Housing industry groups are making a noisy push to persuade policymakers to postpone (perhaps permanently) a planned reduction in the high-cost loan limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the FHA due to expire this fall. Late last week, the National Association of Home Builders released a study which concluded that an Oct. 1 reduction in the loan limits “will reduce housing demand and place downward pressure on home prices in major housing markets.” In February, the White House proposed to “shrink the government’s footprint” in housing finance and lure back ...