CHIF News and Events

Mouse-over photo to see Before and After renovation.

Financing through CHIF's Neighborhood Rebuilder Program was instrumental in making this renovation economically feasible.

May 8, 2010

Energy Conservation Loan Program Update:

Until further notice, effective 5/8/10 CHIF will ONLY accept applications of an emergency nature for the Energy Conservation Loan Program (ECL) that involve health and safety issues. This includes red-tagged furnaces or a leaky roof causing damage to insulation or the underlying ceilings.

You will be required to provide evidence from the contractor of the safety issue. The program is available to owner-occupants of 1-4 unit residential properties in CT. More infomation on the Energy Conservation Loan program can be viewed by following the Borrowers/Homeowners link at the left of your screen.

April 9, 2010

CT Homeownership Emergency Loan Program (“HELP”)

Guidelines are now available by selecting "Homeowners Emergency Loan Program" from teh Homeowner/Borrowers link on CHIF's home page. The guidelines and application can also be emailed to you by sending a request to HELP@chif.org. Please be sure to contact your insurance company even if you do not carry flood insurance as a denial of your claim will be a requirement for applying. Be sure to check back on this site as updates will continue to be posted here as soon as they are available.

If you have not already contacted us, we are continuing to take contact information for this program via phone at (860) 233-5165; (800) 992-3665 or send an email to HELP@chif.org.

The CT Homeownership Emergency Loan Program offers secured loans to homeowners for unreimbursed repairs sustained in the massive flooding this past week. The $1.5 million program is funded by the state Department of Economic and Community Development and administered by the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund (CHIF). The loans, offered at an interest rate of 2 percent and terms of up to 10 years, will cover the repair of damage to basements, foundations, roofs and insulation and the replacement of critical appliances such as furnaces and hot water heaters that were damaged from basement flooding.

The loans include maximum limits of:

· $20,000 for structural repair
· $750 for hot water heaters
· $7,000 for furnaces

The loans are designed to provide assistance where insurance coverage is not available, or where there is a gap between the coverage and the cost. Damage covered under this program must be specific to the most recent spring floods and verifiable proof is absolutely required. Take photos, take videos, keep detailed notes and measurements, and maintain all correspondence with your home insurance provider, if you have one. The most important thing to do is to document everything.

CHIF announces new Online Payment Service

Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, Inc. announces their new online payment service for our loan servicing customers. Now customers can choose to make one-time online payments or sign up for monthly ACH Automatic payment drafting.

To access the online payment area, from our home page, click on
Homeowners/Borrowers then choose,
Making payments from the drop down menu.
Click on the www.myCHIFaccount.org link to enter your banking information if you wish to process your payment online.
From this area of the website you can also view your loan details and history.

If you wish to sign up for Automatic Payment Drafting click on the link on the Homeowners/Borrowers page to sign up for monthly ACH withdrawal of your loan payment from your checking or savings account.

If you have any questions, please call our loan servicing customer service department at (860)233-5165 ext. 2026.

Take a Tour of Hartford’s Neighborhoods
Hartford’s Metro Alliance is sponsoring a tour of Hartford’s neighborhoods on Saturday, April 4, 2009 from 2:00-4:00 PM. Participants will be guided by knowledgable housing consultants while they learn about Hartford’s neighborhoods and view homes for sale. For more information, or to reserve your seat, contact Julio Concepcion at (860) 728-2282 or jconcepcion@metrohartford.com.

Governor Seeks Approval for$2 Million in Funding for Energy Conservation Loan Program
Several members of the CHIF staff were present when Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced she will seek approval for an additional $2 million for CHIF's Energy Conservation Loan Program at the next Bond Commission meeting. The ECL Program helps the owners of single-family and multifamily homes pay for energy-saving improvements such as heat pumps, windows, thermostats and more. Due to the rising energy costs, CHIF has seen an increase in ECL applications. The additional funding will allow CHIF to continue helping Connecticut residents make their homes more energy efficient. For more information on how to apply to the ECL Program, click here.


	Laurie Evans, Cynthia Russell, DECD Commissioner Joan McDonald, and Governor Rell discuss how the ECL Program has helped thousands of Connecticut residents.

Connecticut Establishes Hotline for Furnace Rebate Program
Connecticut residents may call a new toll free hotline to receive information about the state’s new furnace rebate program.

The furnace rebate hotline is 1-866-940-4676. Residents who leave their name, mailing address and phone number will be mailed program materials.

The State Bond Commission, which Governor Rell chairs, authorized $5 million for a program to provide rebates of up to $500 for homeowners who replace their furnaces with more efficient models. The furnace rebate program applies to homes and apartment buildings with four units or less. Replacement furnaces fueled by natural gas must be Energy Star-rated, while oil and propane equipment must be at least 84 percent efficient. The amount of the rebates varies depending on the income of the homeowner.

CHIF Celebrates 40th Anniversary
CHIF celebrated 40 years of providing affordable housing solutions to Connecticut residents with an anniversary celebration on June 18th. Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez presented CHIF with a proclamation and commended CHIF for its positive impact in Hartford.

Click here to see a timeline illustrating CHIF's affordable housing milestones.


	Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez presents CHIF President and CEO, Cynthia Russell, and Board chairman, John Ritter, with a proclamation about CHIF's contributions to the Hartford community.


	The CHIF staff pose for a 40th Anniversary picture.

CHIF Maintains Tier 1 Rating from FHA
In February and January, CHIF again received the highest rating awarded by FHA/HUD for services reporting the performance of FHA-insured loans. CHIF has maintained this rating for four consecutive quarters. The rating is based on how well a loan servicer complies with FHA reporting requirements and uses the FHA loss mitigation tools. HUD uses the rating system as a way of providing an incentive for loan servicers to comply with FHA rules.

CHIF Selected to Service New CT Families DAP Loans
The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) has selected CHIF to service the Down Payment Assistance loans made by the three lenders participating in CHFA’s new Connecticut Families loan program. This new program was developed to help families refinance subprime mortgages. CHFA has selected McCue Mortgage, New Alliance Bank, and Webster Bank to originate the first mortgages through this program. CHFA anticipates it will make approximately 400 loans through the Connecticut Families program.

CHIF Approved to Originate VA-Insured Loans
Adding another feature to its first mortgage lending program, CHIF is now approved to act as an agent to originate VA guaranteed loans. This approval enables CHIF to offer a better option to veterans interested in CHIF’s first-time homebuyer mortgage program. The VA-insured loan has no down payment requirement and does not require mortgage insurance, and allows CHIF to provide an additional rate reduction to individuals active in the military and to veterans. Kristen Caplin secured the approval for CHIF, and will be attending training to learn how to process these loans. CHIF expects to launch this program in August.

Home Energy Solutions Program
This comprehensive program may offer a full range of energy efficiency measures to address inefficient lighting, water heating, inefficient heating equipment, refrigeration and insufficient insulation. This program, funded by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, is free to all customers who heat their homes with electricity or natural gas. For customers who heat their homes with oil, propane or kerosene there is a $300 co-pay for this service.

United Illuminating customers - click here for more information
Connecticut Light and Power customers - click here for more information

For more information about programs offered by CHIF, please call 860.233.5165 or 1.800.992.3665 or email homebuyers@chif.org.

For more news about CHIF, click here for a copy of CHIF's newsletter, In Brief.

Board of Directors Annual Meeting
September 25, 2009

Executive Committee
To be announced