Primary Market Gets Breather

By Caitlin Jones
April 12, 2010 1 min read

The LIHTC primary investment market got a breather in February, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission reported that the Federal Housing Finance Agency has told them they may not sell or dispose of their existing LIHTC investments. As a result of this, and no prospects of returning to profitability in the near future, the two GSEs wrote down to zero the remaining value of their LIHTC portfolios Ã $5 billion for Fannie Mae and $3.4 billion for Freddie Mac.

There has been some speculation that the GSEs might try to somehow support the LIHTC market in other ways, such as acting as a guarantor of tax credit investments originated or sold by others. Freddie Mac official Kim Griffith, though, said the company isn’t exploring this kind of possible role, or any other activity involving housing credits “other than trying to be as active as we can on the debt side.” A Fannie Mae spokesman said the company is “looking for ways” to work with tax credit syndicators but wouldn’t provide details.

Breaking Ground

Jennifer Leimaile Ho, Minnesota Housing Commissioner and Incoming Chair of National Council of State Housing Agencies

Pamela Martineau • December 1, 2024 10 min read

Earlier this fall, Jennifer Leimaile Ho was elected chair of the National Council of State Housing Agencies’ (NCSHA) 2025 Board of Directors. Ho is the Commissioner of Minnesota Housing, having been appointed by Governor Tim Walz in January 2019 and reappointed in 2023.

“Business as Usual”

Leaders in Equity Express Optimism Despite an Uncertain Future

Abram Mamet • December 1, 2024 9 min read

Any outside observer may assume some unease amongst the low-income housing industry. Buffeted on the one hand by residual stressors from the COVID-19 pandemic and on the other by the uncertain prospects of an incoming federal administration keen on cutting spending and shrinking government programs, the affordable housing landscape is experiencing an inflection point.

NCSHA Recognizes Stand-Out Affordable Housing Programs and Initiatives

Pamela Martineau • December 1, 2024 7 min read

This fall, the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) recognized 17 programs offered by state housing finance agencies across the nation that creatively developed tools to tackle their communities’ affordable housing challenges.