FHFA

The Federal Home Loan banks and their clients were well represented in the Federal Housing Finance Agency's recent "listening tour." The public, not so much.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency got an earful from housing experts at a listening session intended to aid a comprehensive review of the financing system.

Investor activity in the housing market has had a nominal impact on the cost of housing, the head of the National Rental Home Council writes, citing research by one of the government-sponsored enterprises. Supply-demand imbalance is the primary driver of price appreciation, he argues.

The middle of a housing market downturn is no time to experiment with untested underwriting tools.

The former head of the agency said a decision last year to suspend caps on investor loans has further induced demand in an already hot market. Other experts say a supply-demand imbalance is the true driving force.

Join three officials from the Federal Housing Finance Agency's recently establish Office of Technology to hear about their goals and initiatives for the department and how their work may impact every day lending activities.

The system may be good for the banks that own it, but it is not meeting its public mission.

The government-sponsored enterprises will start releasing information similar to what large banks already do, starting in the first quarter of 2023.

Its modifications aim to help two government-sponsored mortgage investors manage risk and rebuild capital while retaining enough flexibility to fulfill their affordable housing missions, said the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s acting director, Sandra Thompson.

The move confirms speculation that the Federal Housing Finance Agency would return to a pre-pandemic plan to tighten requirements for mortgage lenders and servicers that work with two government-sponsored enterprises.