Maine RealEstateRama

AUGUSTA, ME - December 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Paul LePage has asked Maine State Housing Authority and Efficiency Maine Trust to develop a contingency plan to address the unmet need should Congress not appropriate sufficient funds for the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) this winter season.

GARDINER, ME - October 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Bureau of Financial Institutions’ Superintendent Lloyd P. LaFountain, III has released results from a quarterly survey covering residential mortgage loans held by Maine’s 32 state-chartered banks and credit unions. The survey shows a favorable trend in seriously delinquent mortgages, which dropped to their lowest level since June 2010. The survey also found the number of loans dropping out of the foreclosure process due to a reason other than foreclosure to be the highest since tracking began. Additionally, new mortgage loan originations increased 9% over the prior quarter.

WASHINGTON, DC - October 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- This afternoon, Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, spoke on the House floor in support of H.R. 2074, legislation that contains the text of a bill he authored to ensure that severely disabled and elderly veterans are able to get the care they need at Maine’s state veterans’ homes. The bill passed unanimously by voice vote.

AUGUSTA, ME - August 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Titling companies and law offices preparing a property transfer tax declaration form in Maine can now do so more efficiently online, using the free Real Estate Transfer Tax Declarations online service. The new service, offered by Maine Revenue Services, is available through the state’s official Web site, www.Maine.gov or at http://www.maine.gov/online/mrs/rettd.

July 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Paul LePage issued a statement Monday regarding a recent opinion from Attorney General William Schneider. The opinion involves the purported sale of real estate to a State employee and a subsequent lease back to the State of a building located on the property

June 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lloyd P. LaFountain, III, Superintendent of Maine’s Bureau of Financial Institutions reported mixed news from the first quarter survey covering residential mortgage loans held by Maine’s 32 state-chartered banks and credit unions

Washington, DC - June 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the Caribou Housing Agency a grant in the amount of $48,729 to support its Housing Choice Voucher Family Self Sufficiency Program. This program is intended to help low-income families, who receive federal housing assistance, receive training and education, find jobs, save money, and eventually become financially independent, including becoming homeowners

May 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Gov. Paul LePage on Monday helped kick off a campaign to raise funds for a new $2.7 million Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today welcomed members of Maine’s Housing Authorities to Washington to discuss their concerns and priorities regarding affordable housing opportunities throughout the state. Representatives of the Auburn Housing Authority, Westbrook Housing Authority, Portland Housing Authority, South Portland Housing and Avesta Housing met with Senator Snowe and discussed the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Small Housing Authority Reform Proposal (SHARP), and several other issues.

BELFAST, ME - February 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Belfast Water District in partnership with the Maine Department of Environmental Projection (Maine DEP) and the Maine Drinking Water Program recently completed the first phase of an Oil Tank Replacement Program for homeowners who live in the Belfast Watershed Protection area in Belfast and Swanville.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) applauded President Obama’s support for provisions in S. 1637, the Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act, legislation they sponsored last Congress to encourage energy efficient technology and construction in the existing home, new home, and commercial building markets.

January 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Effective January 1, 2011, the Bridgton District Court will retain all of the foreclosure cases filed in Bridgton that are referred to the Foreclosure Diversion Program for mediation. Bridgton District Court will hold informational sessions and mediations. Previously, Bridgton foreclosure cases on the diversion track were permanently transferred to the Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland.

November 25, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Mills announced progress in her negotiations with GMAC Mortgage LLC and Bank of America regarding their foreclosure practices in Maine. GMAC has agreed that it will temporarily halt sales on homes that have been foreclosed on, pending further talks to resolve the Attorney General’s concerns about the company’s foreclosure procedures

AUGUSTA, ME - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), working closely with the Town of Patten and the Maine Rural Water Association, is overseeing the replacement of approximately 30 home heating oil tanks in the wellhead protection area of the Patten Water Department.

Augusta, ME - November 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Janet Mills announced today that she is distributing $200,507 in foreclosure relief money from the Countrywide Financial Corporation settlement. The funds are being distributed to the state’s ten Community Action Programs based on the population of the areas they serve.