Originally published on June 28, 2021, by Ben Unglesbee for The Retail Dive.

Dive Brief:

• For the first time in 2021, store closures have declined year over year, according to an emailed report from Coresight Research.
• The firm tracked 4,626 closures so far this year, 5.7% fewer than last year at this time. Leading retailers in closures so far is Christopher & Banks, which liquidated its physical footprint in bankruptcy this year. Another recent retail bankruptcy, Francesca's, closed 342 stores, a significant chunk of its footprint.
• Openings to date stand at 4,311, a 41.8% increase over the same period in 2020. The runaway leader in openings is Dollar General, with 1,035 new stores this year, followed by Dollar Tree with 393 openings.

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Originally published on June 23, 2021, by Jessica Gresko for APNews.com.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the president greater power to fire the head of the agency that oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, ruling that the agency’s structure violates the separation of powers principles in the Constitution.

Originally published on June 23, 2021, by Jessica Gresko for APNews.com.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the president greater power to fire the head of the agency that oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, ruling that the agency’s structure violates the separation of powers principles in the Constitution.

Originally published on June 24, 2021, by Rebecca Hersher for NPR.org.

More than half of the buildings in the contiguous U.S. are in disaster hotspots, a new study finds. Tens of millions of homes, businesses and other buildings are concentrated in areas with the most risk from hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes.

Originally published on June 30, 2021, for the Appraisal Institute. 

The Appraisal Institute Board of Directors on June 28 sent to 45-Day notice proposed amendments to Bylaws and Regulation Nos. 1-4 concerning Audit Committee Powers and Duties, the Candidate for Designation Program and Life Status and Designated Member Readmission.

Originally published on June 28, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today finalized amendments to the federal mortgage servicing regulations to reinforce the ongoing economic recovery as the federal foreclosure moratoria are phased out and which will help protect mortgage borrowers from unwelcome surprises as they exit forbearance. The amendments will support the housing market’s smooth and orderly transition to post-pandemic operation. The rules issued today will establish temporary special safeguards to help ensure that borrowers have time before foreclosure to explore their options, including loan modifications and selling their homes. The rules cover loans on principal residences, generally exclude small servicers, and will take effect on August 31, 2021.

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2021 Real Estate Valuation Conference is on Sept 2

NCAI's 2021 Real Estate Valuation Conference (REVC) will be held on September 2, 2021, held via Zoom. This year’s conference will spotlight the appraisal industry’s current critical focus areas in real estate valuation.

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Originally published on June 16, 2021, by Michael Tucker for the Mortgage Bankers Association.

U.S. companies have scaled back their plans to make big cuts to their office portfolios and many now expect their offices to support “collaborative” work in person rather than remotely, said CBRE, Dallas.

Originally published on June 16, 2021, by Michael Tucker for Mortgage Bankers Association.

U.S. commercial real estate investment increased in April, but not all pandemic-related problems are in the rearview mirror, reported Real Capital Analytics, New York.

Originally published on June 16, 2021, by Wesley Shaw for the National Association of Realtors.

• Where do you live and who do you work for?

High Point, North Carolina and I work for Hylton Crowder & Associates

Originally published on June 17, 2021, by Erin Osgood for Redfin.

Originally published  on June 10, 2021, by Freddie Mac.

MCLEAN, Va., June 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 2.96 percent.

Originally published in 2021 

Carefully crafted language, both specific and standard, is key in appraisal reports. One insured appraiser recently avoided a potentially costly lawsuit by including well-thought-out language that addressed issues related to large rural properties.

Originally published on June 7, 2021, by Robert Dietz for the National Association of Home Builders.

Ending a period of volume decline that began at the end of 2019, the volume of residential construction lending posted an increase during the first quarter of 2021. Nonetheless, overall residential construction loan volume ended the year lower due to accelerated sales growth, which reduced outstanding loans at a faster rate.

Originally published on June 8, 2021, by Michael Tucker on the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Originally published on June 8, 2021, by Tom Acitelli for The Commercial Observer.

Call it another benefit of education. 

The Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) is evaluating changes that would make virtual education delivery a permanent option for continuing education. The AQB released a second exposure draft for qualification criteria on June 3. Distance Education Requirements, Section III D (page 4) defines synchronous education and allows for synchronous education to be used in the same manner as on-site classroom courses. The AQB is accepting commits on the exposure draft until July 30. To submit comments, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AQBComments. You may also send comments to [email protected].

On Thursday, June 10th, 40+ members gathered virtually to celebrate our newly designated member, Cindy M. Pickup, MAI, AI-GRS, who earned her MAI and AI-GRS designations, vote to dissolve the International Relations Committee, and hear committee updates about what the Chapter has done so far this year and what lies ahead for the summer and fall!