FHFA final rule updates FHLB housing goals

Agency Rule-Making & Guidance FHFA FHLB Mortgages

On June 3, the FHFA published a final rule for the housing goals of the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) to help underserved borrowers. The final rule’s changes include: (i) eliminating the retrospective evaluation using HMDA data and establishing a single prospective mortgage purchase housing goal at 20 percent of the number of each FHLB’s total Acquired Member Assets mortgage purchases; (ii) establishing a separate small member participation housing goal with a target goal of at least 50 percent; (iii) eliminating the existing $2.5 billion volume threshold and allowing banks to propose alternative target levels for housing goals, subject to public comment and FHFA approval; (iv) capping the extent FHLBs can use loans to higher-income borrowers to meet their housing goals; (v) establishing a process through which FHLBs could propose alternative goals to the prospective goals set in the final rule; and (vi) simplifying and clarifying eligibility criteria for housing goals to enable federally backed loans sold by small institutions to FHLBs to count for goal purposes. The final rule takes effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Written requests from FHLBs proposing alternative target levels are due September 15, 2020. Enforcement will be phased in over three years and will apply to the 2021 - 2023 calendar years.