Articles Archives

State Agencies Far Along in Awarding Stimulus Dollars to Projects, Survey Finds

4 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: State agencies have awarded nearly $4.2 billion in federal stimulus act funds so far to jumpstart stalled low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects, according to data collected by a Tax Credit Advisor survey that shows the enormous housing production from the new Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) and Section 1602 credit exchange program.

Capital Briefs

2 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009:

Legislators Introduce Bills to Extend GO Zone Deadline, Enhanced Incentives

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) recently introduced a bill (S. 1761) to extend by one year, through 2011, the placed-in-service deadline for projects in the GO Zone, Rita GO Zone, and Wilma GO Zone receiving special disaster area low-income housing tax credits under the Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone Act of 2005.

Where Is Mixed-Income Housing Development Headed? Proposed Choice Neighborhoods Program Points the Way

4 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: In many ways, an affordable housing developer is a surgeon. In poor urban neighborhoods, making use of partnerships and government resources, the developer removes part of a neighborhood’s ills and inserts a healthy new organism – mixed-income housing development paired with resident services.

Exchange, TCAP Funds Work Magic to Save Deals in Delaware, Maryland

6 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: One by one, a growing number of developers are getting their new low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) deals funded and closed. Often it’s a convoluted, lengthy, and less than pretty process, but sponsors are finding success nonetheless.

IRS Clarifies the Treatment of 1603 Energy Grants

1 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: The Internal Revenue Service has clarified the treatment and other aspects of Section 1603 federal energy grants, in a new guidance (Chief Counsel Advice 200943029).

Fair Housing Act Litigation Yields Progress for Affordable Housing and Integration By Michael Allen, Esq., Relman & Dane, PLLC

7 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: Even as the market for  low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) remains slack, the zoning and land use environments for affordable housing are improving in areas throughout the country, thanks to a series of lawsuits brought under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and related laws. These cases suggest that the FHA is an indispensable tool in the affordable housing toolbox, and that syndicators, investors and developers ignore this tool at their peril.

Rebuffed Credit Sale Leaves Questions About GSE Housing Credit Portfolios Still Hanging

5 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: The U.S. Treasury Department’s disapproval of Fannie Mae’s proposed sale of a chunk of its existing low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) investments prolongs concerns about the “elephant in the room” – namely what is going to happen to the large volume of housing credit investments held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and how might any sale or sales impact the LIHTC equity market. Those questions appear likely to remain unanswered for a period of time.

GAO Looking at TCAP, Exchange Programs

1 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is conducting a study of how state housing credit agencies (HCA)s are administering the new federal Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) and Section 1602 credit exchange program.

HUD Announces Historic Preservation Award

1 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently presented the 2009 HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation to Gorman & Company, Inc., for its Fairbanks Flats Rowhomes historic preservation development in Beloit, Wisc.

Donovan, Geithner Press for Capitalization of Trust Fund

1 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner recently called on Congress to approve three important measures to improve housing and the housing market for Americans.

HUD Issues Guidance Regarding Master Lease Structures

1 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a new mortgagee letter (2009-40) providing policies and procedures for standard approvals of FHA multifamily mortgage insurance applications for tax credit projects using a master lease structure.

A Leading Urban Developer Discusses His Firm’s Development of Mixed-Income Housing, Future Trends

9 min read

Tax Credit Advisor, December 2009:

Excerpts from an Interview with Kevin J. McCormack, President, McCormack Baron Salazar

McCormack Baron Salazar, based in St. Louis, Mo., is a pioneer, major for-profit developer specializing in the creation of economically integrated urban neighborhoods.

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