Freddie Mac

David Brickman will take the helm of the mortgage giant at a time of transformation in the mortgage market and housing finance policy.

There’s bipartisan consensus that the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are unsustainable, but that may not be enough for lawmakers to upend the current system.

The Senate Banking Committee will hold two hearings at the end of March on Chairman Mike Crapo’s most recent framework for housing finance reform.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association approved changes to its good delivery guidelines that ease the path to the government-sponsored enterprises issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities starting on June 3.

Mark Calabria, who could be confirmed as early as this month, is expected to focus on changes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s conservatorships to let the mortgage giants keep more of their profits.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and 26 other groups warned the agency not to pursue steps reducing the scope of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could upset the mortgage market.

The new regulation, codifying requirements already in practice, is meant to help the mortgage giants prepare for the adoption of a uniform security in June.

Credit risk transfer does more than just reduce exposure to a downturn in the housing market. It also provides them with information about how others view mortgage credit risk.

Without the ability to issue unsecured debt nearly as cheaply as U.S. Treasury bonds, Freddie Mac could not afford to repurchase defaulted loans from MBS, Freddie CEO Don Layton said.

Industry observers will be closely monitoring Mark Calabria's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday for hints about how the Trump administration plans to proceed on mortgage finance reform.