Privatizing Fannie Mae Freddie Mac And The Federal Home Loan Banks

This book argues that privatization of the government-sponsored enterprises is the only viable way to protect the taxpayers and the economy.

This report demonstrates that a significant proportion of prospective homeowners remains underserved by the mortgage finance industry. The report reviews and evaluates the framework of housing goals that has been established by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It finds that the housing goals represent a promising approach to focusing their resources on the mortgage credit needs of homebuyers. Such a programmatic emphasis by these enterprises represents an appropriate exchange for the benefits that they receive through their ties with the Federal government.

Because two disparate clients demand loyalty from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, these government-sponsored entities must fulfill two ultimately irreconcilable roles.

In September 2008, the fed. gov¿t. assumed control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (FM/FM), two federally chartered institutions that last year guaranteed three-quarters of new residential mortgages originated in the U.S. This study examines various alternatives for the fed. gov¿t¿s. future role in the secondary (resale) market for residential mortgages. Contents: Overview of FM/FM, and the Secondary Mortgage Market; Possible Rationales for a Fed. Role in the Secondary Mortgage Market; Weaknesses of the Pre-crisis Model for FM/FM; Alternative Approaches for the Future of the Secondary Mortgage Market; History of the Secondary Mortgage Market; The Fed. Home Loan Banks. Charts and tables. A print on demand report.

Successful privatization must be accompanied by the complete removal of privileges and any public policy mission. Bank behavior changes rapidly as profit maximation replaces the bureaucratic objective function. Once privileges are granted, they are difficult to remove. Therefore, privatization is a one-time (nonreversible) operation. The German mortgage bank, DePfa, went through a carefully planned and lengthy privatization process that was successful. Fannie Mae, the U.S. mortgage firm, became a privately owned institution endowed with special privileges, which led to a quasi-monopoly position. This resulted in suboptimal financial sector performance. Fannie Mae’s special privileges have proven resistant to reform efforts.