August 17, 2010
NCSHA executive director Barbara J. Thompson participated today in the Administration’s Conference on the Future of Housing Finance.  The event provided a forum for public input as the Administration continues its work developing a comprehensive housing finance reform proposal for delivery to Congress by January 2011, as mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
 
During the conference, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said that although there is no clear consensus on the form the GSEs will take, the Adminsitration will not recommend returning the GSEs to the role they played before they were placed in conservatorship in 2008.  HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan added that the country's residential housing market is one of the largest areas of the economy, making the future of housing finance important not just to housing advocates, but to the entire economy.
 
Secretary Geithner and Secretary Donovan then moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of experts about the critical issues surrounding housing finance reform, including the public status of the GSEs, the role of the private market, and the future of affordable housing.  The panelists represented a cross-section of stakeholder groups with interests in the outcome of this reform process, including citizen advocacy groups, economists, investors, market researchers, originators, securitizers, servicers, and private mortgage insurers.  Breakout sessions among the stakeholders in attendance followed.
 
Program details and a list of panelists are available here.
 
View NCSHA’s most recent statement on GSE reform here.  For all of NCSHA’s coverage of issues pertaining to GSEs, click here.