News Updates

WORD OF THE DAY: Autodidact

[aw-toh-DIE-dakt] Part of speech: Noun Origin: Greek, late 18th century Definitions: A self-taught person; a person who learned through methods outside of formal education Examples of Autodidact in a sentence “He loves being homeschooled and proudly calls himself an autodidact.” “Thanks to unlimited how-to videos and courses on the internet, anyone can be an autodidact.” About Autodidact An autodidact is a self-taught person who hasn’t received any formal education or training in their chosen skill or field (although, to be fair, you could have a college degree in economics, but be an autodidact when it comes to the guitar). Anyone who has learned a topic or skill outside of a formal education environment is an autodidact. You’re an autodidact just by learning new vocabulary! Did you Know? Anyone who has learned outside of formal education can be considered an autodidact, including some of history’s most famous writers, musicians, and artists. William Faulkner dropped out of college and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Keith Moon, the drummer in The Who, taught himself how to bang the drums. David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, and Jimi Hendrix all taught themselves to play the guitar. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright never received a college degree.

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RCN Capital Recognized on 2021 Inc. 5000 List of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies

RCN Capital, the leading nationwide private lender for real estate investors, has been named on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, ranking No. 3251. RCN Capital also ranked No. 180 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals: New York City Metro list earlier this year.  “It is truly an honor to see RCN Capital on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list with the likes of so many other prestigious companies,” said Erica LaCentra, CMO of RCN Capital. “The tireless efforts of every member of RCN have helped us to grow to where we are today, and their ongoing hard work and dedication continues to push the company to greater heights.” RCN Capital provides unique financing options for real estate investors that are purchasing or refinancing residential and commercial investment properties. Initially starting out by offering short-term fix & flip and bridge financing, RCN has expanded their loan programs over time and now offers long-term financing options for investors looking to build their rental portfolios as well as new construction financing.  The company has grown rapidly over the last ten years and has recently opened an office in Charlotte, NC as well as Los Angeles, CA in addition to their main headquarters in South Windsor, CT. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. About RCN Capital RCN Capital is a South Windsor, CT based national, direct, private lender. Established in 2010, RCN provides commercial loans for the purchase or refinance of non-owner occupied residential and commercial properties. The company specializes in new construction financing, short-term fix & flip and bridge financing and long-term rental financing for real estate investors. For more information on RCN Capital and RCN’s loan programs, visit www.RCNCapital.com.

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33 Holdings LLC & Beers Housing Inc., Merge Operations & Service Lines

