At his first State of the Union address of his second term last night, President Donald Trump had a lot he wanted to cover after a tumultuous first year in office. Clocking in at about an hour and 45 minutes, and over 10,000 words, Trump sprinkled plenty of personal anecdotes and free-wheeling storytelling into a…
President Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos Wednesday largely focused on diplomatic tensions, but he also turned at points to the U.S. economy—including his new plans to rein in institutional investors in the single-family home market. “In recent years, Wall Street giants and institutional investment firms, many of you are here,…
President Donald Trump has floated several controversial ideas to help make housing affordable again. But his latest pitch—allowing Americans to tap 401(k) plans and 529 education savings accounts without penalties to fund their down payments—could have lasting financial consequences even if it helps with some upfront homeownership costs. According to a report from Politico, the…
The acting inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), aka the organization’s “internal watchdog” who polices waste, fraud and abuse, has been removed from his position, as reported by Reuters. The FHFA website now designates the position as vacant. Joe Allen is the latest in a chain of several other watchdogs who have…
When the Trump Administration floated the idea of merging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a single “Great American Mortgage Corporation” and taking it public, the announcement didn’t come through a press conference or news release. Instead, the president himself shared it via social media, sparking intense speculation. It’s one of many examples emerging from…