Photo by Morris Semiatin

FDIC Head, Diverse Groups Tackle Housing Affordability

As Congress and federal financial regulators pursue measures to prevent a recurrence of the problems besetting the secondary mortgage market, steps also need to be taken to ensure that homeownership opportunities remain for subprime borrowers, according to Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

"Homeownership should be a vehicle for accumulating wealth, not stripping it," Bair said in an address before the 2007 Housing Affordability Symposium. Co-hosted by NAHB, the NAACP and the National Education Association, the Oct. 5-6 symposium is taking place on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. ...

Builders’ Show Registration Running Ahead of Last Year

Despite the country's slowing housing market, attendance registration for the International Builders' Show is up 15% over the same time last year, NAHB announced last week.

The housing industry's largest annual light construction trade show and exhibition, the IBS will be held Feb. 13-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

"Builders view the International Builders' Show as an indispensable business tool," said Ken Klein, chairman of the NAHB Convention & Meetings Committee and a builder and remodeler from Tulsa, Okla. "They come to the show to gain valuable knowledge on the industry, order the latest building products that will keep them competitive in their market and educate themselves on timely sales and marketing practices."

NAHB also reported that the number of dealer distributors registered to attend the show has jumped 37% year-to-date. This is particularly important to exhibitors for whom dealer distributors represent a larger source of prospective business.

"Does this mean the downturn is over? No. But builders and suppliers are aggressively positioning themselves to ride out the downturn and come back strong when the market improves," Klein added.

More than 100,000 people from 100 countries attended last year's show.

The 2008 IBS will feature more than 1,900 exhibitors representing more than 300 industry categories and displaying the latest in home and building products and services. ...

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