BOISE – The HomeSense newsletter for Idaho Housing and Finance Association home owners recently received an Award of Excellence in the APEX 2002 Awards for Publication Excellence, IHFA officials announced. HomeSense was selected from nearly 900 newsletter entries for outstanding works in the One- To Two-Person Produced Newsletters category. HomeSense is a fun, informative newsletter that is mailed to IHFA borrowers three times a year, in the spring, fall and winter. This marks the second year in a row that HomeSense has been awarded by APEX, and the sixth consecutive year that IHFA has been recognized internationally for its communication efforts. HomeSense has received five publication awards since its first issue in 1998.

Overall, nearly 6,000 entries competed for top honors in APEX 2002. The competition is sponsored by Communications Concepts, a national firm that publishes public relations and marketing newsletters for communicators worldwide. Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and the ability to achieve overall communications excellence. For more information about the APEX awards and a complete list of winners, visit http://www.writingthatworks.com/apex_win2002.htm.

The Idaho Housing and Finance Association began offering residential mortgage loans in 1978 to assist first-time and limited-income borrowers in purchasing homes. IHFA began servicing its own loans in 1990. The Association currently has a portfolio of more than 21,000 mortgage loans, and has financed $2.8 billion in home loans for 47,000 Idaho families.