The Mounting Case for Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The Mounting Case for Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Author: Vern McKinley

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Two of the largest government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), receive government subsidies estimated to be worth $6 billion. Of that total, an estimated $2 billion goes directly as income to shareholders and employees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By design, the remainder of the subsidy largely diverts investment into the middle- and upper-income housing sector and away from capital sectors of the economy.Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac preserve their privileged status through a multi-million-dollar lobbying effort that includes massive "soft money" campaign contributions and the payment of exorbitant salaries to politically connected executives and lobbyists. The GSEs also protect their government-sponsored empire through millions of dollars of charitable donations to Washington advocacy groups.Because of their quasi-governmental status, there is a market perception that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities and debt carry an implicit federal guarantee against default. Hence, the GSEs expose the federal taxpayer to an ever-increasing potential contingent liability that could ultimately cost tens of billions of dollars to rectify.To remedy the situation, those GSEs should be stripped of the privileges of government sponsorship and be converted to fully private enterprises. The only remaining questions for analysis are when and how privatization should occur.


Studies on Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Classic Reprint)

Studies on Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Classic Reprint)

Author: United States Dept of Housin Research

Publisher:

Published: 2015-06-28

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 9781330466988

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Excerpt from Studies on Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac The Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-550, Section 1355) requires that the Comptroller General of the United States, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall each conduct and submit to the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs (now the Committee on Banking and Financial Services) of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate a study regarding the desirability and feasibility of repealing the federal charters of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), eliminating any federal sponsorship of the enterprises, and allowing the enterprises to continue to operate as fully private entities. The text of the congressional requirement is reproduced in full at the end of this introduction. This volume contains five analytical studies that were prepared to inform the four agencies as to the best current thinking on issues surrounding the concept of full privatization, preparatory to drafting their Reports to Congress on privatization. This volume supplements the separate reports of the Comptroller General, the two Secretaries, and the Director, as published independently by each agency. In addition to the five studies, the volume includes commentaries on the studies by academic experts and by Fannie Mae, and in several cases responses to the commentaries by the study authors. The commentaries were initially presented in seminars on drafts of the papers. Seminar participants included the authors, invited discussants, staff members from the four agencies and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, and representatives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The plan for the studies and seminar series was formulated by an interagency working group. This group designed the materials used in recruitment of authors, directed the author selection process, monitored preparation of the studies, and organized the seminars. It consisted of William Kruvant, William Shear, Mitchell Rachlis, Fred Evans, and Paul Thompson from the U. S. General Accounting Office; Harold Bunce, John Gardner, and Stephanie Smith from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Joan Affleck-Smith, Edward DeMarco, and Mario Ugoletti from the U. S. Department of the Treasury; and Robin Seiler and later Marvin Phaup from the Congressional Budget Office. The Congressional Budget Office funded the Stanton paper, and HUD funded the other four papers. John Gardner of HUD served as general editor for this volume. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Studies on Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Studies on Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Author: United States Congressional Budget Offi

Publisher: Palala Press

Published: 2015-09-07

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 9781341888816

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.


Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions

Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions

Author: James R. Barth

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2001-08-31

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 9780792373643

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Policy makers around the globe will find that Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions offers a cogent assessment of the contemporary regulatory environment in the U.S. financial markets, and a blueprint for action in evolving global financial markets. Financial markets are among the most highly-regulated markets in the world. Nevertheless, financial crises still occur, witness the U.S. savings-and-loan fiasco of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the Mexican and East Asian Financial implosions of 1994 and 1997. What role does regulation play in stabilizing-or-destabilizing financial markets? Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions answers this question with incisive analysis of financial market regulation in the United States. Each paper considers how regulation enhances or impedes the efficiency of a particular financial sector, and is followed by comments by two or three noted experts. The result of this approach is a wealth of useful information that may be applied by policy makers contemplating the restructuring of regulations and financial institutions. The contributors to this volume are distinguished economists, many of whom have careers not just in business, government, or academia, but have held influential positions in all three. Such varied backgrounds enable the contributors to offer remarkable insights based on the best of theory and practice. Never before has understanding the workings of U.S. financial market regulation been so important to the development of world financial markets. The ramifications of financial regulation in the United States extend far beyond the nation's borders. World financial markets are undergoing dramatic change, driven by the rapid development and deployment of new technology that enables information-and money-to travel farther, faster. However, a Byzantine array of regulatory structures in the international arena hinders the development of efficient global financial markets. Policy makers around the world are attempting to address the issues by emulating the financial markets of the United States.


Guaranteed to Fail

Guaranteed to Fail

Author: Viral V. Acharya

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2011-03-14

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1400838096

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Why America's public-private mortgage giants threaten the world economy—and what to do about it The financial collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2008 led to one of the most sweeping government interventions in private financial markets in history. The bailout has already cost American taxpayers close to $150 billion, and substantially more will be needed. The U.S. economy--and by extension, the global financial system--has a lot riding on Fannie and Freddie. They cannot fail, yet that is precisely what these mortgage giants are guaranteed to do. How can we limit the damage to our economy, and avoid making the same mistakes in the future? Guaranteed to Fail explains how poorly designed government guarantees for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac led to the debacle of mortgage finance in the United States, weighs different reform proposals, and provides sensible, practical recommendations. Despite repeated calls for tougher action, Washington has expanded the scope of its guarantees to Fannie and Freddie, fueling more and more housing and mortgages all across the economy--and putting all of us at risk. This book unravels the dizzyingly immense, highly interconnected businesses of Fannie and Freddie. It proposes a unique model of reform that emphasizes public-private partnership, one that can serve as a blueprint for better organizing and managing government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In doing so, Guaranteed to Fail strikes a cautionary note about excessive government intervention in markets.


The Future of Housing Finance

The Future of Housing Finance

Author: Martin Neil Baily

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2011-09-30

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0815722095

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government-sponsored enterprises that played a prominent role in the financial crisis of 2008, and the federal government have come to a crossroads. The government must make key decisions about their structure, and indeed, their very existence. The government has played an important role in the American housing market since the early 1930s, when the Great Depression ushered in housing programs to promote a stable society. The government's role expanded further during the recent housing and financial crisis—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now dominate the American housing market, backing more than 62 percent of new mortgages and holding more than $5 trillion in accumulated mortgage risk. In The Future of Housing Finance Martin Baily and his associates discuss the issues and options that policymakers face as they reassess the government's role in the U.S. residential mortgage market. While presenting diverse analytical perspectives, including a contribution from former chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, all contributors agree that the government's support for mortgage financing in the recent past was too broad and deep but some role is necessary to maintain the stability of the housing finance market. The Obama administration has recommended reducing the role of Fannie and Freddie while replacing them with a private market approach, but continuing federal support for worthy borrowers. But what will Congress agree to? And how fast will it move on any initiative? Specific topics include: • Introduction of a new system to reduce incentives that encourage excessive risk taking. • Gradual withdrawal of Fannie and Freddie from the housing finance system. • New approaches to regulating mortgage securitization, with financial stability as a primary goal. • Use of government-backed guarantees through institutional structures designed to limit moral hazard.