The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the release of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) Equitable Housing Finance Plans for 2022-2024. These plans are designed to complement the initiatives outlined in FHFA’s Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2022–2026 that promote the Enterprises’ safety and soundness and foster housing finance markets that provide equitable access to affordable and sustainable housing.
“The Equitable Housing Finance Plans represent a commitment to sustainable approaches that will meaningfully address the racial and ethnic disparities in homeownership and wealth that have persisted for generations,” said FHFA Acting Director Sandra L. Thompson. “We look forward to working with the Enterprises, lenders, and other housing industry participants to further develop the ideas described in these plans.”
The Enterprises developed the Equitable Housing Finance Plans following FHFA’s Request for Input and public listening session in September 2021. The 2022-2024 plan activities, which will be updated annually, address barriers experienced by renters, aspiring homeowners, and current homeowners – particularly in Black and Latino communities. These activities include but are not limited to:
- Consumer education initiatives for renters and homeowners;
- Credit reporting to help tenants build credit profiles and enable better access to financial services;
- Expanding counseling services to support housing stability;
- Deploying technology to improve access to sustainable credit and fair home appraisals; and
- Special Purpose Credit Programs to address barriers to sustainable homeownership.
Additionally, FHFA has created a pilot transparency framework for the Enterprises to accompany these plans. This framework requires each Enterprise to publish and maintain a list of pilots and test-and-learn activities on its public website. The framework will provide accountability in determining whether such activities are working to address the disparities identified in the Equitable Housing Finance Plans.
Pilot programs and other plan activities are subject to further development and refinement by the Enterprises, as well as FHFA’s review and oversight of any risks to, or impacts on, safety and soundness.