The new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency wants to set a path for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with less emphasis on shrinking the two GSEs and a greater focus on “the present.” In his first major policy speech, FHFA Director Mel Watt told a packed room at the Brookings Institution how he seeks to “reformulate” the agency’s past conservatorship goals for the GSEs. “Our task is to continue to fulfill our statutory mandates, to execute our strategic plan and to manage the present status of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” said Watt.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, under recently installed Director Mel Watt, will continue to ensure that the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks play their “important role” in providing reliable funding and secondary mortgage market access to member institutions, as well as maintain the Banks’ statutory affordable housing requirements, so said the man himself. Last week, in his first public speech before a financial services group, Watt cautioned FHLBank directors to keep a close watch on captive insurers that are seeking membership in the FHLB system.

Combined net income for the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks fell 18.4 percent to $555 million in the first quarter of 2014, down from $680 million in the fourth quarter and a more modest 4.3 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, according to the Federal Home Loan Bank Office of Finance. The decrease resulted primarily from a decline in non-interest income and an increase in non-interest expense, partially offset by an increase in net interest income, explained the Office of Finance.

While the housing finance reform legislation authored by Sens. Tim Johnson, D-SD, and Mike Crapo, R-ID, recognizes the “distinct nature and role of the Federal Home Loan Banks,” concern remains that the bill’s treatment of FHLBank regulation within the proposed regulator could lead to a conflict of interest that impedes the 12 Banks and their members, according to the American Bankers Association. An ABA memo to the members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee suggested that lawmakers leave regulation of the FHLBanks with either an independent agency or strengthen the bill’s proposed regulatory firewalls.

The GSEs continued to reduce their footprint in global debt markets during the fourth quarter of 2013, with debt outstanding and issuance down from the same period year ago. Fannie Mae’s, Freddie Mac’s and the Federal Home Loan Banks’ combined debt outstanding was $1.814 billion during the period ending Dec. 31, 2013, down 0.02 percent from the third quarter and down 2.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012. Fannie issued $45.5 billion in new debt during the fourth quarter, a 34.9 percent decrease from the third quarter.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said this week that housing finance reform can no longer be put off, but no more so than for the FHA which continues to play an “outsized role” in the mortgage market as private capital remains on the sidelines. Speaking in New York at an event co-hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center, Donovan said the Obama administration is squarely behind the legislative proposal by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, D-SD, and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-ID. “Despite its imperfections, does this bill represent progress? Absolutely,” said Donovan, seeking to win over housing advocacy groups disenchanted with the bill. “When looking for ways to improve [the bill], let’s not lose sight of its potential. Let’s not forget its importance to the housing market and its future.” The Johnson-Crapo legislative proposal calls for a wind-down of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and creation of a ...

In the wake of sharp increases in commercial bank borrowing from the Federal Home Loan Bank system in order to keep up with new international bank-liquidity rules, the Federal Housing Finance Agency should be more transparent in reporting FHLBank advances, according to the agency’s official watchdog. The FHFA’s Office of Inspector General noted in an audit released Wednesday that FHLBank system advances have been increasing, reaching $492 billion by year-end 2013. The growth in advances has been driven primarily by the four largest members of the system – JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities remained the preferred investment choice of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks during the fourth quarter of 2013, though with a negligible increase from the previous quarter, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside The GSEs based on data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Meanwhile, Ginnie Mae securities posted a sizable increase within the FHLBank system during the period ending Dec. 31, 2013. GSE MBS accounted for 74.9 percent of combined FHLBank MBS portfolios, 0.3 percent from the third quarter. The Finance Agency’s data do not separately break out Fannie and Freddie volume or share.

It’s only a matter of time before the remaining big bank defendants settle lawsuits filed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency over billions in non-agency mortgage-backed securities sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the years leading up to the housing crisis, predicts a legal expert. Last week, Bank of America agreed to a $9.3 billion settlement that covers its own dealings as well as those of Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch, which it acquired in 2008. The agreement covers some $57 billion of MBS issued or underwritten by these firms.

A North Carolina federal magistrate has recommended that a Justice Department fraud case against Bank of America be dismissed, but he also said a separate Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit against the bank based on a different federal law should proceed. The DOJ last August filed suit against BofA under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act, accusing the bank of defrauding investors in the sale of $855 million of non-agency MBS. Last week, U.S. Magistrate David Cayer of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina found that the government failed to prove the bank made “material” false statements to the former Federal Housing Finance Board. The DOJ claimed...