Fair Lending Shake-Ups: CFPB Vacates Townstone Settlement, FHFA Ends GSEs' Special Purpose Credit Programs — The Consumer Finance Podcast
To keep you informed of recent activities, below are several of the most significant federal and state events that have influenced the Consumer Financial Services industry over the past week....more
On August 29, three Democratic senators submitted a letter to FHFA Director Bill Pulte to urge him to prioritize lowering housing costs and expanding access to affordable homeownership. The letter — signed by Sens. Elizabeth...more
What Happened? On July 8, 2025, U.S. Federal Housing Agency (FHFA) announced that lenders will soon be able to use the VantageScore® 4.0 credit model or Classic FICO® via the tri-merge credit report requirement when they...more
The FHFA has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare proposals for consideration of cryptocurrency as an asset for reserves in their single-family risk assessments, without a conversion to dollars....more
I am joining the hordes occupying the chatter-sphere to opine about what the GSEs should look like, post conservatorship. Having reviewed loads of opinions about the future of the Twins, I’m pretty sure the bar on looking...more
In a July 8 social media post, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte stated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will maintain the long-standing tri-merge requirement requiring lenders to pull...more
On June 25, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a directive ordering Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare proposals for treating cryptocurrency held on U.S.-regulated exchanges as assets for reserves in...more
What Happened? On June 26, Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) Director William Pulte told Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “government sponsored entities”) to draft policies that would consider a borrower’s cryptocurrency...more
Fannie Mae (1938) and Freddie Mac (1970) were created with the end goal of promoting homeownership across the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), are publicly traded and...more
In recent days, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte has made it clear that he believes fraud is a rampant problem at FHFA. In a stream of related activities, Pulte has called on the public to report...more
On March 25, it was reported on social media that FHFA Director William Pulte signed an order terminating the Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs) previously covered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The SPCPs provided...more
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has taken two significant deregulatory steps affecting its oversight of the government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs). The agency rescinded a 2024 advisory...more
In a significant policy shift under the Trump administration, the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued an order on March 25, 2025 terminating special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) supported...more
On March 14, the FHFA announced that Director William Pulte was sworn in as its fifth director in a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., on March 14. Pulte was appointed by President Trump and will serve a five-year term...more
January 14, 2025- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Martin Gruenberg gave a speech entitled “Three Financial Crises and Lessons for the Future,” at the Brookings Institution....more
On November 26, the FHFA announced the conforming loan limit values for 2025, increasing the baseline limit. See here for a map of the conforming loan limit values. For one-unit properties, the new limit is $806,500 — a 5.2...more
In our latest roundup, infrastructure-related ballot initiatives, U.S. Green Building Council’s success stories, support for sustainable building, and more!...more
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced the conforming loan limits for residential mortgage loans acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2025. Fannie Mae addresses the limits in Lender Letter...more
On November 7, the FHFA announced partnerships with both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to boost programs that expand housing access for tribal communities. The collaboration involved the FHLBank of Des Moines promoting Freddie...more
On October 28, FHFA and HUD jointly, and for the first time, released new appraisal data from single-family mortgage loan applications submitted to HUD’s sector under the FHA. The update expanded the scope of the FHFA’s...more
On October 9, FHFA introduced a new Manufactured House Price Index to provide quarterly data on price trends for manufactured homes, a market segment which it noted is an affordable option for homebuyers. The new data series...more
On August 22, FHFA released a proposed rule on its housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) for 2025-2027 as required by the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992. FHFA is...more
Welcome to the latest edition of the Spectrum, covering hot-topic issues in the structured finance markets in the U.S. and UK. This edition features the new UK securitization regime, eHELOCs, and climate risk disclosures....more
On July 17 and 18, 2024, federal financial regulators adopted rules and guidance setting forth expectations in the mortgage industry that originators properly oversee use of automated valuation models (AVMs) and entertain...more