A proposed rule by the Federal Housing Finance Agency to require Federal Home Loan Banks to verify a member’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating, as well as to be responsible for overseeing members’ compliance with the FHFA’s first-time homebuyers standards, would be an unnecessary and unwelcome change, according to public commenters.Issued in November, the proposal would replace the current practice in which members submit to the Finance Agency the community support statement.Instead, FHLBanks would review a member’s CRA rating using publicly-available information from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council or from the member’s federal banking regulator.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago is in the midst of crafting an “unusual” plan to supplement the Bank’s current affordable housing and community investment programs with $50 million in additional funds to be used to promote housing and economic development throughout its district.According to a filing the Chicago Bank made with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last month, the three-year initiative will be in addition to the Bank’s current Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant process and is part of an agreement with the FHLBank regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency.“We are in the process of developing the framework for the use of these funds which will be deployed by the end of 2014,” explained the Bank in its Dec. 27 SEC filing. “This program will be in addition to our other community investment programs in 2012, 2013 and 2014.”

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati last week announced a changing of the guard among top management as the Bank’s president and CEO will step down this summer to retire.David Hehman will step down effective June 1 after 35 years at the Bank, including nine years as its president and CEO. Hehman, 63, is credited with leading the FHLBank of Cincinnati through the 2008 financial crisis when banks of all sizes were forced to turn to the Cincinnati FHLBank for liquidity.The FHLBank’s board appointed Andrew Howell to replace Hehman. Howell joined the FHLBank of Cincinnati in 1989 and is currently its executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Despite some commendable improvements in its monitoring of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks, the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s failure to establish policies, systems and documentation standards threatens to undermine the FHFA’s oversight of troubled FHLBanks, according to a new report by the FHFA’s overseer.The FHFA Office of Inspector General’s first report of 2012 picks right up where it left off last year in the OIG’s persistent criticism of the FHFA’s oversight of the GSEs.Since 2008, four FHLBanks – Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Seattle – have faced “significant financial and operational difficulties,” primarily due to their investments in high-risk mortgage-backed securities. In 2009 and 2010, the four Banks posted losses of nearly $2.0 billion on non-agency MBS investments, the FHFA-OIG noted.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has issued a final rule making a number of minor but important tweaks to its mortgage reporting requirements. The changes make way for data reporting of housing goals for the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks.On Dec. 21, the Finance Agency published in the Federal Register new reporting requirements governing FHLBank housing goals “to make those requirements consistent with other data reporting requirements currently applicable to the Banks.”The FHFA’s final rule is in keeping with the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 which amended the Federal Home Loan Bank Act by requiring the director to establish housing goals with respect to the FHLBanks’ purchase of mortgages.

The Federal Home Loan Banks continue to show an investment preference for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities during the third quarter of 2011, posting a modest increase from the previous quarter, according to a new analysis by Inside The GSEs based on data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.Ginnie Mae securities, meanwhile, remained popular within the FHLBank system during the three-month period ending Sept. 30, 2011.GSE MBS accounted for 68.9 percent of combined FHLBank MBS portfolios, up 1.7 percent from the second quarter of 2011. The Finance Agency’s data do not separately break out Fannie and Freddie volume or share.

The use of Federal Home Loan Bank advances among bank and thrift members fell overall during the third quarter of 2011. Two of the three top members show a drop-off larger than the overall industry’s year-over-year rate of decline, according to the Inside Mortgage Finance Bank Mortgage Database.All of the nation’s bank and thrifts reported using a combined $323.3 billion in advances as of Sept. 30, 2011, down 5.2 percent from the second quarter and off 19.7 percent from the same period a year earlier.The Federal Home Loan Bank’s Office of Finance in its third quarter combined finance report cited decreased member demand, regular maturities and continuing prepayments for the third quarter decline.

The Federal Home Loan Banks of Seattle and New York recently announced personnel changes in the executive ranks of both Banks.The Seattle Bank’s Board of Directors last week appointed Michael Wilson as its new president and CEO, replacing acting president and CEO Steven Horton, who himself replaced Richard Riccobono in October 2010. Wilson, currently executive vice president and chief business officer of the FHLBank of Des Moines, brings 17 years of experience in the FHLBank system, serving in various Bank posts. He will join the Seattle Bank effective Jan. 30, 2012.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency issued a final rule last week which clears the way for the Federal Home Loan Banks to voluntarily merge, but it remains to be seen whether any of the 12 FHLBanks desire consolidation.The final rule, published in the Nov. 28 Federal Register, is largely similar to the proposal the FHFA issued one year ago following “a number of minor revisions” to address concerns raised by commenters.

Debt issuance for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks all recorded increases in new debt issuance during the third quarter of 2011.The three GSEs collectively issued $797.7 billion in new debt issue during the third quarter, a 9.8 percent increase from the previous quarter, while GSE debt outstanding at $2.152 trillion declined 4.8 percent from the second quarter.