STRAYHORN FINDS TRCC FUNCTIONS AS BUILDER PROTECTION AGENCY
In a homeowner survey conducted by my office, I found that 86 percent of homeowners who responded said their builder failed to fix construction defects in their homes. And that was after going through the mandated State Sponsored Inspection and Dispute Resolution process that verified the defects...the agency has absolutely no enforcement power to make the builders fix defects... if it were up to me personally, I would blast this Texas Residential Construction Commission builder-protection agency off the bureaucratic books. See additional news articles on Comptroller's TRCC  Report: TRCC - Latest News

Comptroller criticizes construction commission
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn says the Texas Residential Construction Commission doesn't have the power to force homebuilders to repair defects in new houses.  KVUE TV Austin Reports

Protecting consumers, promoting business
...BBB statistic claiming for every one complaint the organization receives, there are twenty problems never reported...From KB Homes to David Weekley to Royce and Perry, Parsons said the growing trend in building new, damaged and defective homes, however, is a problem which the BBB is looking at..."Something very bad is going on and for the first time, I am starting to wonder whether we are going to be able to keep homebuilders as members," Parsons said... In 2003, after homebuilders successfully lobbied the state legislator for a new state agency to protect them against lawsuits, the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) was formed. Since the TRCC's inception, Parsons said nothing but problems and issues arose..."Our mandate on the TRCC is that it is the law, but it is not a good law. We don't like laws like this; we want businesses to play fair."... "Half the builders hate that law. They saw some of the zealots start to affect their industry, not because they were bad but because other builders were bad," Parsons said. Furthermore, Parsons said the TRCC hurts the good builders left in the industry. "It is a terrible law. It is interesting that you look at the homebuilders who backed the TRCC law have gone south with us-Weekley, Royce and Perry."

Loan defaults a growing burden for lower-income neighborhoods
Home loan failures have more than quadrupled in Mecklenburg County since 1999. More foreclosures are filed here, per person, than any other county in the state. On average, 11 Mecklenburg houses are sold in foreclosure auctions every business day. The owners are evicted, their credit ruined, and they face thousands in court fees and moving expenses.