After a long period of inertia, Senate leadership from both sides of the aisle have seized the initiative in the effort to reform mortgage finance with the first of a series of hearings this week aimed at crafting a comprehensive, bipartisan bill by year’s end. Meanwhile, a largely partisan House Republican bill that would seal the fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been shut out of the floor vote schedule this fall amid significant opposition from industry trade groups.Last month, at the direction of Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, D-SD, and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-ID, senior staffers met with various industry “stakeholders” to get field reform input in advance of the hearings.