Bill Pulte has been confirmed as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) by a 56-43 Senate vote.
In the role as director, Pulte will have oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as the Federal Home Loan Bank system. The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—which have been in government conservatorship since 2008—is uncertain. The Trump administration is widely expected to seek to release both agencies from federal conservatorship. During the first Trump administration, a plan for ending the conservatorship was presented before being disrupted by the pandemic and the 2020 election.
“Any exit from conservatorship must be carefully planned to ensure the safety and soundness of the housing market without upward pressures on mortgage rates,” Pulte said during his Feb. 27 nomination hearing.
Pulte is the grandson of PulteGroup founder William Pulte and CEO of private equity firm Pulte Capital Partners, which he founded in 2011. The firm is “focused exclusively on investing in leading building products businesses,” according to its website. Pulte is also known for his philanthropy via his social media pages.
Representatives from several housing organizations congratulated Pulte on his confirmation and applauded the swift confirmation.
“Our members stand ready to work with director Pulte and his team, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac staff, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and other industry stakeholders to increase affordable and sustainable homeownership and rental housing opportunities for all Americans while ensuring a robust secondary mortgage market for single-family and multifamily lenders of all sizes and business models,” said Mortgage Bankers Association president and CEO Bob Broeksmit.
NAHB chairman Bobby Hughes also shared congratulatory remarks following Pulte’s confirmation.
“We stand ready to work with director Pulte to help address the nation’s housing affordability crisis by promoting policies that ensure stable and liquid mortgage markets for single-family and multifamily housing. Providing builders and home buyers better access to financing will enable home builders to boost the supply of attainable, affordable housing to meet market demand and keep the economy strong.”