Creates a Vertically Integrated Real Estate Platform 33 Holdings LLC announced the signing of a merger agreement to acquire interest in Beers Housing Inc., a General Contractor and a leading service provider in mortgage field services, maintenance, rehab, construction and development in the southeast US. The M&A is expected to strengthen 33 Holding’s vertically integrated real estate platform executing value-add and opportunistic real estate projects. Joining 33 Holdings LLC is an incremental progression in our quest to build a world class mortgage field services and construction service business,” commented Chad Beers, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Beers Housing Inc. “As part of 33 Holdings LLC, we will be able to serve 33’s existing portfolio as well as attract new industry-wide clients. This is truly an exciting relationship for our customers, vendors and employees and will help position our business for strong growth in the future,” he stated. “This investment in Beers Housing Inc., presents a great opportunity for 33 Holdings LLC to add a leading mortgage field services & construction services business to our platform,” stated Sanjay Raghavaraju, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of 33 Holdings LLC. “With this merger, it will create a fully functional private equity real estate company that will create higher returns and faster delivery of real estate projects to our clients,” stated Corey Oldknow, Broker & Chief Acquisitions Officer of 33 Holdings LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, Beers Housing Inc., will operate under the Beers Construction Partners (BCP) name and under the current leadership. In addition, Heather Beers, Managing Partner of Beers Housing Inc., will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at 33 Holdings LLC & Beers Housing Inc., helping with the integration of the two companies while ensuring value to Investors and Clients over the next few months. Both Chad Beers & Heather Beers will join Corey Oldknow & Sanjay Raghavaraju as Principals of 33 Holdings LLC. “Beers Housing Inc., is excited to join the 33 group of companies,” said Heather Beers, Managing Partner of Beers Housing Inc. “Our respective cultures, goals and investment philosophies are very much aligned. Beers Construction Partners (BCP) will remain a leading Mortgage Field Services & Construction Services firm, now benefiting from the support of 33’s significant financial and operational resources. The partnership with 33 ensures that BCP’s principals will remain majority-owners of the firm. With this integration, we see a growth opportunity given the seismic shifts in the real estate market, which our partners and staff will thrive, enabling us to better serve our investors and impact the communities we operate in.” About 33 Holdings LLC (33)33 Holdings LLC specializes in real estate investment, acquisition, development, construction and asset management across the Southeast US with a concentration on primary and secondary markets. Sanjay Raghavaraju founded 33 Holdings LLC on the premise that investment in real estate should be driven by sound market fundamentals, a flexible time horizon and strong alignment of interest between investors and managers. 33 Holdings has a strong track record of driving investment results. 33 Holdings differentiates itself by providing hands-on real estate investment management, creative deal structuring, and transparent communication with investors. For more visit http://www.33holdings.com About Beers Construction Partners (BCP),Beers Construction Partners specializes in maintaining and adding value to bank and investor assets throughout the Southeast by using a hands-on approach with a hybrid employee/subcontractor base model.  Chad Beers, founded Beers Housing in 2007 with a strong focus on the mortgage field service space as well as fix and flip and has been able to adapt to various services lines with the strong leadership and client relationships brought in by Heather Beers to not only meet but exceed the industry and economical needs in the housing market.  Beers Housing now has multiple service lines to include mortgage field services, maintenance, rehab, ground up construction and development. For more visit http://www.beershousing.com 

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2020 Census Statistics Highlight Local Population Changes and Nation’s Racial and Ethnic Diversity

