WASHINGTON — This week, 25 members of Congress sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson urging him to reinstate a cut scheduled under the Obama Administration to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance premiums (MIP). The following statement can be attributed to Lindsey Johnson, USMI President and Executive Director.
USMI released a paper assessing housing finance reform proposals announced by housing institutions and organizations, the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on housing finance reform, Genworth Financial introduced its first-ever First-Time Homebuyer Market Report, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) submitted its 2016 annual report to Congress, and American Action Forum (AAF) commented on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the GSEs) increasingly risky credit portfolios while calling for greater usage of private mortgage insurance (MI).
Nearly a decade after the financial crisis, the housing finance system remains largely structurally unreformed.
The Trump administration released its 2018 federal budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testified before the U.S. Senate on potential GSE reform, USMI and numerous other housing industry groups voiced their support for the nomination of Pam Patenaude to serve as Deputy Secretary of HUD, and several third party groups released white papers on access to affordable mortgage credit and housing finance reform.
Are you considering buying a home? With mortgage rates on the slow and steady incline, there may be no better time for a home purchase than now.
