Today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced plans to re-propose the entire regulation on capital requirements (Capital Rule) for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) sometime in 2020.
“The 2018 Capital Rule was proposed before FHFA began the process of retaining capital at the Enterprises as a first step toward ending the conservatorships. In fairness to all interested parties, the comments submitted during the previous rulemaking were submitted under a different set of assumptions about the future of the Enterprises. During the process of the rulemaking, important issues were identified that will be addressed in the re-proposal,” said FHFA Director Mark Calabria.
“The Capital Rule is one of the most important rules I will issue as Director. This rule will be re-proposed and finalized within a timeline fully consistent with ending the conservatorships. Requiring the Enterprises to build capital that can properly support their risk ensures that taxpayers will never be on the hook again during an economic downturn.”