The Brian Sullivan Blog
  • September 23, 2008 11:38 AM EDT by Brian Sullivan

    Congress 2007: Make It Easier to Buy a Home

    The blame-game surrounding the current housing & financial crisis has elevated to new heights in the last few weeks. Daily now we hear Republicans and Senators from both parties express their outrage - outrage! - about the state of affairs. The finger pointing primarily is headed from Washington right up I-95 to Wall Street. Congress is demanding to know what happened.

    Maybe Congress should revisit some of its previous proposals before wagging a finger northward. Even as major cracks were appearing in the housing market, there were governmental efforts to loosen credit and lending by permitting no down payment loans and allowing loans to be made that could reflect 100% of the average price of a home sold in a given area.

    The following press release was taken from Barney Frank's Web site after the House passed H.R. 1852: Expanding American Homeownership Act. I have highlighted some of the key takeways.

    You can access original release here:

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    September 18, 2007

    House Passes Comprehensive FHA Reform

    Washington, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed H.R. 1852, the “Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007,” which will revitalize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a federally insured loan program that for over 60 years has been a reliable source of affordable fixed rate mortgage loans, especially for first-time homebuyers. The measure, originally introduced by Representative Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, and Barney Frank, Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, will enable FHA to serve more subprime borrowers at affordable rates and terms, recapture borrowers that have turned to predatory loans in recent years, and offer refinancing loan opportunities to borrowers struggling to meet their mortgage payments in the midst of the current turbulent mortgage markets.

    “There is an affordable housing crisis in America. In recent months, that crisis has exploded beyond the poorest renters and homeowners, to threaten the domestic economy. H.R. 1852 is a necessary step in walking us back from the brink and in the direction of meeting the housing needs of all Americans,” said Chairwoman Waters.

    “A revitalized FHA program will help future homeowners realize the dream of home ownership, and will prevent many first time and inexperienced home buyers from being pushed into loans that are unaffordable or difficult to understand,” said Chairman Frank. “The bill we passed today will help people all across America because we have enacted provisions to allow the FHA to insure loans in high cost areas.”

    Specifically, the bill includes the following important provisions:

    - Lower Down Payments. Authorizes zero and lower down payment loans for borrowers that can afford mortgage payments, but lack the cash for a required down payment.

    - Subprime borrowers. Directs FHA to provide mortgage loans to higher risk (but qualified) borrowers, without authorizing unnecessary fee hikes on such borrowers.

    - Multifamily Loans. Raises FHA multifamily loan limits, so these loans can fully fund construction costs in high cost areas, and enhances sale of foreclosed FHA rental housing loans to localities, so that affordable housing can be maintained in local communities.

    - Affordable Housing Fund. Authorizes up to $300 million a year from the bill’s excess profits for affordable housing, instead of returning such funds to the General Treasury.

    - Higher Loan Limits. Adopts the Frank/Miller/Cardoza amendment that would raise FHA single family loan limits, which now bar loans above 95% of the median home price in each local area and shut FHA out of higher cost home markets. The amendment raises the FHA loan limit in each area to the lower of (a) 125% of the local area median home price or (b) 175% of the national GSE conforming loan limit. The amendment also retains the bill’s provision for a nationwide FHA loan floor of 65% of the GSE conforming loan limit, and gives HUD authority to raise these loan limit amounts by up to $100,000 “if market conditions warrant.”

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Jim Czar

It would be very interesting if you published proposed/adopted legislation and quotes from all of our political pundits regarding relaxation of credit requirements for home purchases. I have a feeling that Wall Street was operating as directed and the real blame for the current financial crisis is on Capital Hill.

September 23, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Bill

Give congress money and they will spend all of it. Don't give them money and they still find a way to spend it. Now they intend to spend our grandchildren's money to clean up THIER mess. This do nothing Congress needs to be controlled and I wish I had an answer. Congress has just severed our jugular and America is bleeding profusely all over the globe.

September 23, 2008 at 1:07 pm

Jim

The bailout circus is the same old grandstanding and covering of rear by congress as they point their finger at others.

September 23, 2008 at 2:05 pm

NOPE

Bailout who main street, wall street, or pennslyvania avenue from the middle class of america. America voted for this DO NOTHING CONGRESS and now we all see what DEMS in POWER do NOTHING but whine, blame, and take MONEY..... We are in a mess and as always MIDDLE CLASS must fix these wrongs we should be the WEALTHY.....

