Federal Housing Finance Board 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is adopting a final rule to implement the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) amendments to the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and Soundness Act) and the Federal Home Loan Bank Act (Bank Act) governing civil administrative enforcement actions by FHFA, under which FHFA's authority was consolidated to initiate enforcement proceedings against the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the Enterprises), the Federal Home Loan Banks (the Banks) (collectively, the regulated entities), and their entity- affiliated parties. This rule removes the existing Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), and establishes new FHFA regulations.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is re-organizing and re-adopting existing investment regulations that apply to the Federal Home Loan Banks (Banks) and that were previously adopted by the Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board). The regulation is being adopted as a new part in FHFA's regulations. As part of this rulemaking, FHFA will incorporate limits on the Banks' investment in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and certain asset-backed securities (ABS) that were previously set forth in the Finance Board's Financial Management Policy (FMP). The FMP will terminate as of the effective date of this rule.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing a final rule to implement a provision of the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act, as amended, that provides for a temporary increase in the minimum capital level for the entities regulated by FHFAthe Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Federal Home Loan Banks. The final rule establishes standards for imposing a temporary increase and for rescinding such an increase, and a time frame for review of such an increase.

A number of regulations applicable to the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (collectively, the Enterprises), and the Federal Home Loan Banks (Banks), contain specific references to, or requirements based on, credit ratings issued by credit rating organizations registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs). Section 939A of the recently enacted Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) provides Federal agencies with one-year to review regulations that require the use of an assessment of the credit- worthiness of a security or money market instrument and any references to, or requirements in, such regulations regarding credit ratings, and to remove such references or requirements. In this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) describes the relevant regulations affected by this provision of the Dodd-Frank Act and requests comments on potential alternatives to the use of credit ratings in these regulations.