Housing Finance Reform FAQs

Why is housing finance reform important?
A strong secondary market is an essential component of our country’s housing finance system that must be preserved and fortified to ensure the widespread availability of and ready access to mortgage capital. Federal government support of the secondary market is necessary to ensure the constant and stable flow of capital to all housing markets at all times, including periods of economic downturn.

The Housing Finance Reform FAQs (last updated January 2020) covers the following:

• Why is housing finance reform important?
• What are NCSHA’s priorities in housing finance reform?
• Why should the new housing finance system be expected to support affordable housing?
• Aren’t federal housing programs enough to support affordable housing without a commitment from the secondary market system?
• Didn’t affordable housing efforts cause Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s financial troubles?
• Why should the housing finance system continue to fund the Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund?
• What is the Market Access Fund?
• Why should HFAs administer the Market Access Fund?