U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Data for States to Begin Redistricting Efforts The U.S. Census Bureau released additional 2020 Census results showing an increase in the population of U.S. metro areas compared to a decade ago. In addition, these once-a-decade results showed the nation’s diversity in how people identify their race and ethnicity. “We are excited to reach this milestone of delivering the first detailed statistics from the 2020 Census,” said acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin. “We appreciate the public’s patience as Census Bureau staff worked diligently to process these data and ensure it meets our quality standards.” These statistics, which come from the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, provide the first look at populations for small areas and include information on Hispanic origin, race, age 18 and over, housing occupancy and group quarters. They represent where people were living as of April 1, 2020, and are available for the nation, states and communities down to the block level. The Census Bureau also released data visualizations, America Counts stories, and videos to help illustrate and explain these data. These resources are available on the 2020 Census results page. Advanced users can access these data on the FTP site. Population Changes Across the Country Since the 2010 Census Today’s release reveals changes in the size and distribution of the population across the United States. The population of U.S. metro areas grew by 9% from 2010 to 2020, resulting in 86% of the population living in U.S. metro areas in 2020, compared to 85% in 2010. “Many counties within metro areas saw growth, especially those in the south and west. However, as we’ve been seeing in our annual population estimates, our nation is growing slower than it used to,” said Marc Perry, a senior demographer at the Census Bureau. “This decline is evident at the local level where around 52% of the counties in the United States saw their 2020 Census populations decrease from their 2010 Census populations.” County and metro area highlights: The largest county in the United States in 2020 remains Los Angeles County with over 10 million people. The largest city (incorporated place) in the United States in 2020 remains New York with 8.8 million people. 312 of the 384 U.S. metro areas gained population between 2010 and 2020. The fastest-growing U.S. metro area between the 2010 Census and 2020 Census was The Villages, FL, which grew 39% from about 93,000 people to about 130,000 people. 72 U.S. metro areas lost population from the 2010 Census to the 2020 Census. The U.S. metro areas with the largest percentage declines were Pine Bluff, AR, and Danville, IL, at -12.5 percent and -9.1 percent, respectively. A data visualization released today shows the population change at the county level from the 2010 Census to the 2020 Census. Read more about population change in the America Counts story, More Than Half of U.S. Counties Were Smaller in 2020 Than in 2010. 2000 Census Findings on Race and Ethnicity The 2020 Census used the required two separate questions (one for Hispanic or Latino origin and one for race) to collect the races and ethnicities of the U.S. population ­­— following the standards set by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1997. Building upon our research over the past decade, we improved the two separate questions design and updated our data processing and coding procedures for the 2020 Census. This work began in 2015 with research and testing centered on findings from the 2015 National Content Test, and the designs were implemented in the 2018 Census Test. The improvements and changes enabled a more thorough and accurate depiction of how people self-identify, yielding a more accurate portrait of how people report their Hispanic origin and race within the context of a two-question format. These changes reveal that the U.S. population is much more multiracial and more diverse than what we measured in the past. We are confident that differences in the overall racial distributions are largely due to improvements in the design of the two separate questions for race data collection and processing, as well as some demographic changes over the past 10 years. Today’s release of 2020 Census redistricting data provides a new snapshot of the racial and ethnic composition of the country as a result of improvements in the design of the race and ethnicity questions, processing and coding. “As the country has grown, we have continued to evolve in how we measure the race and ethnicity of the people who live here,” said Nicholas Jones, director and senior advisor for race and ethnicity research and outreach at the Census Bureau. “Today’s release of 2020 Census redistricting data provides a new snapshot of the racial and ethnic composition and diversity of the country. The improvements we made to the 2020 Census yield a more accurate portrait of how people self-identify in response to two separate questions on Hispanic origin and race, revealing that the U.S. population is much more multiracial and more diverse than what we measured in the past.” Race and ethnicity highlights: The White population remained the largest race or ethnicity group in the United States, with 204.3 million people identifying as White alone. Overall, 235.4 million people reported White alone or in combination with another group. However, the White alone population decreased by 8.6% since 2010. The Two or More Races population (also referred to as the Multiracial population) has changed considerably since 2010. The Multiracial population was measured at 9 million people in 2010 and is now 33.8 million people in 2020, a 276% increase. The “in combination” multiracial populations for all race groups accounted for most of the overall changes in each racial category. All of the race alone or in combination groups experienced increases. The Some Other Race alone or in combination group (49.9 million) increased 129%, surpassing the Black or African American population (46.9 million) as the second-largest race alone or in combination group. The next largest racial populations were the Asian alone or in combination group (24 million), the American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in combination group (9.7 million),

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July 2021 U.S. Foreclosure Activity Declines Slightly As Government Moratorium Comes To An End

