WASHINGTON Four of the 12 regional Home Loan banks plan to expand the kind of loans that small member banks can pledge as collateral for advances, the Federal Housing Finance Board announced Thursday.
The Dallas, Topeka, Des Moines, and Seattle Home Loan banks have told the Finance Board they will let member institutions with less than $500 million of assets use small-business, farm, and agriculture-business loans as collateral.
The plans to broaden what is acceptable collateral do not require the boards approval, and other Home Loan banks can adopt similar plans at any time. Member banks typically have used mortgages as collateral.
In other action Thursday, the Finance Board issued a proposal that would let it impose cease-and-desist orders, assess civil money penalties, and issue subpoenas as part of its supervision of Home Loan banks. These enhanced enforcement powers were authorized by Congress with the passage of financial reform legislation last year.
The new powers would bring the Finance Board in line with the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversights authority over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The proposal is expected to be published soon in the Federal Register, with comments due 30 days later.
