Stabilizing the System of Mortgage Finance in the United States

Stabilizing the System of Mortgage Finance in the United States
Author: Richard Koss
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2017-08-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484312546

It has been over a decade since the peak of house prices in the US was attained, and while there has been a concerted regulatory response to the subsequent collapse, the two Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) remain in conservatorship. While this action served to forestall a deeper crisis at the time, over the past several years risks related to the system of mortgage finance can be seen building across several dimensions that need to be addressed. While reforms to the GSEs are an important part of dealing with these concerns, this paper argues that broader changes need to be made across the entire mortgage landscape to stabilize the system, even before the final state of the GSEs is fully determined.

Stabilizing the System of Mortgate Finance in the United States

Stabilizing the System of Mortgate Finance in the United States
Author: Richard Koss
Publisher:
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2017
Genre:
ISBN:

It has been over a decade since the peak of house prices in the US was attained, and while there has been a concerted regulatory response to the subsequent collapse, the two Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) remain in conservatorship. While this action served to forestall a deeper crisis at the time, over the past several years risks related to the system of mortgage finance can be seen building across several dimensions that need to be addressed. While reforms to the GSEs are an important part of dealing with these concerns, this paper argues that broader changes need to be made across the entire mortgage landscape to stabilize the system, even before the final state of the GSEs is fully determined.

The American Mortgage System

The American Mortgage System
Author: Susan M. Wachter
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2011-05-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0812204301

Successful home ownership requires the availability of appropriate mortgage products. In the years leading up to the collapse of the housing market, home buyers frequently accepted mortgages that were not only wrong for them but catastrophic for the economy as a whole. When the housing market bubble burst, so did a cornerstone of the American dream for many families. Restoring the promise of this dream requires an unflinching inspection of lending institutions and the right tools to repair the structures that support solid home purchases. The American Mortgage System: Crisis and Reform focuses on the causes of the housing market collapse and proposes solutions to prevent another rash of foreclosures. Edited by two leaders in the field of real estate and finance, Susan M. Wachter and Marvin M. Smith, The American Mortgage System examines key elements of the mortgage meltdown. The volume's contributors address the influence of the Community Reinvestment Act, which is often blamed for the crisis. They uncover how the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac invested outside the housing market with disastrous results. They present surprising information about low-income borrowers and the strengths of local banks. This collection of thoughtful studies includes extensive analysis of loan practices and the creation of unstable mortgage securities, presenting data largely unavailable until now. More than a critique, The American Mortgage System offers solutions to the problems facing the future of American home ownership, including identifying asset price bubbles, calculating risk, and preventing discrimination in lending. Measured yet timely and by turns provocative, The American Mortgage System provides a careful assessment of a troubled but indispensable part of the economic and social structure of the United States. This book is a sound investment for economists, urban planners, and all who shape public policy.

How Government Guarantees Promote Housing Finance Stability

How Government Guarantees Promote Housing Finance Stability
Author: David Min
Publisher:
Total Pages: 55
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, major reforms of the U.S. housing finance system are likely. One of the key issues facing policy makers in this area is whether and to what extent the federal government should maintain its current role in the residential mortgage markets. Since the New Deal, the federal government has guaranteed the primary sources of housing finance in the United States -- bank and thrift deposits, and the obligations of the mortgage securitization conduits Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. The prevailing view of government guarantees is that they increase financial instability because they encourage excessive risk-taking and reduce market discipline. But this perspective fails to explain why such guarantees have been closely correlated with stability in the housing finance system through our nation's history. Incorporating historical and economic analyses, this Article challenges the conventional wisdom around government guarantees in U.S. housing finance, and argues that these guarantees actually help to promote stability in several important ways: they prevent banking panics, they limit the formation of credit bubbles, and they promote the origination of consumer-friendly loans that are less likely to default. The Article concludes with the new and counterintuitive proposition that the positive stabilizing effects of U.S. mortgage guarantees far outweigh their destabilizing effects, which is why guarantees have been so closely tied to financial stability.

Mortgage Finance Reform

Mortgage Finance Reform
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Financial Services
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2011
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: