LANSING, MI - March 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR), the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators (AARMR) today announced a settlement with CitiFinancial regarding the firm’s failure to report 91,127 residential mortgage loans, including more than 4,000 in Michigan, to the federal government as required by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). The settlement requires CitiFinancial to pay a $63,457 penalty to the State of Michigan, which will be put into the Mortgage Brokers, Lenders, and Servicers Licensing Act Fund and used to support OFIR’s mortgage examination and licensing programs

March 15, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel and Conference Center, located in Mt. Pleasant, has earned Green Lodging Michigan (GLM) Steward certification from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).

March 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, during National Consumer Protection Week, Michigan's Automobile and Home Insurance Consumer Advocate Melvin Butch Hollowell announced he has been appointed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to the position of Consumer Liaison Representative. The NAIC has also listed Hollowell in its newly-created Consumer Expert Database

WASHINGTON, DC - March 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made the following statement after the committee held a hearing to review proposals designed to create jobs by making buildings energy efficient. The committee heard testimony from Terrence Mierzwa with Consumers Energy, headquartered in Jackson as well as Larry Laseter with Masco Home Services located in Taylor. The committee considered three proposals, including two supported by Senator Stabenow, the Building Star Energy Efficiency Act and the Home Star Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program.

LANSING, MI - March 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) offered the following statement on the need to protect Michigan consumers from foreclosure scams, and her legislation to help do so. Senate Bill 930, Whitmer's legislation to develop qualifications and regulations on foreclosure consultants, was introduced in October 2009 and is currently awaiting action by the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owner and property manager of a 48-unit apartment complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., alleging that the defendants discriminated on the basis of race or color in the rental of apartments, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced.

LANSING, MI - February 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) has shut down another operation claiming to be a Detroit-based mortgage company. This time the agency ordered an operation called “Decoster Financial Group” to cease and desist from doing business. OFIR believes that Decoster, through its website, http://www.decosterfinancialgroup.com, was posing as a legitimate mortgage company in an attempt to steal consumers’ money and identity. The fraudulent company was encouraging customers to apply for loans by providing personal information including social security and financial account numbers. Earlier this month, OFIR shut down a similar Detroit operation referred to as “Kenneth and Doyle Financial” and has put an end to a number of these fraudulent financial companies in the last year

February 17, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- State Historic Preservation Office architect Bryan Lijewski will meet with Monroe property owners and developers at a free workshop on Thursday, February 18. The event is being presented by the Monroe Historic District Commission.

LANSING, MI - February 4, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) shut down an operation claiming to be a Detroit-based mortgage company called “Kenneth and Doyle Financial” by ordering it to cease and desist from doing business. OFIR believes that Kenneth, through its website, was posing as a legitimate mortgage company in an attempt to steal consumers’ money and identity. The fraudulent company was encouraging customers to apply for loans by providing personal information including social security and financial account numbers.

February 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today noted that the Michigan Department of Treasury is now processing Michigan Home Heating Credits (HHC) for the 2009 tax year. The credit assists low-income customers with winter energy bills

LANSING, MI - January 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) announced today that 2008 data compiled under the Federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act are available from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). The data covers mortgage lending transactions throughout the nation at 8,388 financial institutions covered by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Covered institutions include, but are not limited to, banks, savings associations, credit unions, and independent mortgage companies

January 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bob Jones, a home builder and developer from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., yesterday was elected as the 2009 chairman of the Board of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). As president of Robert R. Jones Homes, he specializes in land development and the design and construction of single-family luxury homes throughout metropolitan Detroit.

LANSING, MI - January 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, State Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing), originally of Cascade, announced that her entire December legislative expense account was donated to a Grand Rapids foreclosure assistance program to highlight the need for government reform and more transparency in state spending.

People across the state will get help to stay in homes, find new housing. LANSING, MI - December 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today met in Kalamazoo with residents struggling to stay in their homes who are finding help through a federal program designed to keep families from becoming homeless and to help the newly-homeless find stable housing.

LANSING, MI - December 16, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today highlighted benefits of the state's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in helping to reduce energy costs and improve energy efficiency in the homes of low-income families throughout the state. Michigan received more than $243 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), which will fund weatherization projects in more than 30,000 homes over the next three years.