its new and improved energy efficiency website, one that makes it easy to find information on utility-run energy efficiency programs that help customers cut energy usage; financial assistance available through the Michigan Saves program; and tips on how to reduce energy consumption at home

Washington D.C. - June 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The House of Representatives today voted to extend the closing deadline for taxpayers seeking the homebuyer’s tax credit. H.R. 5623, the Homebuyers Assistance and Improvement Act of 2010 would extend the current deadline from June 30 to September 30, 2010, enabling an estimated 180,000 additional homebuyers to utilize the credit. Taxpayers must have entered into a written, binding contract prior to May 1st to claim the credit. The legislation also includes an important provision to crack down on reported instances of fraud identified in a recent report by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

LANSING, MI - June 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Departments of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have approved the Granholm Administration's plan to distribute $154.5 million in federal funds beginning July 12 that should help more than 17,000 Michigan households avoid foreclosure, including 11,000 homeowners who are currently drawing unemployment benefits and are struggling to make monthly mortgage payments.