Industry News

Being Smart About Making New Homes More Energy Efficient Statement by Leading Builders of America   The national model energy code (International Energy Conservation Code/IECC) developed and published by the International Code Council (ICC) is the blueprint for making new residential and commercial buildings more energy efficient. The code is…

Washington, D.C. (04/14/2015)—Today, Leading Builders of America, Lennox International, Masco Corporation, Owens-Corning, and Whirlpool Corporation announced the formation of The Building Industry Policy Roundtable (BIPRT), a new multi-issue coalition committed to promoting policies to advance the economic health and growth of the residential construction industry. The group, chaired by Ken…

Dear Mr. President and Mr. Speaker The following letter is from the undersigned CEOs from 18 member companies of Leading Builders of America who collectively build approximately 30 percent of all new homes in the United States. We write to urge you to continue your efforts to reach an agreement…

It’s housing, stupid. More precisely, it’s housing finance. As the Obama administration seeks ways to revive the economy, not to mention win an election, it is becoming clear that the biggest mistake officials made when they took office nearly three years ago was to underestimate the continuing damage to the…

In Thursday's address to Congress, I want President Barack Obama to emphasize that fixing the home-building and construction industries is necessary to jump-start our lame economy. That is because, in my recollection, home building and construction have led us out of every recession since the 1960s, when I financed land…

Amazingly, not one or two, but every one of the top ten homebuilders survived the lengthy crisis, and most boast the financial strength to grow strongly as the pace of recovery quickens.   Read the full article here

Read Ken Gear's testimony before the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development.   See the full document here

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its Market Composite Index rose 11.3 percent while the Refinancing Index rose 17 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in the week. During the week, the average interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell from 4.83 percent to 4.8 percent with points unchanged at 1.08.…

Although the situation is open to interpretation as well as change, there are growing concerns that the effects of this economic downturn could have a long-lasting effect on the housing market. A study by the Mortgage Bankers Association, conducted by University of Kentucky economics professor Joe Peek, concludes that "the…

WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve officials have a slightly brighter view of the economy than they did at the start of the year. Fed officials say in a new forecast that they think the economy can grow between 3.2 percent and 3.7 percent this year. That's an upward revision from a…