Subject: What the governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about
Today
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Governor, MSHDA Announce Helping
Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund to Combat Foreclosure
The governor today announced in Lansing and Flint
that the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), along with banks,
credit unions and nonprofit counseling agencies, will launch a statewide program
to help eligible Michigan homeowners avoid foreclosure by participating in the
state’s new $154.5 million Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund.
The $154.5 million is part of $1.5 billion in
federal funds announced by President Obama in February to be used to assist
families in the states that have been hit hardest by foreclosures. MSHDA
is one of five state housing finance agencies sharing the funding.
The fund is designed to help as many as 17,000
Michigan homeowners avoid foreclosure. Those who may be eligible include
Michigan homeowners who are currently receiving unemployment compensation,
homeowners who have fallen behind in their mortgage payments or taxes due to a
temporary layoff or medical emergency, and homeowners who can no longer afford
their mortgage payments because of lower household income.
Eligible homeowners can find out if their mortgage
loan servicer is participating in the Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund by
calling 866-946-7432 or visiting www.michigan.gov/HardestHit
MSHDA
will begin accepting applications from mortgage loan servicers beginning July
12. Final approval of an application is expected to occur within 48 hours
of receipt of a complete application package. MSHDA is adding additional
staff to review and process completed application packages.
Lending institutions in support of the program
include the Michigan Bankers Association, Michigan Credit Union League and
Michigan Association of Community Bankers.
Key messages:
• The Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund
will allow families to stay in their homes and stabilize neighborhoods
throughout the state, and help keep the dream of home ownership alive for
thousands of Michigan families.
• Homeowners facing foreclosure should call
their mortgage loan servicer immediately to determine if they qualify for
assistance from the fund.
Governor Announces First Michigan
Creative Film Alliance Summer Film Institute
The governor today announced the start of a
collaborative alliance among the state’s three major research universities to
train students in filmmaking.
Beginning today is the 2010 Creative
Film Alliance Summer Film Institute, an intensive eight-week program at the KBS
Conference Center on Gull Lake. It’s bringing together Hollywood
professionals with university faculty and using a professional film model as a
learning environment for students from Michigan State University, the University
of Michigan, and Wayne State University.
The film programs at Michigan’s three great
research universities have launched an innovative, collaborative alliance to
drive talent and resources toward creating and sustaining an indigenous film
community across the state. MSU, U-M and Wayne State will leverage their
combined expertise and resources in the film arts to create synergy and build a
pool of talent that will invest their creative talents in
Michigan.
At the summer film institute, the professional film
training will center on creating a single narrative film based on a
student-produced script vetted by a team of faculty members representing the
three universities. Students will begin the program with an intensive
pre-production retreat and will break into production departments and determine
roles on the set. Following the retreat, the program will move to one of
the universities for the production and post-production phases.
Key messages:
• Michigan has hosted more than 100 film and
television productions since the governor signed into law sweeping new film
incentives. Production spending by filmmakers topped $125 million in 2008
and $220 million in 2009.
• We’ve put Michigan on course as a great
filmmaking center, and this institute will train students to work and succeed in
this industry. Just over two years into our film initiative, we’re
creating an entirely new industry that offers good-paying jobs to those trained
to do the vital work it requires.
• Filmmaking is a growth industry and a key
to keeping our most creative and talented young people here in
Michigan.
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