September marks the fifteenth anniversary of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac being placed into conservatorship by the FHFA at the height of the Great Financial Crisis, and continues to show no signs of ending, according to a new Q&A from industry veteran Don Layton.
Read More »The Future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
A new opinion piece from Don Layton, the former Freddie Mac boss, explores how the GSEs came to be under government control, and what the future should hold for the two companies.
Read More »A Look at the GSEs’ Equitable Housing Finance Plans
Don Layton, Former CEO of Freddie Mac, lays out four major points the GSEs should consider as related programs go online.
Read More »Layton Examines Implications of Record-High Pandemic Mortgage Profits
Don Layton, the current Senior Industry Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University—and former CEO of Freddie Mac—released a new column on the policymaking implications of record-high mortgage origination profits during the pandemic he authored after the ...
Read More »A Modest Suggestion for a New Era
Americans have a lot invested in residential real estate, about $12 Trillion by way of traditional first mortgages on single-family homes. While that number may be shocking, 70% of that debt has been financed by four government agencies Freddie Mac ...
Read More »Is There Life Left in GSE Reform?
It has been 14 years since Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were put under full operational control of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) at the height of the financial crisis in September 2008. At the time, then-Treasury Secretary Henry ...
Read More »Is Now the Time to Readdress Conforming Loan Limits?
The conforming loan limit reached $971,000 last year for high-priced areas, leading to concerns the government may be subsidizing loans for wealthy families unnecessarily. Former Freddie Mac CEO Don Layton takes a deeper dive into this issue.
Read More »Rethinking Housing-Finance Policy
An expert in the subject says it is time to "step back, take stock, and look for fresh ideas" surrounding America's homeownership rate and related financial health.
Read More »Ex-GSE CEO Sees Hope in Toomey’s Housing Reform Plan
NAR will examine trends in the market, taking a closer look at the regional factors that are shaping the spring homebuying season.
Read More »Layton: GSE Scorecard Brings Little Value to the Public
Former Freddie Mac CEO Don Layton takes a critical look at the FHFA’s 2021 Scorecard, finding it causes more confusion than transparency.
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