Home / Daily Dose / Collaborating for a Sustainable Housing Industry
Print This Post Print This Post

Collaborating for a Sustainable Housing Industry

It’s been a decade since the housing crisis of 2008. As the present administration looks at rolling back some of the more stringent regulations that were introduced during that time to protect homes and homeowners, the regulatory framework is also undergoing a fresh round of thinking to improve its checks and balances while making sure they don’t limit access to credit and inhibit economic growth.

As these changes take place, it is time for the industry to engage in an open dialogue with policymakers on some of the most pressing issues of the day in housing and housing finance. The ninth Five Star Government Forum in Washington D.C. on April 3, 2018, is a platform for such an interaction.

“A collaborative working relationship between regulatory agencies and the industry promotes understanding and ultimately benefits homeowners,” said Ed Delgado, President, and CEO of the Five Star Institute. “The Five Star Government Forum facilitates the growth of those relationships by bringing together interested stakeholders to promote the exchange of ideas and best practices. We look forward to hosting this discussion on April 3.”

To be sure, housing and housing finance reforms, especially for the underserved are on top of the agenda for many of the speakers at the forum. “I think the most important thing to understand is that the only reason for the government to be involved in the housing finance system is to help low- and medium-income families buy homes,” said Peter J. Wallison, Senior Fellow and Arthur F. Burns Fellow in Financial Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute.

Wallison is one of the keynote speakers at the Forum. He has also held several prominent positions in the federal government, including serving as White House Counsel to the President of the United States as well as General Counsel for the United States Department of Treasury, where he played a significant role in the development of proposals for the deregulation of the financial services industry.

Another keynote speaker at the Forum is the Hon. Edward DeMarco, President of the Housing Policy Council Financial Services Roundtable. He served as the acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) immediately following the crisis from 2009 to 2014 overseeing the conservatorship of the GSEs. Speaking on the need for the discussion around affordable housing, DeMarco said, “With affordable housing, the discussion is certainly developing. We’re seeing some new ideas emerging about how to encourage sustainable homeownership that’s affordable to folks.”

The list of speakers also includes influencers among industry professionals and peers who have played integral roles in providing quality leadership to the federal government and the mortgage industry. They include:

  • Tim Rood, Partner, The Collingwood Group
  • John (Jack) Konyk, Executive Director, Government Affairs, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC
  • Prasant Sar, Supervisory Policy Analyst, Servicing Policy and Asset Management, FHFA
  • Yvette Gilmore, VP, Servicing Performance Management, Freddie Mac
  • Tendayi Kapfidze, Chief Economist, LendingTree
  • Rick Lazio U.S. Congressman, R-NY,(1993-2001), SVP, Alliantgroup
  • Ron Haynie, SVP Mortgage Finance Policy, Independent Community Bankers Assoc.
  • Joe Murin, Chairman, JJAM Financial Services, President, Ginnie Mae (2008-2009)
  • Mark Palim, Deputy Chief Economist Fannie Mae
  • Leonard Kiefer, Deputy Chief Economist, Freddie Mac
  • Joseph A. Smith Jr., Partner, Poyner Spruill
  • Andrew (Andy) Trevayne, Assistant Director for Loan and Property Management, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

To register for the Five Star Government Forum click here.

About Author: Radhika Ojha

Radhika Ojha is an independent writer and copy-editor, and a reporter for DS News. She is a graduate of the University of Pune, India, where she received her B.A. in Commerce with a concentration in Accounting and Marketing and an M.A. in Mass Communication. Upon completion of her masters degree, Ojha worked at a national English daily publication in India (The Indian Express) where she was a staff writer in the cultural and arts features section. Ojha, also worked as Principal Correspondent at HT Media Ltd and at Honeywell as an executive in corporate communications. She and her husband currently reside in Houston, Texas.
x

Check Also

Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady Moving Into the New Year

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee again chose that no action is better than changing rates as the economy begins to stabilize.