MassHousing Blog

MassHousing Honors Top-Producing Partner Lenders

Their excellence resulted in more than $1 billion in MassHousing home mortgage financing to nearly 5,000 low and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners in 2013

By Tom Farmer
Corporate Communications, MassHousing

BOSTON - MassHousing has honored its 2013 top-producing partner lenders for their commitment to affordable homeownership in Massachusetts while helping to provide more than $1 billion in MassHousing mortgage loans to nearly 5,000 low and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners.

MassHousing annually recognizes its highest-producing lending partners for their excellence in promoting and originating MassHousing Mortgage products for Massachusetts residents.

In calendar 2013 MassHousing loaned $1.09 billion to 4,831 low- or moderate-income Massachusetts residents who purchased or refinanced a home.

"It has become harder than ever to purchase a home but these lenders have been steadfast in providing home mortgage financing because they know how important it is to homebuyers in Massachusetts," said MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason. "Their commitment to responsible lending and affordable housing has resulted in thousands of families being able to acquire their own homes with mortgages they can afford and which will help keep them in their homes for many years to come."

The MassHousing lenders honored for 2013 include:

Top Producers

Mortgage Network, based in Danvers, was honored for originating the highest number of MassHousing loans statewide – 361 – totaling $80 million in financing. Mortgage Network was also the top producer in Essex (113 loans, $26.8 million), Hampden (67 loans, $10.7 million) and Middlesex Counties (118 loans, $30 million).

NE Moves Mortgage, based in Waltham, was honored for providing the highest amount of MassHousing financing statewide - $82.4 million – from 338 loans. NE Moves was also the top producer in Norfolk County (51 loans, $13.6 million).

Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, based in Hyannis, was the top producer in Barnstable County with 75 loans for $15.6 million.

Lee Bank, based in Lee, and Berkshire Bank, based in Pittsfield, were co-winners as the top producer in Berkshire County, both with 15 loans for more than $2 million.

Residential Mortgage Services, based in Maine, was the top producer in Bristol County with 23 loans for $4.4 million.

Florence Savings Bank, based in Florence, was the top producer in Hampshire County with 19 loans for $3.8 million.

Rockland Trust, based in Rockland, was the top producer in Plymouth County with 44 loans for $9.8 million.

Mortgage Master, based in Walpole, was the top producer in Suffolk County with 38 loans for $11.1 million.

Bank of Canton, based in Canton, was the top producer in Worcester County with 55 loans for $10 million.

Hampden Bank, based in Springfield, received an Overall Performance Award for making the most loans to low-income borrowers (47 loans, $5.3 million); making the most home improvement second mortgage loans statewide; making the second-most loans to minority borrowers statewide; and making the second most number of loans in Hampden County.

East Boston Savings Bank, based in East Boston, received a Special Achievement Award for making the most loans to minority borrowers (31, $8.2 million.

Pulte Mortgage, based in Colorado, received a Special Achievement Award for having the highest percentage of their loans made to low-income borrowers (46, $6.7 million of 53 loans, 87%).

MassHousing also honored the two top-producing loan originators of first mortgages. Lisa Mish of Hampden Bank originated 42 loans for $6 million in financing. Penny Hamel from Salem Five Mortgage originated 41 loans for $7.8 million.

MassHousing works with a statewide network of more than 150 approved lending partners to make available its diverse suite of affordable mortgage products. The agency provides fixed-rate, 30-year mortgages with low down payments and competitive interest rates. MassHousing's second mortgages allow homeowners to make general repairs, remove hazardous lead paint, or bring a failing septic system into compliance with the state's Title V.

Affordable Housing Preserved for Senior Citizens in East Boston

All 87 apartments will remain affordable for low-income seniors as a result of $8.3 million MassHousing loan closing

By Tom Farmer
Corporate Communications, MassHousing

BOSTON – Affordability has been preserved and extended for low-income senior citizens living at the 87-unit Victory Gardens in East Boston as a result of an $8.3 million MassHousing loan closing.

Victory Gardens is owned by Victory Gardens Associates, an affiliate of Peabody Properties, Inc. As a condition of the financing, the owner will seek to extend the federal Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract and the affordability on all 87 apartments when the current HAP contract expires in July 2019.

Victory Gardens was refinanced through MassHousing's Section 8 Proactive Preservation Program, which seeks to extend affordability at MassHousing-financed developments where MassHousing mortgages are due to mature and Section 8 HAP contracts are due to expire. The original MassHousing loan to Victory Gardens will mature in July 2019.

"Affordable housing is a major concern for our senior citizens and this loan closing will extend affordability at Victory Gardens for many years to come," said MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason. "Peabody Properties has done a very good job maintaining and managing Victory Gardens for its residents and we are pleased to be partnering with them on this transaction."

Of the 87 apartments, 83 are one-bedroom units and four are two-bedroom units located in a four-story building built in 1979 at 54 Orleans St. in East Boston.

As part of the new financing, a number of renovations are planned for the property including 504/ADA upgrades to common areas, refurbishment of common areas, boiler and emergency generator upgrades and roof and window replacement.

"The refinancing of Victory Gardens was achieved through the collaborative efforts of all parties involved," said Peabody Properties Chief Financial Officer Guy Corricelli. "We extend our appreciation to MassHousing and their commitment and cooperation will ensure the preservation of this important affordable housing community for years to come."

Experts on Hoarding Offer Insight and Strategies to More Than 500 Conference Attendees

By Tom Farmer
Corporate Communications, MassHousing

MARLBOROUGH – A host of national experts on the serious disorder of hoarding drew more than 500 attendees to the daylong MassHousing Community Services Department’s annual conference on April 2.