Foreclosure Starts Decrease 4 Percent from Last Month; While Completed Foreclosures Increase 5 Percent from Last Month ATTOM, licensor of the nation’s most comprehensive foreclosure data and parent company to RealtyTrac (www.realtytrac.com), the largest online marketplace for foreclosure and distressed properties, released its July 2021 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows there were a total of 12,483 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — down 4 percent from a month ago but up 40 percent from a year ago. Numbers reflect the last month before the government moratorium is lifted. “The end of the government’s moratorium won’t result in millions of foreclosures, but we’re likely to see a steady increase in default activity for the balance of the year,” said Rick Sharga, executive vice president of RealtyTrac, an ATTOM company. “Much of the foreclosure volume will come from the reinstatement of foreclosure proceedings on properties that had already been in default prior to the pandemic, and new foreclosure activity on vacant and abandoned properties.” Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey had the highest foreclosure rates Nationwide one in every 11,009 housing units had a foreclosure filing in July 2021. States with the highest foreclosure rates were Nevada (one in every 3,626 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Delaware (one in every 4,206 housing units); New Jersey (one in every 4,809 housing units); Kansas (one in every 5,609 housing units); and Illinois (one in every 6,381 housing units). Among the 220 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000, those with the highest foreclosure rates in July 2021 were Atlantic City, NJ (one in every 2,290 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Macon, GA (one in every 2,853 housing units); Las Vegas, NV (one in every 2,884 housing units); Cleveland, OH (one in every 3,658 housing units); and Champaign, IL (one in every 3,802 housing units). Those metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million, with the worst foreclosure rates in July 2021 including Las Vegas, NV and Cleveland, OH were: Indianapolis, IN (one in every 5,774 housing units); Miami, FL (one in every 6,166 housing units); and St. Louis, MO (one in every 6.348 housing units). Foreclosure starts increase monthly in 23 states nationwide Lenders started the foreclosure process on 6,572 U.S. properties in July 2021, down 4 percent from last month but up 45 percent from a year ago. States that had at least 100 foreclosure starts in July 2021 and saw the greatest monthly decrease in foreclosure starts included: North Carolina (down 50 percent); California (down 31 percent); Arizona (down 27 percent); Georgia (down 17 percent); and Illinois (down 10 percent). Those major metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million and that had at least 100 foreclosure starts in July 21 and saw increases from last year included: New York, NY (up 134 percent); Riverside, CA (up 55 percent); Chicago, IL (up 45 percent); Atlanta, GA (up 39 percent); and Houston, TX (up 23 percent). Foreclosure completion numbers increase 5 percent from last month Lenders repossessed 2,418 U.S. properties through completed foreclosures (REOs) in July 2021, up 5 percent from last month and up 12 percent from last year. “Increased numbers of foreclosure starts may not result in a similar number of bank repossessions,” Sharga added. “Homeowner equity is at an all-time high, and many financially-distressed borrowers should have the opportunity to sell their homes – probably at a profit – rather than lose them to a foreclosure auction.” Some states that had the greatest number of REOs in July 2021, included: Illinois (230 REOs); Florida (172 REOs); Pennsylvania (149 REOs); Maryland (141 REOs); and Texas (120 REOs). Those major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a population greater than 1 million that saw the greatest number of REOs in July 2021 included: Kansas City, MO (208 REOs); Chicago, IL (133 REOs); Baltimore, MD (92 REOs); New York, NY (91 REOs); and Philadelphia, PA (71 REOs). Report Methodology The ATTOM U.S. Foreclosure Market Report provides a count of the total number of properties with at least one foreclosure filing entered into the ATTOM Data Warehouse during the month and quarter. Some foreclosure filings entered into the database during the quarter may have been recorded in the previous quarter. Data is collected from more than 3,000 counties nationwide, and those counties account for more than 99 percent of the U.S. population. ATTOM’s report incorporates documents filed in all three phases of foreclosure: Default — Notice of Default (NOD) and Lis Pendens (LIS); Auction — Notice of Trustee Sale and Notice of Foreclosure Sale (NTS and NFS); and Real Estate Owned, or REO properties (that have been foreclosed on and repurchased by a bank). For the annual, midyear and quarterly reports, if more than one type of foreclosure document is received for a property during the timeframe, only the most recent filing is counted in the report. The annual, midyear, quarterly and monthly reports all check if the same type of document was filed against a property previously. If so, and if that previous filing occurred within the estimated foreclosure timeframe for the state where the property is located, the report does not count the property in the current year, quarter or month. Interested in finding out more about our pre-foreclosure and foreclosure data?  Contact ATTOM for Foreclosure Data Licensing Details. Visit RealtyTrac.com for Foreclosure Search and Listings. About ATTOM ATTOM provides foreclosure data licenses that can power various enterprise industries including real estate, insurance, marketing, government, mortgage and more. ATTOM multi-sources from 3,000 counties property tax, deed, mortgage, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation’s population. About RealtyTrac (Powered by ATTOM’s Property Data) RealtyTrac.com is the largest online marketplace for foreclosure and distressed properties, helping individual investors and real estate agents looking to gain a competitive edge in the distressed market. Realtytrac.com enables real estate professionals the ability to find, analyze and invest in residential properties.

