Last week, Senators Booker (D-NJ), Schumer (D-NY), and Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to FHFA Director Bill Pulte laying out eight specific policy recommendations to promote housing affordability:

  1. Carefully study the impacts of potential Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac re-privatization on consumers and the housing market;
  2. Increase support for lending related to the affordable housing goals and FHFA’s duty to serve low- and moderate-income households;
  3. Support affordable multifamily construction and rehabilitation lending;
  4. Support lending for models that preserve long-term affordability;
  5. Support fair housing and fair lending initiatives;
  6. Recommence implementation of tenant protections;
  7. Transition to the bi-merge credit reporting system; and
  8. Increase the Federal Home Loan Banks’ (FHLBs) Affordable Housing Program (AHP) Investments.