The conference, titled “Using a Team approach to Address Hoarding,” was held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center in Marlborough and was attended by housing professionals, public health and public safety officials, social workers and mental health professionals, and legal professionals.

The attendees heard presentations from national experts on hoarding including Dr. Michael Tompkins from the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, Dr. Christiana Bratiotis from the University of Nebraska Omaha, Dr. Gail Steketee, Dean of the Boston University School of Social Work, Dr. Randy O. Frost, Professor of Psychology at Smith College, Lee J. Shuer, Director of Mutual Support Services at ServiceNet, Jesse Edsell-Vetter, Hoarding Intervention Coordinator at the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, and Dr. Jordana Muroff from the BU School of Social Work.

"The fact that this conference drew an overflowing number of attendees speaks to the seriousness of hoarding and the severe impact it can have not only on people who hoard, but their families, neighbors and owners and managers of rental housing," said MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason. "By listening to the experts it is quite clear that hoarding has multiple layers of causes and mental health issues and needs a multifaceted, community-based response to treat people who hoard."
 

From left, Dr. Randy Frost, Dr. Michael Thompkins and MassHousing Executive Director Tom Gleason

Dr. Tompkins gave the keynote address on how to engage with people who hoard using a "Harm Reduction model of intervention."

"The conference was outstanding in every way," said Tompkins. "The East Coast, and Massachusetts in particular, is fortunate to have so many of the leaders in the field, such as Randy Frost, Gail Steketee, Jordana Muroff, and Christiana Bratiotis. It was wonderful to participate in such a rich mix of researcher, clinician, and other professionals all dedicated to better understanding the nature of hoarding and to devise novel and effective interventions to reach and help more people who suffer with this devastating condition. The attendees in the conference arrived eager to learn and more eager to translate that learning into direct service to their clients. It is inspiring."

Tompkins said Massachusetts is leading the way in addressing the issue of hoarding and how to treat it.

"MassHousing and Massachusetts are national leaders in the effort to reach and respond in novel ways to the broad and pressing needs of people whom hoard," said Tompkins. "The attendees had a far greater understanding of hoarding than attendees at other similar conferences in the United States and this is a testament to the extraordinary work MassHousing has done in the field."

Shuer addressed the conference with his own personal struggle with hoarding that jeopardized his marriage until he sought treatment. He then became Director of Mutual Support Services at ServiceNet, Inc., in Northampton and since 2000 has strived to integrate clinical and peer services to treat people who hoard.

"The conference felt incredibly warm, positive, and energized," he said. "The attendees gave me a lot of feedback that my story gives them strength and hope for themselves and others who struggle with clutter. I felt that the public got to interact with some of the best minds in the field. I think they felt that our approach of Harm Reduction and objective protocols for safety and security are coming from a good place. People seemed excited to go back into the community with renewed optimism and skills."

Dr. Gail Steketee conducts a workshop on Engaging People Who Hoard

The other speakers moderated workshops that focused on community based practices to address hoarding, emergent findings on the hoarding disorder, the role of families in providing help to a hoarder, how to motivate and engage people who hoard and hoarding and in rental housing.

"There was fantastic attendance of 500 people. It clearly shows the need for continuing education about hoarding,” said panelist Thomas A. Stokes, Vice President of Resident Services for Beacon Communities and a longtime member of MassHousing’s Community Services Advisory Committee. "MassHousing is a leader in the country for addressing hoarding in a comprehensive way and has provided more resources than any other state."

"I really enjoyed attending and presenting at the conference," said Dr. Steketee. "The mix of people from every profession was terrifically energizing for all of us and the more than 500 attendees says it all; hoarding is an important problem of great concern to many communities. Massachusetts is ahead of the curve with many communities having effective task forces or communication strategies. MassHousing has done a fabulous job of educating us all."

MassHousing hosted a groundbreaking conference on hoarding in 2007 that led to the formation of the Massachusetts Statewide Steering Committee on Hoarding, which educates statewide stakeholders to the problems of hoarding; engages these stakeholders to work collaboratively to implement practical solutions to hoarding issues, and; supports the efforts of local Hoarding Task Forces throughout the state.

Dr. Bratiotis, who was involved in the 2007 conference, said Massachusetts has implemented many resources to address hoarding and said the attendance at this year’s conference reflected the seriousness of the problem and the great interest by stakeholders in learning how to address it.

"The 2014 conference was an extraordinary success,” she said. "The attendees represented the full range of professional disciplines needed to respond to various aspects of hoarding behavior in the community."

Hoarding Conference Profile: Lee Shuer

MassHousing is hosting a major conference on hoarding tomorrow in Marlborough that will feature a number of nationally renowned experts who will discuss their strategies to better understand and respond effectively to the complex issues related to hoarding in housing.

Lee Shuer

Among those experts is Lee Shuer, Director of Mutual Support Services at ServiceNet, Inc., in Northampton. He  is a Certified Peer Specialist, and an Advanced Level WRAP facilitator. He partnered with Dr. Randy Frost to create The Facilitator’s Manual for the Buried in Treasures Workshop. He created WRAP® for Clutter based on Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan®. He authored The Mutual Support Workbook, for training mental health workers.

Shuer has learned to live successfully with his own mental health challenges, and since 2000, has strived to integrate clinical and peer services. He has been featured on ABCNews.com, NBCNews.com, Seoul Broadcasting System, Scientific American, The New York Times, Le Monde de I'ltelligence, Canadian Public Radio, WFCR, P.E.E.R.S. Network Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, and through speaking and training engagements across the United States.

Shuer received citations from the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives for developing meaningful employment opportunities for people living with mental health challenges in 2010, and was awarded the Outstanding Advocate award from the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, for raising awareness about peer support and developing self-help groups for people who collect and clutter, in 2013.