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Using the Colorado River for Suburban Sprawl in Arizona

VIDEO: LOST IN SPRAWL Threatened by suburban development, a fourth-generation farmer documents his family’s doomed legacy with time-lapse video. By Thomas Gorman for The Ration When artist Matt Moore returned to his family farm outside Phoenix, signs of approaching suburbia were everywhere. Using time-lapse video, Moore captures his crops’ hidden lives, inviting viewers to reflect [...]

Reporter Joaquin Sapien is Interviewed by PBS for Chinese Tainted Drywall Series

“The CPSC or the lawyers involved, the experts that they’ve hired as part of this massive litigation, still have not figured out what exactly is in the drywall that’s causing it to offgas, which is a big problem because that means we don’t necessarily know that we can prevent this from happening again in the future.”

Amended Settlement on Lowe’s Tainted Drywall

Lowe’s, the nation’s No. 2 home improvement chain, is offering as much as $100,000 in cash to customers who can prove they bought drywall from the retailer and also prove that it caused at least $4,500 in damages. The contaminated drywall releases high amounts of sulfur gas, which can corrode copper wiring and cause air conditioners and other electrical appliances to fail. Some homeowners have also complained that the drywall has affected their health by triggering respiratory problems, bloody noses and headaches.

Banks & Firms Rig Tax-Lien Auctions in Maryland

Though the tax-lien industry has long been controversial, the Baltimore lawyer’s sworn declaration appears to be the first to mention a bank, or a tax-lien portfolio manager, in connection with allegations of criminal conduct in the bidding process…Reiff stated that a firm formed with his law partners acted to “suppress competition for tax liens by refraining from full competitive bidding.” Reiff and his two partners cooperated with the government and were not charged.

40% Success Rate on Gov’t Home Loan Program: Mortgage Service Industry Neglects Upgrade

Yet the Obama administration bet the success of its foreclosure prevention program on the ability and willingness of that same troubled industry to help homeowners — and lost. The program, overseen by the Treasury Department, has been characterized largely by lax enforcement and deference to banks.

Bankruptcy Reform: Enforceable Measures for Struggling Homeowners Reduced to Voluntary Programs

Bankruptcy judges have long been barred from lowering mortgage payments on primary residences, though they could do it with nearly all other types of debt, even mortgages on vacation homes. Obama promised to change that… But when it came time to fight for the measure, he didn’t show up. Some Democrats now say his administration actually undermined it behind the scenes.

Renting in the Recession: Housing Conditions Worsen as Rates Increase

Rising rents, stagnant wages and high unemployment led more than 7 million U.S. households either to live in substandard dwellings or pay more than half their monthly incomes for rent in 2009, according to a federal report delivered to Congress on Tuesday.

Banks Fall Short on Govt Housing Program (HAMP); Treasury Foots The Bill

“At some point, Treasury needs to ask itself what value there is in a program under which not only participation, but also compliance with the rules, is voluntary,” says the new report, from the special inspector general for the TARP. “Treasury needs to recognize the failings of [the program] and be willing to risk offending servicers.

Home Recycled: Dan Phillips Affordable Housing

Dan Phillips, a self taught architect, is redefining the architectural landscape of Texas. Throughout the years he’s collected someone else’s junk and turned it into doors, furniture, countertops, floors, etc. From broken glass to broken toilets, Dan is re-shaping the perspective of a home.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – 2010 Update on Mortgage Reform Under the Obama Plan

Mortgage foreclosures still swamping federal efforts to help By Chris Adams | McClatchy Newspapers & Disseminated by The Erie Wire From The Erie Wire: Be sure to watch the video from McClatchy on Goldman Sachs offshore havens that helped to deter regulation and oversight of toxic assets. See Video WASHINGTON — Banks and other lenders [...]