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Vol. 11 No.8
April 29, 2019
www.csrej.com
Will leadership change prompt Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac overhaul? As 2019 progresses, the chatter on reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is getting louder. Together, Government Spon- By Jon Paukovich sored Enterprises (GSEs) Fan- Chief Lending Officer Ent Credit Union nie Mae and Freddie Mac fund a — majority of U.S. home mortgages. As the two major players, they also exert significant influence on mortgage credit availability — despite being under government conservatorship for more than a decade. As you may recall, Fannie and Freddie were put under government control during the financial crisis. There they have remained for more than a decade despite several reform proposals — none of which succeeded. That may finally change. In an effort to bypass the longstanding partyline split over GSE reform, President Trump has nominated and the Senate has approved Mark Calabria as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Calabria is now in a strong position to achieve administratively what Congress has been unable to achieve legislatively: reform Fannie and Freddie. A longtime GSE critic, Calabria has advocated the reduction of their influence in housing finance and an end to their conservatorship. He and President Trump would prefer to have more private capital in the housing market. There is speculation that as FHFA director, Calabria could stop the transfer of funds the GSEs now contribute to the Treasury (and go toward the national Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund). By allowing Fannie and Freddie to retain all of their profits and build up their capital, he could release these two GSEs back into the private sector.
Study: Same-sex couples face harder time obtaining mortgages
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to pay more in inter...same-sex applicants were est and fees, averag73 percent more likely to ing about 0.5 perbe denied a mortgage than cent more, the study heterosexual couples. found. However, the researchers say tion.” The Fair Housing Act they found no evidence that and Equal Credit Opportunity same-sex couples had a higher Act prohibit discrimination default risk. based on a borrower’s race, “Lenders can justify higher gender, marital status, or relifees, if there is a greater risk,” says gion. It does not specifically list Lei Gao, co-author and assistant sexual orientation. professor of finance at Iowa State The researchers said that their University. “We found nothing findings should raise enough to indicate that’s the case.” Gao concern to warrant further insays their findings even suggest vestigation. The study was rethat same-sex borrowers may cently published in the Proceedperform better. ings of the National Academy Mortgage applicants are not of Sciences. required to disclose their sexual orientation. But researchers © National Association of Realtors. Reprinted with permission. say perception is “just as damaging in terms of discrimina-
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RE/MAX Properties Annual Awards
Oakwood Homes Open House
Jay Gupta's April Housing Stats
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Fannie/Freddie Continues | Page 4
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Lenders have been much less likely to approve same-sex couples for a mortgage than heterosexual couples, according to a new study released by Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business. Researchers analyzed national mortgage data from 1990 to 2015 and found the approval rate for same-sex couples was 3 to 8 percent lower. Researchers also factored in details about applicants’ work history and creditworthiness to see if the denial rates still remained higher for same-sex couples. They found that, over the 25-year period, same-sex applicants were 73 percent more likely to be denied a mortgage than heterosexual couples. The same-sex couples who were approved tended to have
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