Dec 21 -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) requesting public comment on a variety of questions related to potential changes to the regulation establishing housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Enterprises). FHFA will consider public comments received on these questions in order to inform rulemaking that is planned for 2021 to establish single-family and multifamily housing goals benchmark levels for 2022 and beyond, and to make other changes to the Enterprise housing goals regulation, as appropriate. Comments must be received on or before February 28, 2021.
FHFA plans to issue a proposed rule in 2021 that would establish new benchmark levels for the Enterprise housing goals for 2022 and beyond, as well as make other changes to the regulation as appropriate. Based on the comments received in response to this ANPR, FHFA may propose revisions to the Enterprise housing goals regulation for comment in the proposed rule planned for 2021 or in a later rulemaking. FHFA invites comments on the specific questions set forth in this ANPR, and on any other issues that commenters think should be addressed as part of the rulemaking that will establish the housing goals benchmark levels for 2022 and beyond.
Question 1: Are there categories of loans that should be excluded from receiving housing goals credit under the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and Soundness Act) provisions on “unacceptable business and lending practices?”
Question 2: Are there ways to determine whether the low-income areas home purchase subgoal has resulted in the displacement of residents from certain communities, or to measure the extent of any such displacement? Should FHFA consider modifying the low-income areas home purchase subgoal to address such concerns? If so, how?
Question 3: Should FHFA revise the low-income areas home purchase subgoal to consider loans on properties located in Opportunity Zones, and if so, how should such loans be treated?
Question 4: Is there evidence that the Enterprise housing goals have helped expand low-income homeownership in the marketplace?
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/12/21/2020-28084/enterprise-housing-goals
