Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago | Community Investment Newsletter | October 2018 Deadline Approaching for Advisory Council Nominations The FHLBank Chicago is accepting nominations to its Community Investment Advisory Council through October 5; nominees representing rural communities are strongly encouraged. The Advisory Council is composed of practitioners who reside in the district and are actively engaged in affordable housing and/or community lending activities; employees of FHLBank Chicago member institutions are ineligible to serve. Advisory Council members are appointed by the FHLBank Chicago’s Board of Directors to serve three-year terms. Click here for the nomination form.  News DPP® Funds Still Available The FHLBank Chicago's 2018 Downpayment Plus® (DPP) and Downpayment Plus Advantage® (DPP Advantage) programs opened on March 12 with an allocation of $14.2 million. Since then, the FHLBank Chicago has made additional contributions of $3.5 million. So far this year participating members have reserved $16.4 million on behalf of 2,800 homebuyers. The annual member limit remains at $420,000, available on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds are available. Contact 312-565-5824 or dpp@fhlbc.com with any questions.  2018 Competitive AHP Round Update Community Investment staff continues to review the 91 applications that were submitted in our 2018 competitive Affordable Housing Program round. Many applicants have received a request for clarification; however, not being asked for clarification does not necessarily indicate a lack of competitiveness. We expect to make award announcements in early December. AHP Online System Update Effective November 1, 2018, AHP Online will only be supported by Internet Explorer 11 and above. Users are encouraged to confirm browser compatibility before then. The AHP Online Troubleshooting Guide has been updated to reflect this new requirement.       Policy Corner Affordable Housing Program Policy Updates The FHLBank Chicago’s Board of Directors approved updated competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP) policies in conjunction with the Community Investment Group’s annual policy review. In an effort to streamline the AHP policies, a collection of previously stand-alone policies has been combined into one document. The compiled AHP policies outline program requirements and guidelines covering all phases in the AHP project lifecycle. If you have an AHP project or are planning to submit an application in the 2019 competitive round, please familiarize yourself with the updated policies. The policies are effective October 1, 2018 and apply to all AHP projects. Community Advance Portfolio Application Reuse Now Available The FHLBank Chicago has enhanced its Community Advance program to allow members to reuse eligible loans on approved applications. Previously, members were only allowed to use eligible loan portfolios once, regardless of the underlying loan terms in comparison to the term of the advance drawn against the application. Members can now reuse loans fewer than 90 days old to draw additional advances within program limits; the Community Small Business Advance is excluded. Contact Community Investment or your Sales Director for more details. Calendar Upcoming Events October 4 Accion Chicago's Taste of Accion Chicago, IL | Attending October 8-11 Opportunity Finance Network's Annual Conference Chicago, IL | Attending October 25-26 Housing Action Illinois' 2018 Housing Matters! Conference Bloomington, IL | Attending and Sponsoring November 6 CommonBond Communities' Affordable Housing Forum Milwaukee, WI | Attending and Sponsoring November 8 Wisconsin Council for Affordable and Rural Housing’s Annual Meeting & Conference Wisconsin Dells, WI ǀ Sponsoring November 27-28 National Housing Conference's Solutions for Affordable Housing Washington, D.C. | Attending     Project Spotlight: Macoupin Homes Location: Macoupin Homes AHP award: $677,845 Member: CNB Bank and Trust, N.A. Sponsor: Macoupin Housing Services Photo courtesy of Macoupin Housing Services FHLBank Chicago in Your Community View photos from events attended by FHLBank Chicago staff. Previous Editions › August 2018 › June 2018 Subscribe Printer Friendly   Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago 200 East Randolph Drive Chicago, IL 60601 www.fhlbc.com This newsletter contains forward-looking statements which are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. These statements may use forward-looking terms, such as "anticipates,” "believes," "expects," "could," "plans," "estimates," "may," "should," "will," or their negatives or other variations on these terms. We caution that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk or uncertainty, that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements, and that actual events could affect the extent to which a particular objective, projection, estimate, or prediction is realized. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on our website at www.fhlbc.com. Copyright © 2019, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. "Community First," "Downpayment Plus," "DPP," "Downpayment Plus Advantage," and "DPP Advantage" are registered trademarks of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.