Testimony, Comments, Correspondence

NCSHA Submits Letter to Ginnie Mae on COVID-19 Servicing Concerns

On March 25, 2020, NCSHA sent this letter to Ginnie Mae urging it to help state housing finance agency (HFA) issuers of Ginnie Mae securities meet their pressing liquidity needs due to COVID‐19. The letter describes the servicing and liquidity concerns of HFA issuers and recommends Ginnie Mae provide relief to them. It also explains that, while NCSHA supports industry-wide efforts to provide liquidity to servicers, the mission and structure of state HFAs demand a more targeted approach.

NCSHA Letter to IRS, Treasury on Emergency Housing Credit Program Measures Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

NCSHA sent this letter calling on the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of the Treasury to take immediate steps to ease Housing Credit deadlines and provide other needed program accommodations due to social distancing during the COVIED-19 pandemic.

NCSHA Submits Letter in Response to HUD Tribal Letter on DPA

On February 14, HUD published a letter by the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing sent to Tribal Leaders. The letter, issued in accordance with HUD’s Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation Policy, requested feedback on regulatory changes HUD has been planning to implement for some time on the usage of down payment assistance (DPA) in conjunction with FHA single-family mortgage insurance.

ACTION Recommendations to Congress for Immediate Housing Credit Accommodations Related to COVID-19

The ACTION Campaign, which NCSHA co-chairs, released this statement calling on Congress to take immediate action to postpone certain Housing Credit deadlines to prevent developments from losing their tax credits due to the impact of COVID-19. The statement also urges Congress to establish a 4 percent minimum rate for bond-financed developments, as action by the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates has driven the 4 percent credit rate to a historical low.

NCSHA Comments on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing 2020 Proposed Rule

In response to HUD’s 2020 proposed rule to revise its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulations, on March 16, NCSHA submitted this letter on behalf of the state housing finance agencies outlining specific steps the administration can take to uphold the Fair Housing Act and practical implementation of its AFFH obligation.

Sign-On Letter: Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding, FY 2021 Appropriations

On February 21, 2020, the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) sent a letter signed by 4,707 organizations, including NCSHA, to Senators Richard Shelby, Patrick Leahy, Nita Lowey, and Kay Grange urging members of Congress to work together to ensure affordable housing, community development, and transportation programs receive the highest allocation of discretionary funds possible in FY 2021.

Reducing Regulatory Barriers in Federal Housing Programs: Summary of NCSHA’s Recommendations

In response to the White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing and on behalf of its member state housing finance agencies, on January 31, 2020, NCSHA recommended specific steps the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Treasury can take that will lead directly to more affordable housing financing and development. This chart offers a summary of those recommendations.

Reducing Regulatory Barriers in Federal Housing Programs: NCSHA’s Recommendations

ACTION Statement on Infrastructure and the Housing Credit

The A Call To Invest in Our Neighborhoods (ACTION) Campaign, which NCSHA co-chairs, provided this statement to members of the House Ways and Means Committee in response to its January 27, 2020, hearing, “Paving the Way for Funding and Financing Infrastructure Investments.”