Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government-sponsored enterprises that played a prominent role in the financial crisis of 2008, and the federal government have come to a crossroads. The government must make key decisions about their structure, and indeed, their very existence. The government has played an important role in the American housing market since the early 1930s, when the Great Depression ushered in housing programs to promote a stable society. The government's role expanded further during the recent housing and financial crisis—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now dominate the American housing market, backing more than 62 percent of new mortgages and holding more than $5 trillion in accumulated mortgage risk. In The Future of Housing Finance Martin Baily and his associates discuss the issues and options that policymakers face as they reassess the government's role in the U.S. residential mortgage market. While presenting diverse analytical perspectives, including a contribution from former chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, all contributors agree that the government's support for mortgage financing in the recent past was too broad and deep but some role is necessary to maintain the stability of the housing finance market. The Obama administration has recommended reducing the role of Fannie and Freddie while replacing them with a private market approach, but continuing federal support for worthy borrowers. But what will Congress agree to? And how fast will it move on any initiative? Specific topics include: • Introduction of a new system to reduce incentives that encourage excessive risk taking. • Gradual withdrawal of Fannie and Freddie from the housing finance system. • New approaches to regulating mortgage securitization, with financial stability as a primary goal. • Use of government-backed guarantees through institutional structures designed to limit moral hazard.

"Evaluates the options open to policymakers as they reassess the federal government's role in the U.S. residential mortgage market and consider a new system that reduces risk in mortgage lending, maintains a limited government role, and gradually removes the government-sponsored enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) from the mortgage market"--Provided by publisher.

Explains the financial history leading to the mortgage meltdown and assesses today's housing finance systems in the United States and abroad.

The great U.S. mortgage crisis was a transformative event that will reverberate for decades across families, neighborhoods, and cities. After years of research on various aspects of the crisis, Dan Immergluck examines what went wrong, identifying the factors that created the fragile housing finance system, which provided fertile ground for calamity. He also examines the federal response to the crisis, including who benefitted most from the response, and how a more effective and fair response could have been formulated. To reduce the incidence of future crises, Immergluck provides a pathway for building a more stable and fair housing finance system that would be less vulnerable to the booms and busts of global finance. Housing finance helps determine access to stable, decent-quality, affordable housing and also affects the geography of housing and educational opportunities. Thus, housing markets shape our communities, our neighborhoods, and our social and economic opportunities. Immergluck’s analysis and formulation of a way forward will be of particular interest to those concerned with urban form, neighborhood change and stability, and urban planning and policy, as well as those interested in housing and mortgage markets more generally.

Rapid economic growth in South Asia, urbanization, and a rising middle class have created considerable pent-up demand for housing and housing finance. More than 14 percent of low-income South Asians have no home. In response, South Asia s dynamic housing and housing finance markets have grown at rates of around 30%, but are still limited to upper-income groups. The contribution of housing and real-estate sector to overall economic growth, social uplift and employment is considerable. Housing and housing finance services have the clear potential to expand to middle- and even lower- income families. This requires an improved land administration, strengthened legal framework for land titling, registration, and foreclosure, better market data provision, and promotion of long-term funding for mortgage lenders and developers. Innovative traditional mortgage products and Islamic finance could match demand in underserved market segments. This report, a first regional effort on the topic, examines housing shortages in South Asia, as well as outlines shortcomings of the market for home mortgages. Information on good practice and country-specific examples are presented on enabling builder/developers, mortgage lenders, land administration, as well as foreclosure and other relevant regulations, to strengthen home ownership in South Asia. Special emphasis is accorded to low-income housing solutions.

The future of housing finance : a review of proposals to address market structure and transition : hearing before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, September 29, 2010.