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Homebuying and Selling Sentiment Remain Polarized

Seventy-Five Percent of Consumers Believe It’s a Good Time to Sell The Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) decreased 3.9 points to 75.8 in July, as consumers continue to report concerns related to high home prices and a lack of homes for sale. While all six components declined month over month, the “Good Time to Buy” and “Good Time to Sell” components once again produced the most notable results. On the buy-side, 66 percent of respondents said it’s a bad time to buy a home, up from 64 percent last month; while on the sell-side, 75 percent of respondents said it’s a good time to sell, down slightly from 77 percent last month. Year over year, the overall index is up 1.6 points. “Historically prime homebuying groups appear to be increasingly sensitive to the lack of affordability, as home prices continue to increase and homes for sale remain in short supply,” said Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. “While all surveyed consumer segments have reported increased pessimism toward homebuying conditions over the past several months, two of the segments perhaps best positioned to purchase — consumers aged 35-44 and those with middle-to-higher income levels – have indicated even more pessimism than other groups.” “Overall, the HPSI remains within a tight range established a few months after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Consumer sentiment toward homebuying hit yet another survey low in July, continuing the sharp downward trend established in March. The percentage of respondents citing high home prices as the top reason for it being a ‘bad time to buy’ also reached an all-time high. On the flip side, selling sentiment remains extremely high, and well above pre-pandemic levels, for the same commonly cited reason: high home prices.” Home Purchase Sentiment Index – Component Highlights Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) decreased in July by 3.9 points to 75.8. The HPSI is up 1.6 points compared to the same time last year. Read the full research report for additional information. Good/Bad Time to Buy: The percentage of respondents who say it is a good time to buy a home decreased from 32% to 28%, while the percentage who say it is a bad time to buy increased from 64% to 66%. As a result, the net share of those who say it is a good time to buy decreased 6 percentage points month over month. Good/Bad Time to Sell: The percentage of respondents who say it is a good time to sell a home decreased from 77% to 75%, while the percentage who say it’s a bad time to sell increased from 15% to 20%. As a result, the net share of those who say it is a good time to sell decreased 7 percentage points month over month. Home Price Expectations: The percentage of respondents who say home prices will go up in the next 12 months decreased from 48% to 46%, while the percentage who say home prices will go down remained unchanged at 21%. The share who think home prices will stay the same increased from 25% to 27%. As a result, the net share of Americans who say home prices will go up decreased 2 percentage points month over month. Mortgage Rate Expectations: The percentage of respondents who say mortgage rates will go down in the next 12 months decreased from 6% to 5%, while the percentage who expect mortgage rates to go up remained unchanged at 57%. The share who think mortgage rates will stay the same increased from 30% to 31%. As a result, the net share of Americans who say mortgage rates will go down over the next 12 months decreased 1 percentage point month over month. Job Concerns: The percentage of respondents who say they are not concerned about losing their job in the next 12 months decreased from 88% to 84%, while the percentage who say they are concerned increased from 11% to 13%. As a result, the net share of Americans who say they are not concerned about losing their job decreased 6 percentage points month over month. Household Income: The percentage of respondents who say their household income is significantly higher than it was 12 months ago remained unchanged at 27%, while the percentage who say their household income is significantly lower increased from 13% to 14%. The percentage who say their household income is about the same remained unchanged at 56%. As a result, the net share of those who say their household income is significantly higher than it was 12 months ago decreased 1 percentage point month over month. About Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index The Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) distills information about consumers’ home purchase sentiment from Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey® (NHS) into a single number. The HPSI reflects consumers’ current views and forward-looking expectations of housing market conditions and complements existing data sources to inform housing-related analysis and decision making. The HPSI is constructed from answers to six NHS questions that solicit consumers’ evaluations of housing market conditions and address topics that are related to their home purchase decisions. The questions ask consumers whether they think that it is a good or bad time to buy or to sell a house, what direction they expect home prices and mortgage interest rates to move, how concerned they are about losing their jobs, and whether their incomes are higher than they were a year earlier. Detailed HPSI & NHS Findings For detailed findings from the July 2021 Home Purchase Sentiment Index and National Housing Survey, as well as a brief HPSI overview and detailed white paper, technical notes on the NHS methodology, and questions asked of respondents associated with each monthly indicator, please visit the Surveys page on fanniemae.com. Also available on the site are in-depth special topic studies, which provide a detailed assessment of combined data results from three monthly studies of NHS results. About Fannie Mae Fannie Mae helps make the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and affordable rental housing possible for millions of people in America. We partner with

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