Craig Phillips, the former Treasury point man on housing reform, told industry insiders that the recap and release of Fannie and Freddie should “really respect the rights of the current shareholders.”
The decision, hinted at in numerous (recent) press briefings by FHFA Director Mark Calabria, is not expected delay to companies’ exit from conservatorship.
The FHFA director said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may fully exit conservatorship as early as 2022. Meanwhile, on FHLBank membership to non-banks, Calabria said the agency will soon be putting out a request for information.
The legislation appears to be a de facto extension of the qualified-mortgage patch, according to Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg. He said the bill could be positive for housing by ensuring the supply of mortgage credit is not constrained.
The transaction is structured so that Fannie retains the first 40 basis points of losses. Once the $42 million retention layer is exhausted, re-insurance will cover the next 375 bps of losses.
Treasury claims the GSEs’ unfair advantage is because of their capital treatment. Urban Institute researchers say it’s because of the government backstop of their credit risk.