Articles Archives

States Offer Historic Tax Credits, Propose New Programs

2 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010:

Ohio Opens New Application Round for State Historic Tax Credits

The Ohio Department of Development is soliciting applications by March 31 for $24.2 million worth of state historic preservation tax credits in the program’s latest funding round. The program offers a state tax credit equal to 25% of qualified rehabilitation expenditures for an historic building, up to a project cap of $5 million.

Congressional Seesaw Exchange, NMTC Extensions Teetering

2 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: The prospects for quick enactment of provisions to extend the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) exchange program and the new markets tax credit (NMTC) program brightened for a bit in February before becoming clouded.

Niche Housing Sponsors Forge a New Path

10 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: From New York to California and points in between, sponsors are engaging in niche construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing, either by producing specialized units or using non-traditional funding sources. Much of this output is the result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Crossing the Finish Line Exchange Funds Push Massachusetts Deal Forward

4 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: For Massachusetts builder Andrew Baker, getting to the finish line with his company’s first tax credit project as a developer has required hope, prayer – and federal credit exchange funds.

Making the Program Better GAO Report Cites Options for Improving the New Markets Tax Credit

2 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: In a new report, the Government Accountability Office describes the project and investment activity and patterns thus far under the federal new markets tax credit program, and outlines two options for enhancing the program.

HUD Considering Changes to Multifamily Loan Underwriting Criteria

3 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: In February, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it is considering changes to strengthen its FHA multifamily loan programs.

These changes are intended to address, in part, the escalating number of loan delinquencies and potential for FHA claims in specific markets. In some markets, claim rates for FHA apartment loans have increased from 0.6 percent in FY 2007 to 1.2 percent in FY 2009, to a projected 2.4 percent in FY 2010.

Lining Up the Debt FHA Products Offer Options for LIHTC Developers

5 min read

By Jeffrey D. Banker, Lancaster Pollard Mortgage Company

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: Low-income housing tax credit developers are used to turning over numerous stones to finance construction or rehabilitation projects Ð grants, bank loans, HOME loans, etc. But in the aftermath of the financial meltdown, many developers have been left to fill funding gaps caused by the loss of permanent financing commitments, or face much more limited options for construction financing.

White House Budget Mix Both Funding Increases and Cuts for Housing

3 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: On February 1, the White House unveiled a proposed federal budget for the fiscal year that begins October 1 calling for a mix of spending increases and cuts to federal housing and community development programs.

LIHTC’s Bizarro CRA

5 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: With the 2010 low-income housing tax credit equity market just getting underway, a pattern of sorts is emerging. Properties located in some major metropolitan areas are having no trouble attracting multiple bids, even trading at a “premium” in some markets. Some of this we can ascribe to the natural hesitancy of earning-battered equity investors to move quickly to reinvest in an asset type that has a long delivery (ten years) and questionable liquidity.

Creating Homes Native American Tribes Increase Their Use of Low-Income Tax Credits

5 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: The Yavapai-Apache Nation, a Native American tribe of about 2,000 people in Arizona, has 90 families on its waiting list for affordable housing. As the tribe’s housing authority tries to meet this need, it has been turning increasingly to the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) to create additional affordable homes.

Capital Briefs

3 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010:

HUD Launches New Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities

On February 4, Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced the establishment of HUD’s new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC). Shelley Poticha is Director of OSHC. The Office will be responsible for administering the Sustainable Community Initiative, a new initiative funded at $150 million for FY 2010. Of this amount, $100 million is for a new Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program, for which HUD published a notice.

Getting in the Game Community Bank Makes the Leap to LIHTC Investor

5 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, March 2010: Brookline Bank, a community bank in Eastern Massachusetts, illustrates a success story that many would like to see replicated to help restore the challenged low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity market to a sound footing.

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