FHFA must turn conservatorship directives into regulations before releasing the GSEs from conservatorship, according to former agency director Mark Calabria. But an explicit guarantee is unnecessary, he said.
Responding to written questions from the Senate Banking Committee, Trump’s new Treasury secretary gave the mortgage industry limited insight into his views on GSE reform.
It was largely business as usual for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the fourth quarter. But going forward, the Trump administration could make moves to reduce the two GSEs’ activity. (Includes data table.)
Given the financial and political hurdles that stand in the way of releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship, it may be only a second- or third-tier issue for the Trump administration.
Treasury and FHFA agreed on some guidelines for how the process of getting the GSEs out of conservatorship will work. But they didn’t set that process in motion.