July 05, 2026 to July 11, 2026

This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly digest of regulatory developments, legislative discussions and other government-related news related to residential and commercial construction as well as infrastructure and government initiatives and programs concerning housing and housing affordability. Once a week, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇺🇸 Federal Government News
• 📜 Legislative Updates
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Federal Government News

HUD Proposes Enhanced Financial Reporting for Grant Recipients

HUD is seeking public comment on a new information collection that would require recipients of grants awarded in 2025 and beyond to provide itemized financial records substantiating federal expenditures, including invoices, proof of payment, and contract documentation. The notice, issued by HUD's Office of the Chief Financial Officer, says this requirement is part of efforts to improve stewardship of federal funds and strengthen detection of fraud, waste, or abuse. Affected recipients will use a new online portal to submit quarterly records for review. The proposal also references compliance requirements under 2 CFR 200, with retention of records for three years. HUD estimates an annual cost burden of $8.8 million across 30,000 respondents, based on an average financial analyst wage from BLS data.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

White House Launches Permitting Innovators Expo Following Technology Challenge

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has revealed the selected technology solutions for its first Permitting Innovators Expo, scheduled for July 31, 2026, in the D.C. region. The initiative, in response to President Trump's directive, aims to modernize federal environmental review and permitting processes and attracted submissions from industry partners addressing workflow, automation, data integration, and document management. Technologies will be showcased to federal agencies and industry stakeholders, and the chosen solutions will be catalogued and distributed to agencies later this year. Stakeholders may request attendance via an interest form.

Sources: www.whitehouse.gov

CFPB Requests Comment on Adjusting Mortgage Disclosure and Rescission Regulations

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a request for information seeking public input on possible changes to regulations affecting mortgage lending, especially to reduce regulatory burden and increase access to credit. Specifically, the Bureau is reviewing timing rules for integrated mortgage disclosures under the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule, the right of rescission, and reverse mortgage disclosures. The notice invites feedback on whether current timing requirements for disclosures delay loan closings or raise costs, whether changes should be tailored for small banks, and if reverse mortgage disclosures could be modernized. The comment period closes August 10, 2026.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

FHA Issues Termination of Direct Endorsement Approval for Several Lenders

HUD’s Federal Housing Administration has published a list of lenders whose Direct Endorsement (DE) approval has been terminated due to high default and claim rates. Terminated parties include Equity Prime Mortgage LLC, AmeriTrust Mortgage Corp, and OCMBC Inc. The notice outlines the regulatory and procedural basis for such terminations, noting that the affected lenders may request reinstatement after six months upon satisfying specified audit and corrective action requirements. The termination prevents these lenders from underwriting new FHA-insured mortgages in the relevant HUD field office jurisdictions but does not affect their servicing rights.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

HUD Notifies of Proposed Information Collection for Tenant Education and Outreach

HUD is requesting public review of its proposed information collection for the Tenant Education and Outreach (TEO) grant program. The notice indicates the reinstatement of the collection with changes to application and reporting forms for both intermediary organizations and subrecipients. The proposal is in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and targets both business and nonprofit entities. HUD estimates that, across 574 respondents, 2,619 annual burden hours will be incurred. The notice details the forms involved, including subaward applications, expense reports, and cooperative agreements. Comments are due by September 8, 2026.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

Legislative Updates

Freedom to Build Act Introduced

H.R. 9625, the Freedom to Build Act, was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. The bill’s summary and sponsors were not provided. The legislation awaits further consideration following committee referral.

Sources: www.congress.gov

Improving Travel for American Families Act Moves to House Calendar

H.R. 8897, the Improving Travel for American Families Act, which addresses transportation and public works matters, has been placed on the Union Calendar as Calendar No. 639. The placement signals readiness for floor action in the House.

Sources: www.congress.gov

SAFEGUARDS Act of 2026 Advances to House Calendar

H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act of 2026, relating to transportation and public works, has been placed on the Union Calendar as Calendar No. 641. The bill awaits consideration by the full House.

Sources: www.congress.gov

What We're Reading This Week

• Why Home Sales Are Poised to Pick Up This Summer: Mortgage and market factors signal a likely increase in home sales during the upcoming months.
• Spring Home-Selling Season Ends on a Bad Note: The traditional spring home-selling season concluded with weaker-than-anticipated sales figures.
• A New Wellspring for Apartment Conversions: Century-Old Schoolhouses: Developers are transforming historic school buildings into residential apartments across the U.S.
• New York construction scare highlights the challenges of converting offices into housing: An incident in New York City draws attention to the risks and complexities of converting offices to housing.
• The California Street Where Strict Rules Govern How Much Homes Can Change: Strict regulations in Santa Monica restrict the extent of changes allowed to homes on La Mesa Drive.
• Bipartisan Housing Bill Becomes Law Even Though Trump Refuses to Sign It: A bipartisan housing bill became law by sitting unsigned on the president’s desk.
• Opinion | The Latest Housing Scapegoats: An editorial examines current narratives around blame for housing shortages.
• Construction has a productivity problem — Virginia Tech has a solution: A feature on Virginia Tech's approach to addressing construction industry productivity challenges.

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