Hannah Lang

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has appeared willing to take its own steps to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but legislation would be necessary to create an explicit guarantee of the mortgage system.

The interpretation by HUD, conveyed in a letter to Congress by Assistant Secretary Len Wolfson, appeared to contradict the agency's earlier comments about borrowers in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Director Mark Calabria urged lawmakers to grant the agency chartering authority similar to that of bank regulators to boost competition in the mortgage market.

The agency announced the series in April as an effort to encourage public dialogue on policy issues.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has far more authority to upend the status quo than most realize, according to a new report.

With the Trump administration appearing willing to shake up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without Congress, Reps. Lacy Clay, D-Mo., and Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said legislative action should be a priority.

The head of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator blamed “burdensome” local regulations for a lack of housing supply, and also provided an update on the administration’s plan for GSE reform.

The launch of a combined securitization platform for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is meant to ease the transition to a new housing finance system. But questions remain about how the mortgage sphere will adapt to the single security.

At a time when costs continue to soar and regulators weigh reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, more than half of the Democratic presidential candidates have talked about housing on the campaign trail.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson appeared not to recognize a commonly known real estate term during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.