
The Politics of Housing

The Bedrock Asset That Was
Residential
property is our single largest asset and mortgage debt, when paid,
constitutes the largest financial assets in most economies. The great
American housing boom caused home prices to outpace rental growth. A
historic first. It seems clear that the housing boom involved dramatic
increases in housing prices relative to housing rent.
In 2008
alone, the United States government allocated over $900 billion to
special loans and rescues related to the US housing bubble, with over
half going to the quasi-government agencies of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac,
and the
Federal Housing Administration. At the end of 2009,in
December (when we werent looking) the Treasury Department announced it
would be providing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unlimited financial
support for the next three years despite $400 billion in losses.
The
Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) gave FHFA the
authority to set performance goals for Fannie and Freddie. The goals
set minimum percentages of all housing units financed by mortgages
acquired by them in a given year. For 2010 and 2011, the FHFA proposal
set three single-family owner-occupied goals and a single-family
refinancing goal.
FHA Requirements
1.
Single-family housing: that 27% of the total number of mortgages
purchased by Fannie and Freddie be of low income family housing,
defined low-income not exceeding 80% of the area median income.
2.
Single-family housing: required that 8% of the Fannie and Freddie
purchases be of very low-income family mortgages, defined as family
income that does not exceed 50% of the area median income.
3.
Single-family housing: required that 13% of the total number of
mortgages purchased by Fannie and Freddie would be originated in
low-income areas.
For 2010 and 2011, 25% of Fannie and Freddie
purchases of refinanced mortgages must be low-income family loans. The
FHA insists it will not undertake uneconomic or high-risk activities in
support of the goals
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