Housing Virginia, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing, and the Virginia Association of Realtors will produce a quarterly housing-affordability index for the state beginning in January. The index will be a broad measure of housing affordability that compares housing and rental costs with household incomes. “Basically what we’re looking at is presenting the percentage of a typical Virginia household’s income necessary to afford the typical home in Virginia,“ said R. Scott Brunner, chief executive officer of the Virginia Association of Realtors.

Recent reports that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will suffer default rates of more than 20 percent on the 2007 and 2008 loans it guaranteed has raised questions once again about the government’s role in the financial crisis and its efforts to achieve social purposes by distorting the financial system.

Steadier housing markets across much of the country are leading Genworth Financial Inc. to ease some rules for writing the coverage buyers need to get into a home. In nearly 200 markets in 45 states, Henrico County-based Genworth has gone back to issuing mortgage insurance for homebuyers making 5 percent down payments, the company disclosed. Mortgage insurance, which homebuyers pay for, repays banks if homeowners stop paying their mortgage.

The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority expects to need a smaller city loan than initially thought to prop up its housing-voucher program. Anthony Scott, the authority’s chief executive officer, told the City Council yesterday that the authority may need about $600,000 next year, including $400,281 by this Dec. 1, for the program that supports subsidized rental housing of low-income families.

The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority will make a public pitch today for a city loan to prop up its ailing voucher program, but the authority still doesn’t know how much it will need or how it will repay the money. Anthony Scott, the authority’s chief executive officer, is scheduled to appear today before Richmond City Council to discuss a loan request of up to $1.4 million to fill a projected gap in the voucher program for subsidized rental housing of low-income families.

If it weren’t for an $8,000 tax credit, Roger Hoskins says, he never would have been in the market to buy a house. He will move in a few weeks from an apartment in Henrico County to a $124,000 town house in Rappahannock—and pay about the same for a mortgage as he does for monthly rent.

The Federal Housing Administration is tightening rules for lenders after reporting that its financial cushion will sink below mandatory levels for the first time in its 75-year history. Officials, however, insisted yesterday that the agency won’t need a rescue. “Under no circumstance will any taxpayer bailout be needed,“ said David Stevens, the FHA’s commissioner.

Richmond’s housing authority is freezing its rent-subsidy program because of a financial jam. The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s move means that 130 families who received vouchers for subsidies within the past two months won’t be able to get the help. “We’re telling them, unfortunately, we don’t have the funding,“ said Shawn Williams, director of the authority’s federally funded rent-subsidy program.

The Obama administration wants to shame the mortgage industry into doing a better job of helping borrowers avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. By publishing the names of companies that are lagging in the government’s plan to ease the housing crisis, officials are counting on public outrage to get the industry on track. The Treasury Department today plans to report on the progress of loan servicers—companies that collect mortgage payments—that are in line for up to $50 billion in subsidies.

We asked older readers who live alone to tell us about their needs and concerns. We heard from quite a few. Most spoke of the desire to remain independent and not be a burden to others. Issues mentioned include: Transportation. To medical appointments, the grocery store, shopping, etc. Many are still driving into their 80s but worry about what happens when they can’t. One reader felt fortunate that when he moved to the area years ago, he settled near a bus stop. He appreciates the discounted bus fare available to people 65 and older. Another reader said she had run into issues with outpatient-surgery centers requiring patients to be accompanied by a driver who will remain and not just drop the patient off and return later.

From several states away, Benjamin Alexander’s daughter tries to keep tabs on him. At 81, he’s in good health and gets around easily, but he said she still worries. “She urges me to do this or that, to be careful walking down steps. My house is a ranch, but I have a basement. She cautions me about those,“ Alexander said. Anyone who lives alone probably has wondered what would happen if there was an acci dent at home. For older people, it can be more than an abstract thought. It can be an ongoing concern as knees start getting wobbly, hips get arthritic and visual acuity and balance become unpredictable.

It’s hard not to see the reasoning behind the Virginia Professional Firefighters’ support for a proposal to require sprinkler systems in all new home construction. Homes with sprinklers incur far less damage from fires than homes without them, and the cost of the sprinklers can be recovered through lower insurance premiums. It’s also hard not to see the reasoning behind the Home Builders Association of Virginia’s opposition to the idea. Requiring sprinklers adds to the up-front price of a new home—a price that often is jacked up further by proffers, minimum lot-size requirements, and other government policies that help put homes out of affordable reach for many first-time buyers.

Whether he likes it or not, Oliver Lawrence has become the face of blight in Richmond. Lawrence owns hundreds of properties in the metro area, the majority vacant. A few have exhibited a penchant for spontaneous combustion, or something more suspicious if you ask authorities who have investigated the fires at his properties. Lawrence was in court again Thursday, accumulating 16 more convictions for failing to meet city property standards.

Whether he likes it or not, Oliver Lawrence has become the face of blight in Richmond. Lawrence owns hundreds of properties in the metro area, the majority vacant. A few have exhibited a penchant for spontaneous combustion, or something more suspicious if you ask authorities who have investigated the fires at his properties. Lawrence was in court again Thursday, accumulating 16 more convictions for failing to meet city property standards.

Figures from the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership of federal and state government agencies, show that population in the Bay watershed increased 8 percent from 1990 to 2000. During the same period, the construction of impervious surfaces increased 41 percent. Those impervious surfaces (streets, parking lots, roofs, and so on) don’t soak up rainwater. It washes off—flushing pollution along with it into drains, creeks, streams, and other tributaries. That degrades water quality and environmental health. In economic terms, the stormwater runoff is a negative externality: a cost not fully borne by the person or company that produces it.