Industry Leaders and Regulators Meet to Shape Housing Policy

Ginnie Mae President Ted Tozer (far left) addresses the audience at the 2016 Five Star Government Forum in Washington, D.C.

For the seventh consecutive year, leaders from both government and mortgage servicing converged in Washington, D.C. for the 2016 Five Star Government Forum to work together to shape housing policy in America.

The historic Newseum provided the backdrop for the day-long exclusive event on Thursday, March 31, as leaders from government agencies such as the Federal Housing Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae joined with top executives from companies such as Wells Fargo, Nationstar Mortgage, Ten-X, Equifax, Redfin, SecureView, Deloitte, the Collingwood Group, Seneca Mortgage Servicing, Bayview Loan Servicing, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC, Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS), and Rock Ventures to engage in open dialogue about the mortgage industry’s most pressing issues and how rules and regulations that originate in Washington, D.C. affect the everyday American homeowner.

“This event [Government Forum]  provides a unique platform to engage mortgage servicers, federal regulators and agencies that seek to establish common ground on the establishment of best practices and solutions, ultimately designed to protect homeownership," Five Star Institute President and CEO Ed Delgado said. “It has been and continues to be a privilege to bring the mortgage industry together to promote these conversations that are for the benefit of all engaged.”

The morning’s events at the Five Star Government Forum included a keynote address from HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Edward Golding as well as panel discussions on the potential effects of the upcoming presidential election on housing policy (“Changing of the Guard”) and effective strategies for regulators and the industry to work together for the good of the American homeowner (“Meeting in the Middle”).

The afternoon’s activities included a keynote address from Ginnie Mae President Theodore W. Tozer, an update on single-family housing by leaders from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a discussion on the economic indicators that are expected to drive the housing market in 2016, and a discussion on the challenges that communities are facing while still trying to recover from the housing crisis eight years later.

Editor’s note: The Five Star Institute is the parent company of DS News and DSNews.com.