With Mark Calabria’s confirmation as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency seemingly imminent and the prospect looming of some kind of administrative reform of the government-sponspored enterprises, industry groups are getting anxious.
This week, Mark Calabria moved a step closer to heading the Federal Housing Finance Agency. His nomination as the agency’s director was approved by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on a party-line vote of 13-12.
Now that the smoke has cleared from Mark Calabria’s confirmation hearing to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, industry stakeholders are pondering the first step in administrative reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: eliminating the quarterly payments the two mortgage giants make to the Treasury Department.
In a remarkable political balancing act during his confirmation hearing Thursday morning, Mark Calabria, President Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, told Senate Banking Committee members they need not worry about his history of controversial and inflammatory remarks on FHFA and the government-sponsored enterprises.
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-ID, chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, stirred the housing-finance reform pot last week, releasing a plan to bring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship.
The road to reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took another left turn this week with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin applauding Congressional efforts on the initiative but then declaring, if need be, Treasury would go it alone.
The Trump administration pulled an about-face on reform of the government-sponsored enterprises, with the White House declaring mid-week that it will work with Congress on a legislative solution to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
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