WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), today issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s release of a white paper outlining potential approaches to reforming the government’s role in the secondary mortgage market.
“Today is another important milestone on the road to stabilizing the mortgage market. By putting forth its white paper, the Obama administration joins Congress, the industry and other stakeholders in advancing the dialog on the proper role of the government in the real estate finance markets.
“We are gratified to see that one of the concepts they articulate closely tracks MBA’s proposal, released eighteen months ago, that visualizes a workable, commonsense system driven by private capital. Our proposal envisions an explicit, but limited, government guarantee of lower-risk mortgage-backed securities. The guarantee would be paid for by fees used to build a fund to protect taxpayers. We continue to believe that this is the most prudent approach, one that places the primary risk on private investors and ensures sufficient liquidity during times of economic stress in order to provide affordable mortgage finance in all types of mortgage markets. Our proposal directly addresses the problems that caused the failure of the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac system.
“We look forward to working with legislators, the administration and other stakeholders to evaluate the different proposals on restructuring the market without dramatically increasing the cost of credit, and thoughtfully working through the important transition issues facing the current government sponsored entities (GSEs). The sooner we can resolve these important issues, the sooner we can restore stability and confidence to the mortgage and housing markets.”
###
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is the national association representing the real estate finance industry, an industry that employs more than 280,000 people in virtually every community in the country. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the association works to ensure the continued strength of the nation’s residential and commercial real estate markets; to expand homeownership and extend access to affordable housing to all Americans. MBA promotes fair and ethical lending practices and fosters professional excellence among real estate finance employees through a wide range of educational programs and a variety of publications. Its membership of over 2,200 companies includes all elements of real estate finance: mortgage companies, mortgage brokers, commercial banks, thrifts, Wall Street conduits, life insurance companies and others in the mortgage lending field. For additional information, visit MBA’s Web site: www.mortgagebankers.org.
Contact:
John Mechem (202) 557-2924
