Accounting issues unearthed at Freddie Mac and at Fannie Mae point up the need for stronger financial oversight of the GSEs. Customers of financial institutions and financial service providers have a right to expect their safety and soundness. I fully support the need for legislation and regulation that strengthens the financial underpinnings of both (GSEs). Proposed financial reforms include increasing capital levels, establishing flexible capital requirements set by the regulator and receivership in the event of financial distress. Enforcement of these reforms is left to a new regulator, replacing both OFHEO and Federal Housing Finance Board. It's difficult to argue with these proposals. After all, it's in the nation's best interests that our housing finance markets remain strong. The 109th Congress will pass financial reform legislation, similar in substance to a bill introduced by Senator Chuck Hagel's (R-Neb.) S.190. It doesn't stop there, however.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to CUTimes.com, part of your ALM digital membership.

Your access to unlimited CUTimes.com content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking credit union news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Shared Accounts podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the commercial real estate and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, GlobeSt.com and ThinkAdvisor.com
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.