IPOD/MP3 Audio: HUD MF Preservation Hearing this AM, House Financial Services Committee.

Was able to download and convert this to an audio file a day earlier than I anticipated.

IPOD/MP3 audio file is HERE; file is 74 MB's and and hour and 45 minutes in length.

FHA's 75th Anniversary Celebration: New SF Additions Include HD Video of Oregon's First FHA Home Loan in Astoria.

I have now added Oregon FHA Single Family information to the 75th FHA Anniversary Celebration PDF file, permanently linked in right pane.

Later this week I will be doing some individual posts to highlight single family information within the PDF. Next week I will be completing the PDF by adding detailed information about FHA Multifamily loans in Oregon, including background of the recently discovered first two FHA MF Insured loans in Oregon, in Portland.

Below is an embed of a HD YouTube video that is linked within the PDF. I shot the video at the end of May showing a street scene of the Astoria home that was the first FHA home loan in Oregon in 1935. [For non Oregonians, river and bridge view are of the Columbia River with Washington state on the other side].

(Much more about this home is found in the 75th Anniversary Celebration PDF; a link within the PDF will also allow you to download an IPOD version of the video).

IPOD AUDIO: City Club Predatory Lending Luncheon.

For a limited time, the City Club of Portland has a downloadable .MP3 audio file HERE of the Friday Dec. 14th City Club luncheon on predatory lending, featuring Neighborworks America Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Wade .

MP3 Audio from Late Payments Hearing: Chris Shays to HUD Chief Financial Officer,“You Have Made a Fool of Yourself”.

[Time Correction]

One of the reasons I take the time to create .MP3 audio files from congressional hearings is that they provide a unique way of hearing the personal interaction between committee members and those testifying, and between the members themselves. (To avoid wasting time, I try to fit the listening into my existing daily routine. I listen to the MP3 files on my IPOD when I am out getting my daily exercise, or while driving in the car).

The latest hearing on HUD late rental assistance payments provides a good example of the value added by the .MP3 files. After minutes of exasperating and evasive testimony from HUD’s Chief Financial Officer the long serving Connecticut Representative Chris Shay (R) reaches a boiling point telling the CFO [at 1:12:05] “ You have made a fool of yourself”.

Listening to the testimony one also learns that the CFO relied on a verbal legal opinion forbidding use of prior year funds to make rental payments, even with an existing rental assistance contract in place. A representative from the HUD Office of Legal Counsel testified that they had not been asked to write a legal opinion, and the CFO testified that it might taken until the end of the year to have such a legal opinion written and available to Congress.

The hearing .MP3 audio is HERE.

Exclusive IPOD Audio: Sept 6th Subcommittee of House Financial Services Committee Hearing; HUD Section 202 Elderly Program.

HERE is a MP3 audio file of the actual subject subcommittee hearing. It is 1 hour and 55 minutes in duration, 81MB in size.

Written testimony for the hearing can be found on the Financial Services Committee website HERE.

Exclusive IPOD Audio: Oct 17th House Financial Services Committee Hearing , HUD Late Rent Assistance Payments.

As promised in a Thursday post, I have created an audio file of the actual Oct 17^th House Financial Services Committee hearing on HUD late rental assistance payments. The MP3 audio file is HERE. It is 181 MB in size and 2 hours and 35 minutes in duration.

IPOD Video and Audio, Foreclosure Hearing--Frank, Bernanke, and Jackson.

HERE is a 15 minute (50+ MB) IPOD VIDEO download of the remarks of House Financial Services Director Barney Frank, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and HUD Secretary Jackson at yesterdays Sept 20 th. House Financial Services Committee hearing housing foreclosures. (I can confirm that this plays successfully on my video IPOD).

For those who can't view IPOD video, HERE's a Windows Media VIDEO Version (75+ MB).

And for those of you who only want audio, HERE's a MP3 AUDIO version (22+ MB).

IPOD AUDIO: Complete Audio Record of 2007 House Financial Services Committee Hearing and Approval of Housing Trust Fund So Far, Including Amendments

I think I can safely say you won’t find these anyplace else ( and yes, I realize some of you may be thinking.. "and for good reason").

July 31 Final Markup. HERE is an .mp3 audio file of the House Financial Services Committee July 31^st markup of the national Housing Trust Fund bill (HR 2895) I reported on yesterday. This includes Committee discussions and votes on a number of amendments. The file is 19 MB; the duration is 2 hours and 35 minutes.

July 19 Initial Hearing. I have also posted HERE the audio of the July 19 initial House F.S. Committee hearing on this bill, which includes a number of witness statements as well as statements and questions from the members of the Committee. The file is 26 MB; the duration is 3 hours and 44 minutes.

(With a combined length of more than 6 hours, these files may require a recharge of your IPOD or audio player to listen to them completely):

As I said in my story from yesterday, the expectation is that the full House will take up consideration of the Housing Trust Fund bill in September, after their August break.

As members of Congress will be in their districts in August, NOW is the time to get their commitment on this legislation.

IPOD Audio: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Voucher Audio Conference and Related Information

The CBPP has posted HERE a PDF updated comparison of the current voucher program vs. the proposed changes found in the voucher reform 8 (SEVRA). CBPP has also noted on their website that “the Center will issue a report analyzing the House and Senate FY '08 appropriations bills and their impact on the housing voucher program. In the meantime, if you would like to see a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the bills, email Anton Marx at marx@cbpp.org,”

A July 17 audio conference preceded the latest voucher update, hosted by Barbara Sard and Anton Marx of CBPP. The recording of that conference is about 8.8 MB’s and lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes; you can listen to the MP3 version of that conference HERE.

(You may want to first request and review the SEVRA PowerPoint presentation from CBPP referred to above as the audio refers to that PowerPoint). And for future reference you may also want to bookmark the main CBPP housing policy site HERE.