As the new chairman of the National Communities Council, I would first like to thank the members of the NCC for giving me this tremendous honor and the ability to work on their behalf in advancing the cause of affordable housing for all Americans. As the only national organization representing community owners, operators and developers, the NCC plays a vital role in advancing the interests of not only the industry but also the affordable housing market. I am very excited about working on the many challenges being faced by our members in providing quality homes and communities.

Of the many challenges facing the industry, obviously the lending crisis has to be at the top of the list. It has been and continues to be a priority issue for the NCC, and I pledge to keep the spotlight on the issue until the problems of expanding available sources of chattel financing are resolved. With lenders continuing to exit the industry, the NCC must take proactive steps to increase the supply of available lending sources, while attempting to correct the problems of the past.
     
The Repossessions Task Force, chaired by Fran Hirsch of Brandenberg, Staedler and Moore, recently met at the NCC Annual Meeting in Tucson, Ariz. and developed a good foundation from which to build a proactive strategy for reducing and preventing repossessions, a key component of the current lending crisis. The task force will now be developing guidance for state associations to use to facilitate discussions between community owners and lenders on handling repossessions.

Continuing work with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will also be critical in the coming year. While Freddie, and to a lesser degree Fannie, have taken steps to become more involved in financing homes in communities through their leasehold estate programs, it’s ironic that they are both more interested in financing community development, as opposed to the homes in them. Their business interests would be better served (and their Congressionally-mandated affordable housing goals better met) if they were involved in both activities.

The NCC will also continue to be involved in the plethora of legislative and regulatory issues in Washington—from arsenic standard implementation to FHA Title I reform to bankruptcy legislation. There is no shortage of issues impacting community owners.

As an NCC member, if you have any thoughts or issues you would like to raise, please feel free to contact me or the MHI-NCC staff. I look forward to working with you over the coming year.

Richard J. Rand
Chairman, National Communities Council
President, Asset Development Group, Inc.