Builders to pay $4.3 million in settlement over runoff
Four of the biggest U.S. homebuilders will pay a total of $4.3 million to settle federal and state allegations that they violated clean water laws at construction sites across the country. entex Corp, KB Home, Pulte Homes Inc. and Richmond American Homes also agreed to improve their environmental compliance programs and put safeguards in place that will keep 1.2 billion pounds of sediment annually out of U.S. waterways, the U.S. Justice Department said yesterday.

Building codes aren't big priority in Texas even after Rita
Hurricane and disaster experts say they are stunned that Texas has done nothing to bolster building codes nearly three years after Hurricane Rita blasted its Gulf coast, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday. "Texas is an aberration," said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, chief executive of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, a nonprofit organization. "It's eerily quiet in the state. Why are they not having a conversation about codes?"

Mortgage turmoil snares Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon, the longtime sidekick to Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show," is fighting to avoid foreclosure on his multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills estate. McMahon defaulted on $4.8 million in mortgage loans with a unit of Countrywide Financial Corp., which filed a notice of default in March, according to ForeclosureRadar, a company that sells default data pulled from public records.McMahon won a $7.2-million insurance settlement after claiming that mold in his house killed his dog Muffin and sickened him and his wife.According to a lawsuit he filed, the trouble began when a pipe broke and water flooded a den. Mold was later discovered throughout the house. McMahon and his wife, Pamela, blamed faulty cleanup. "When your family loses its health and your home is a wasteland, that's a colossal disaster," McMahon said at the time.

Home Front: Humbled home builders now facing reality
This change is not easy for builders. In a bust that has lasted three years, they have gone through phases: denial, blaming the media for messing with the heads of buyers, predicting bottom soon and laying off staff. Now a chastened industry has reached a new stage, openly acknowledging its mistakes..."We've effectively stolen from the future. The demand we should be having now we stole in 2005 and 2006." He said: "We're paying for the sins of our past right now." Are they ever. The builders, banks, sales staffs and land developers clearly see the sins now. They built too many homes, and they built them too big. They "pushed" people who had no business getting mortgages into homes. They bought too much land with too much borrowed money... industry joke went: If you can show your breath on a mirror, you can qualify..."We learned if you give people free money, they'll take it."  Respond to article and reader comments

Southaven Residents: Struggling Homebuilders leave Overgrown Grass
Many people in DeSoto County are fed up with the way their subdivisions look. They say financially strapped builders are letting the grass grow out of control on their vacant lots... Wallace said residential building has slowed in the once booming city of Southaven. He said builders are left with lots no one is looking to buy. He said builders are more focused on staying in business than mowing the lawns on their properties.

SpotLight - Live Talk Internet: With Denise Richardson & Jim Malmberg
Denise Richardson & Jim Malmberg have launched a Blog Talk Program every Thursday 1:00 P.M. EDT. Participate: Listen Live and and call in at 718-664-6583 and join in the conversation.  Step into the SpotLight each Thursday or hear a replay of the show at your connivance. Guests will include experts, consumers, attorneys, advocates and you! We want to increase public and corporate awareness by shining a SpotLight on issues that matter to you... Credit Reporting issues, Identity Theft, Privacy Rights, Consumer Protection Laws, Predatory Lending, Mortgage Servicing Fraud, Phishing Scams, Computer Security, Data Theft, Consumer Legislation, Consumer Action. SpotLight LiveTalk Internet

TRCC Sunset Review!  Let the Sun Set on the Texas Residential Construction Commission! 
The Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) is currently being reviewed by the Texas Sunset Commission to determine whether the agency will continue to operate. TRCC is run exclusively by the homebuilding industry to regulate homeowners. It is by far the most criticized state agencies ever created. Please send your comments to the Sunset Commission and a copy to me at HOBB

Formal complaint against new home builder issued
The Department of Consumer Protection issued an administrative complaint today against Lloyd Bowden and Bowden Development TLI LLC, of Essex, Connecticut, for violations of state laws regarding the New Home Construction Contractors Act and the Unfair Trade Practices Act, Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr, announced... “Building materials and some of the modular unit themselves were not protected from the elements and sustained significant damage,” Farrell said. “It is hard to believe, but the modular homes assembled by Bowden were not secured to their foundations, nor were they bolted together per the manufacturer’s installation instructions. As a result, many homeowners were left in the cold, having to secure alternative housing. Some of the necessary repairs remain incomplete and we hope to obtain restitution for these consumers.” ...Upon meeting certain conditions, victims are eligible for up to $30,000 in compensation per contract from the Guaranty Fund.

Half-built homes becoming eyesores
In one Collin County neighborhood the weeds are growing and residents are growing impatient. It’s been 3 months since Buescher Homes, the large builder, went bankrupt. The fallout: half-built homes and now code compliance issues. But Frisco is reacting. They will mow 70 unsightly yards Monday after putting a lien on each property to get it done.