Robert M. Couch Quoted in Law360 Article Regarding the Impact of Recent Federal Regulatory Changes on the Housing Market

Robert Couch was recently quoted in a Law360 article entitled "New Mortgage Rules Complicate Fannie, Freddie Endgame." The article explores new federal regulations, finalizing a risk-retention rule that will exempt banks from holding a five-percent stake in mortgage-backed securities sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, furthering the stagnation of private companies’ and investors’ participation in the housing market.

“There are lenders interested in providing mortgages to borrowers who may not meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s qualified mortgage standard or Fannie and Freddie’s requirements for purchasing loans, but they want to avoid keeping them on their books,” said Couch, current Housing Commissioner for the Bipartisan Policy Center and former Ginnie Mae President, adding, “The status quo becomes even more entrenched in the system… As a friend of mine says, inertia is gaining momentum.”

Read the complete Law360 article, "New Mortgage Rules Complicate Fannie, Freddie Endgame.”