Testimony from both liberal and conservative housing industry observers questioned the Trump administration’s policy regarding the future of Fannie and Freddie.

The trade group argues that a likely shift to a single-bureau credit pull may not actually lower rates and could add risk to the system.

The president wants Fannie and Freddie to buy $200 billion in agency MBS to lower interest rates and reduce the cost of buying a home. Initial reaction from MBS analysts was mixed.

Housing advocates say the new, lower benchmarks generally favor middle- and working-class borrowers at the expense low-income and very low-income borrowers.

Researchers tell Congress that, despite the role the FHLBanks played in the bank failures of 2023, a higher level of FHLBank borrowing has historically been associated with positive outcomes for members.

Although FHFA, under Director Bill Pulte, has shied away from the green and climate priorities of prior administrations, UAD 3.6 still allows green and energy efficiency features to impact valuations.

Between 2022 and 2024, Fannie’s open multifamily fraud investigations spiked from 14 to 193. In the same interval, actual fraud findings went from 3 to 87.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-AL, said the move will not only save the taxpayers money, but it will bring jobs to his state.

Don Layton, under whose leadership Freddie rolled out the first CRT transaction in 2012, said cracks in the GSEs’ CRT programs expose them to systemic risks. The cure: a new capital rule.

Fannie alerts seller/servicers to stiffer fraud detection rules. For example, lenders have 24 hours to report any borrower if they’re found on the Department of Treasury’s foreign assets control sanctions list.