National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Elect Vince Malta recently testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the need for government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) reform.
Malta outlined for House members NAR’s priorities for a legislative restructuring of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In his testimony, Malta discussed NAR’s sentiments on the three main components of former Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling’s (R-Texas) bill, the Bipartisan Financing Reform Act of 2018.
“NAR believes the discussion draft contains many provisions that should serve as the backbone for comprehensive housing finance reform. These components include an explicit government guarantee, regulatory flexibility and strong and reasonable regulatory authority,” Malta said. “However, as the discussion draft evolves, the proposal can be improved to further ensure a reliable and affordable source of mortgage capital is readily available for responsible creditworthy Americans in all types of markets.
“Above all else, NAR firmly believes that comprehensive housing finance reform must be done in a bipartisan manner.”
Representatives from the National Association of Home Builders , Mortgage Bankers Association , and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions also were invited to participate in the hearing.
“We strongly support this proposal’s language to provide an explicit government guarantee for mortgage-backed securities, which will provide countercyclical protections and pricing benefits to American consumers,” NAR Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Shannon McGahn said in a news release. “Most importantly, any such reforms must provide liquidity and promote stability in the national housing market, particularly during times of economic distress.”
Despite structural and fundamental improvements to the housing industry since the financial crisis, NAR has argued that the current conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac needs to be re-examined. Realtors also have held that policymakers must address the mounting challenges facing the secondary mortgage market, which could have a severe impact on taxpayers and on Americans’ ability to access affordable mortgage credit.
To minimize the effects of these threats, NAR has been urging Congress to enact comprehensive housing finance reform legislation, which will be the focus of NAR’s Policy Forum on Feb. 7 in Washington D.C. Industry experts, academics, and policymakers will all speak at the event as NAR continues to lead discussions on opportunities facing the housing finance system and offer sensible reforms for the future.
“While the housing market has generally improved since the financial crisis, there remains a need for policymakers to address challenges that may arise in another economic downturn,” Malta said at the hearing. “NAR urges lawmakers to pass comprehensive housing finance reform. Thoughtful reform of the secondary mortgage market will not only safeguard the interests of taxpayers, but also ensure for a deep and affordable mortgage market for all creditworthy Americans.”