September 23, 2008 at 3:26 pm

Tim Grose

Hit he nail on the head, just didn't quite get it driven in completely Brian. Why would they change so many of the loan requirements to begin with? I am a firm believer that they had every intention to keep home prices over inflated and actually prevent the "average" home-buyer from negotiating an actual LOWER purchase price for the home! They prevented this buy insisting the buyer sign some crazy loan that would "help" them get moved into the home sooner and in a more affordable manner at that higher price. And, yes, a lot of buyers fell into this trap. My God! Can you imagine if the ramifications if the home actually sold for less? God forbid that the previous homeowners don't make that 250% return on their original purchase! Our government was counting on the banking system to provide an artificial basis on which to fund wars, feed the world for free, and ship jobs overseas using the over-inflated loan principles. While the bored, out of work Americans had to settle on joining our new "entertainment economy". All this "Feel Good" stuff that they are trying to "help" us attain by injecting us with some new concoction is quite frankly making me feel suddenly sick. I think I better go and and propose a bailout for myself so I'll be all better in the morning. Who knows? Maybe I'll even pay them back! NOT! Tim

September 24, 2008 at 1:50 am

John Thyne

If the proposed bailout is really aimed at introducing liquidity into the mortgage and lending markets, congress should give the $700 Billion to proven responsible lenders who will lend it to qualified borrowers and let the chips fall where they may for those who lent irresponsibly.

September 24, 2008 at 2:17 am

David Reynolds

Check this one out if you want to understand the "Blame Game".

September 24, 2008 at 8:42 am

Ann

Have we also forgotten that lenders were REQUIRED by law to lend to those who would otherwise NOT have qualified for a mortgage????

September 24, 2008 at 12:36 pm

GaryP

What have we learned here? 20+% increases in property value year after year in a time of stangnent wages and 1-3% inflation should have beeen a big red light to everyone. Those of us in "fly-over coutry" who saw modest 3-5% annual increses in our home's values could see the crash coming for places like California, Florida, and Vegas long ago. What we failed to realize is how it would affect us too.

September 24, 2008 at 12:43 pm

Beverly

Go figure..If we keep bailingout all these failing companies and companies keep moving over seas to cut cost, then how is the average tax payer going to earn an income to pay for these bail outs that are going to be passed down. Do something to keep companies in America!

September 24, 2008 at 1:37 pm

stan rachesky

Throw the bums out or put them in jail...referring to the governmental body and individuals responsible for this mess.Our representatives in Washington don't care how they spend our money , they're government employees and get their paycheck regardless.Remember the female government employee in Colorado who started the Hayman fire and burned down 130+ houses and was convicted or arson , sent to jail and has to pay restitution for the rest of her life ? Let's do it to these irrisponsible bums we call congressmen(or women) make them pay for their crime against the citizens of the U.S....and it is a crime.

September 24, 2008 at 3:07 pm

John

Hey Ann...if lenders are required by law to loan money to subprime borrowers then you should have no problem forking up the $700B to bail them out or we can just stand by and go into a democratic depression.

September 24, 2008 at 3:50 pm

njohn1

This was a combination of politiciains trolling for votes and money to buy those votes and banks looking for favorable legislation. Not all banks were in this wilingly but were coerced under threat of being branded racist. Fannie and Freddie, at the request of certain members of congress, let very questionalbe loans then sold these in packages to banks. Many of these loans were to individuals who were not identified and whose employment was not verified. I really think the American citizens need to know why these things were done. It does sound like a means to buy votes and to place possibly unqualified voters into haouses to help them be able to vote. If this were a fish market all the fish would be rotten and we would throw them out.

September 27, 2008 at 10:24 pm

B Scott

The leaders of the country said their is no God, and the people said okay, guess they know best.The leaders said we all evolved from monkeys, and the people said okay, guess they know best.The leaders said their are no absolutes, everything is relative,and the people said okay,they must know best.The leaders said we have to lend money to everyone, regardless of their income or job status,and the people said okay they must know best.My question is...when will the people wake up.

September 27, 2008 at 11:59 pm

mark smith

It just goes on and on doesn't it Brian....so many at fault, so much for ethics on either side of the isle, you and liz, dagen, a few others are brave to tell the truth about things considering where you are, well done guys! I say raccoon city here we come.

September 28, 2008 at 12:17 am

John Limbaugh

WOW! The Democrats and Republicans agreed on a bailout plan in record time. You better read the fine print,there is a Congressional pay raise in there somewhere.Now they can take a vacation after so much "HARD WORK" determining how to waste more of the Taxpayer's money.

September 28, 2008 at 1:41 pm

about this blog

  • Brian Sullivan joined FOX Business Network (FBN) in April 2008 as an anchor. He co-anchors the 10am-12pm ET hours of the FOX Business block. Prior to joining FBN, Sullivan served as an anchor for Bloomberg Television where he hosted the programs Morning Call and In Focus.

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